Is the ‘Make in India’ logo Swiss-inspired? No, says Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, who spearheaded the campaign.

“All the 30 vibrant and dynamic ‘Make In India’ lions, and not one of them resembles the dull, boring and monotonous Swiss or Cuban lions,” Kant tweeted on Tuesday in response to a report in ‘The News Minute’ website that alluded that the campaign mascot may not be original.

The report talked about lions, very similar to the one used in ‘Make in India’, painted on trains in Zurich as part of a campaign sponsored by the Cantonal Bank of Zurich in Switzerland.

The Swiss lion, designed by Swiss designer Nadine Geissbülher, was launched on July 4, 2013, the report said. This was much before the launch of the ‘Make in India’ lion in September 2014. Springing to the Indian lion’s defence, Kant, who is credited as the bureaucrat behind the ‘Make in India’ logo, argued that both the lion and the wheels painted inside it were of Indian origin.

“Since time immemorial, lion has been the official emblem of India. It stands for courage, tenacity and wisdom – all Indian values,” Kant said.

“The wheel in Ashoka Chakra forms the centrepiece of India’s national flag. The wheel denotes peaceful progress & dynamism,” he added in a separate tweet.

In addition to the main lion with wheels inside, the ‘Make in India’ campaign has other similar lions with different patterns painted on it such as medicines and oil rigs to represent the various sectors in which the country is inviting investments.

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