Time for all Indians to subscribe to 'economic nationalism: VP Dhankar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday called upon Indian enterprises to desist from importing non-essential items and exporting raw material and become "nerve centres" of inculcating the spirit of economic nationalism, asserting that it was imperative for India's prosperity and sovereignty. Speaking at an event here, he said, "we need to import only that item which is unavoidably essential", and drew India Inc's attention to the ill effects of export of raw material in terms of drain of foreign exchange and loss of potential job opportunities. "Nationalism is important, paramount. We have to subscribe to it. Time for us to subscribe to economic nationalism as well. We need to be vocal for local," Dhankhar said. The vice president emphasised that a fiscal benefit can never be the premise to compromise national interest or economic nationalism, observing that export of raw material needs to be "discouraged" and the discouragement has to emanate from sensitisation by trade, industr