`Make in India` lion came from Switzerland?

New Delhi: Make in India “is the step of a lion", said Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of the campaign that aims at turning India into a global manufacturing hub.

The logo is a striding lion made of cogs, symbolising manufacturing, strength and national pride. It looks great!

But if the buzz on the social media is to be believed, the magnificent symbol of one of PM Modi’s biggest push to turn around Indian economy and generate millions of new jobs appears to have been copied from a campaign by the Cantonal Bank of Zurich in Switzerland.

Tweets are galore about how the bank’s campaign, with its motif by Swiss designer Nadine Geissbülher, was launched on July 4, 2013, more than a year before ‘Make in India’ was launched by the government of India on September 26, 2014.

The ‘Make in India’ campaign was designed by the Indian subsidiary of American agency Weiden + Kennedy (W+K) which has previously worked on the Incredible India campaign and has managed many big brands like Nike, Coke among other companies.

Media reports claimed that Weiden+Kennedy agency was paid close to Rs 4.3 crore for the campaign by government of India.

While Zee Media cannot vouch for the veracity of the claims, one thing is certain, the Swiss design looks very similar to the ‘Make in India’ lion.

However, the controversy doesn’t take away the worth of the campaign and the huge promise it holds to turn around Indian manufacturing.

Interestingly, the official twitter handle of the ‘Make in India’ campaign tweeted today about the logo.

The tweet said: “The #MakeInIndia Lion: a powerful symbol from India's enlightened past – pointing the way to a glorious future.”