Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the big changes that have taken place in the country in the last ten years have raised hopes that the 21st century will be India’s century. Nobody, he said, had anticipated such big changes to take place in India ten years ago and the country’s success ”has inspired inspired us to dream big and also fulfil these dreams.”

Addressing a media event hosted by a leading English daily here, he emphasised that it is necessary to make efforts to move in the direction of development and his government is working swiftly to do the best in every sector. ”Efforts are needed to make our processes such that India’s standard is referred to as ‘world class’, be it in the manufacturing of products or construction, education or entertainment,” he added.

Looking at the pictures of the 26/11 terror attacks at the media event, the PM said there was a time when the people felt unsafe in their own houses and cities due to terrorism sponsored by neighbouring countries. Times have changed and terrorists themselves now feel insecure in their homes, he added.

Mr Modi said experts have often made mistakes in recognising the capabilities of a common citizen in India. Touching upon history, he recalled that when the British were leaving India, it was said that the country would disintegrate and when the emergency was imposed, some people had assumed that now it would remain in force forever. Even at that time, he said, the citizens of India stood up and uprooted the emergency. Further explaining the strength of the common man, he recollected how the nation fought the challenge posed by the COVID pandemic.

The PM also stated that there was a time in the 1990’s when India had seen five elections in a span of 10 years, clearly reflecting instability in the country. While the experts had predicted that things would not change, the citizens of India had again proved them wrong. While there is a talk about uncertainty and instability around the world, people in India have elected the same government for the third time, he said.

Talking about policies in the past, Mr Modi said the phrase ‘good economics is bad politics’ was being promoted by experts and supported by the governments. This, he said, had become a means for the previous governments to cover up bad governance and inefficiency. This had led to an unbalanced development in the country which hampered the trust of the people in the government. He said his government had won back the trust of the people by ensuring the ‘Mantra’ of ”Progress of the people, Progress by the people and Progress for the people.” He said the government’s aim is to build a new and developed India and the people have entrusted it with the capital of their trust. ”Despite misinformation and disinformation in this age of social media, the citizens of India have faith in us, in our government,” he added.

Mr Modi said that when the trust of the people increases, their confidence also goes up, resulting in the development of the country. Emphasising on the importance of risk-taking, he remarked that the people in the past centuries took risks which helped the country promote Indian goods and services in foreign countries and make India a hotspot of commerce and culture. However, he added that this culture of risk-taking was lost in the post-independence era by previous governments. India has again witnessed development and changes in the last ten years since his government came to power and gave new energy to the risk-taking culture.

“Indian society, today, is filled with unprecedented aspirations and we have made these aspirations the basis of our policies,” he said. The government has promoted a model of development consisting of the combination of employment through investment and dignity through development.The PM also said that when there is investment, employment is generated. This leads to the nation’s development, thus increasing the dignity of the citizens. He expressed confidence that India will maintain the pace of development and soon become the third largest economy in the world.