Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to make India more self-reliant, but if the experience over the past few years is anything to go by, it¡¯s not going to be easy.

Faced with disruptions to raw material supplies from China because of the pandemic and millions of job losses following a nationwide lockdown, Modi has ratcheted up calls to boost local manufacturing and reduce India¡¯s reliance on imports.

A shortage of personal protective equipment at the beginning of the outbreak increased his resolve ¡ª and within the space of just two months, India has become the world¡¯s biggest maker of PPE kits after China. That success has only emboldened Modi as he exhorts Indians to buy local goods.