Government dismisses reports saying 'Make in India' lion logo was inspired by Swiss bank ad

NEW DELHI: The government today sought to dismiss reports that the ' Make in India' logo was inspired by a Swiss bank advertisement, saying the symbol has a "vibrant and dynamic" lion as against a "dull and boring" picture in Switzerland's ad campaign.

One of the most famous 'Make in India' logos comprises a lion with industrial wheels, while a similar picture has been noticed in the advertisement campaign of Cantonal Bank of Zurich.

Soon after a news website reported about this resemblance, after spotting the Swiss bank's ad campaign on the outer body of a train in Zurich, social media went abuzz with comments that the 'Make in India' logo was copied from Switzerland.

Seeking to dispel such suggestions, Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Amitabh Kant posted pictures of all 30 Make in India logos on Twitter and said all of these had "vibrant and dynamic" lions and none of them resembled the "dull, boring and monotonous Swiss or Cuban Lions".

He further tweeted that "wheel in Ashoka Chakra forms the centerpiece of India's national flag.

"Wheel denotes peaceful progress and dynamism." He also said that "since time immemorial, lion has been the official emblem of India" and it stands for "courage, tenacity and wisdom -- all Indian values".

The NewsMinute website, which first reported the 'resemblance', said that the lion with the wheels behind the sponsored campaign of the Cantonal Bank of Zurich in Switzerland was launched on July 4, 2013. The Make in India logo was launched on September 25, 2014.