Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday declared that his government will work with triple speed during its third term in office to turn every Indian’s dream of ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India) into a reality.
Addressing the Indian community in Moscow on the second day of his visit to Russia, he said, ”Number 3 has a special significance for us during the third term of our government: we will make India the world’s third-largest economy, build 3 crore homes for the poor and make 3 crore poor women ‘lakhpati didis’ in villages.’’
India’s development in the last 10 years was just a trailer. ‘’We will see much faster growth over the next 10 years,” he said, amid a thunderous applause by the gathering.
The PM said the Indian youth today is full of confidence and this confidence is the biggest capital of the country. The first step towards achieving success, he observed, is self-belief and self-confidence.
In a veiled attack on the previous Congress regime, he said “before 2014, we were in the depths of despair. But today, the country is full of confidence. And this is our biggest asset.”
Mr Modi said India is changing fast as it believes in the strength of its 140 crore people. “Today, as a friend to the world, India is giving new confidence to the world. India’s growing capabilities have given hope of stability and prosperity to the entire world. India is being seen as a strong pillar in the new, emerging multipolar world order,” he added.
Giving an example of the Indian cricket team’s victory in the T20 World Cup, the PM said the players did not give up until the last bowl was bowled. ”Victory is achieved by only those who refuse to give up. The real story of winning the World Cup is also the journey of victory. Today’s youth of India does not accept defeat till the last ball and the last moment,” he said.
The PM also paid glowing tributes to the India-Russia friendship, saying it has withstood the vagaries of time. He also complimented Russian President Vladimir Putin for his contribution in deepening the relationship between the two countries.
India and Russia, he said, are working on the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor. The two countries are discovering each other through Ganga-Volga dialogue.
“Two years ago, the first commercial consignment also reached here from the North-South Transport Corridor… Now we are also working on Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor. Both our countries are discovering each other through Ganga Volga dialogue and civilisation,” Mr Modi said.
He recalled his visit to Russia in 2015 and said that he had then said the 21st century belongs to India. Today, the whole world is saying this as it witnesses India’s phenomenal growth, he added.
“India’s growing capability has given the whole world a hope of stability and prosperity. India is being seen as a strong pillar of the new, emerging, multipolar world order,” he said.
He said India is always the first country to provide aid whenever any country faces a crisis. “When India talks about peace, dialogue and diplomacy, the whole world listens. Whenever the world faces a crisis, India is the first country to reach there,” he said.