Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said when the world struggles with worries of one kind or another, Indians are talking about the current century as their own, and India shines like a ray of hope amidst challenges from global situations because of a sense of positivity.
Addressing the NDTV World Summit 2024 here, he said in recent years, the world has been facing difficult situations one after another, whether it was Covid-19, or the economy, inflation, unemployment, or climate change, armed conflicts or disruption of global supply chains.
While these tensions and conflicts became the subject of discussions at seminars and global summits,India was a picture of contradiction in these circumstances, he said. The global situations did make a difference to India, but its sense of confidence to go ahead made Indians feel the current century belonged to them, Mr Modi said.
He said India has been advancing in every field and the speed and scale of its progress is unprecedented. The biggest needs of the current era are stability, sustainability and solutions and Indian people have given their single-minded support to this.
In the last 60 years, they have for the first time given their mandate to a government for a third consecutive term in office. “This is a message of stability. Haryana had Assembly elections recently. People have again given strength to the need for stability,” the PM said.
He said that his government had completed nearly 125 days of its third term. During this period,three crore new houses have been approved for the poor. Work has started on infrastructure projects worth Rs 9 lakh crore. “We have started 15 new Vande Bharat trains, work on eight new airports has been started,” he said.
In these 125 days, a package of Rs 2 lakh crore has been given for the youth. “We have directly transferred Rs 21,000 crore to the bank accounts of farmers, we have arranged for free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh for the elderly above 70 years of age,” the PM said.
Look at the scope of the work being done in India, he said. Rooftop solar plants have been installed in five lakh houses. More than 90 crore trees have been planted under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign. Not only this, 12 new industrial nodes have been approved too, he said.
Sensex and Nifty, which give a sense of the economy’s health, have grown by six to seven per cent. “Our forex has increased from 650 billion dollars to over 700 billion dollars. This list of India’s achievements is very long. And I am talking only about 125 days,” he said.
“You also have to note that in these One Twenty Five Days…what topics did the world come to India to discuss? What global events took place in India in One Twenty Five Days? An international assembly was held in India to discuss telecom and digital future,” he said.
There was a global fintech festival held in India, the global semiconductor ecosystem was discussed in India, and international conferences on the future of renewable energy and civil aviation were held in India, the Prime Minister said.
“This is not just a list of events. This is also a list of hope associated with India. This gives us an understanding of both India’s direction and the hope of the world. These are the topics that will determine the future of the world in the coming times…and to discuss these topics…the world is coming to India today,” Mr Modi said.
So much is happening in India today, he said, adding, many rating agencies have further increased India’s growth forecast. He said “Our government is rapidly making policies, taking decisions…doing new reforms. However, in public life, I often meet different kinds of people…some people say, Modiji, you have formed the government three times in a row…you have done so much work…then why do you keep running around so much, what is the need?”
“But the dreams we have seen, the resolutions with which we have moved ahead, there is neither peace nor comfort in them,” he said.
In the last 10 years, 25 crore people have come out of poverty, 12 crore toilets have been built, 16 crore people got gas connections, 350 medical colleges have been built, 15 AIIMS built, 1.5 crore start-ups created, he said
Is that enough? “My answer is…no, that is not enough. Today, India is one of the youngest countries in the world. The potential of this young country…can take us to great heights. And for this, we still have to do a lot…we have to do it very fast,” the PM said.