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NEW DELHI: Amid growing global trade tensions and a recent tariff hike by the US on Indian goods, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has called upon the country’s higher education institutions to take a leading role in reviving the Swadeshi Movement.A high-level meeting scheduled for August 11, 2025, will see vice-chancellors and education leaders from across India deliberate on “India’s Economic Resurgence through the Swadeshi Movement: Role of Indian Universities.” The session will be headlined by professor Bhagwati Prakash Sharma, a global trade expert and member of the ministry of education’s high power committee on the Indian Knowledge System.In a letter dated August 5, AIU secretary general professor Vinay Kumar Pathak urged institutions to foster “economic self-reliance” on campuses by encouraging students to adopt and promote indigenous products and practices. “Let every classroom ignite economic consciousness. Let every campus become a bastion of Swadeshi,” he wrote.

The event aims to align university ecosystems with the Centre’s “Vocal for Local” campaign, launched as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s renewed push for Atmanirbhar Bharat. Discussions will include campus-based Swadeshi drives, linkages with MSMEs and startups, and curriculum reforms to promote economic patriotism.With over 43 million students enrolled across India’s higher education system, organisers said the sector has a transformative role to play in reshaping consumer behaviour and national development goals. “Universities are not just centres of learning; they are laboratories of national rebuilding,” the AIU stated.