Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an appeal to young marriageable couples of India to tie the nuptial knots in Uttarakhand instead of going for foreign destinations.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the two-day Uttarakhand Global Investors Summit 2023 in Dehradun on Friday, Modi, while calling on the corporate world to invest in Uttarakhand, said that the rich in India should come to the state for destination weddings as it would help the state strengthen its economy and thereby help them attain providential bliss.

“Rich people in the country solemnise their marriages outside India despite the belief that the wedlock is made by the God. Why should marriageable couples begin their new life from foreign lands instead of coming to the abode of God in Uttarakhand. They must hold minimum one marriage in Uttarakhand in the next five years. The state’s infrastructure will take a big facelift if 5,000 marriages are held here every year under wedding destination concept,” said Modi.

He further said, “I want my young Indians to hold their marriages in India for they will get providential bliss here. Why there can’t be a ‘wed in India’ slogan akin to Make in India.”

On the occasion, the prime minister informed that he had made up his mind to make two crore women lakhpati didis (sisters owing wealth in lakhs) across the nation in the coming days. “I have resolved to raise the economy of women and create two crore ‘lakhpati didis’ in the next few years. Women self-help groups (SHGs) will be a best bet in the realisation of this goal as they will help in building a national character for making local products popular in foreign markets,” he contended.

Modi also lauded the Uttarakhand government’s newly-created brand of multiple products, ‘House of Himalayas’, which was formally launched by him at today’s summit. He said it would help the state and the Centre governments create a market for Uttarakhand products on overseas while fructifying the concept of ‘vocal for local’.

Speaking on the emerging consumer-based economy in India, he said a ‘neo middle class’ consumer group emerged in the country shelving the loath of poverty. “The neo middle class has emerged as high-spending consumer group in the country. India has seen 13.5 crore people coming out of poverty in the last five-and-a-half years. Today, a wind of change is blowing in the country. There is immense untapped potential for investors in Uttarakhand which they must explore,” said the prime minister.

Speaking on lowering Indian dependency on foreign countries, Modi said, “Strong local supply chains have to be developed within India to reduce our dependence on foreign countries. We have to strengthen our export-oriented manufacturing and reduce our imports. Today, we import petroleum products worth 15 lakh crore and coal worth four lakh crore. This has to be reduced in the coming days.”

Earlier, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami welcomed the investors to the state and assured them value for their investments in Uttarakhand. “Uttarakhand has a highly-conducive and investment-friendly environment as we offer one of the best infrastructures, law and order, power supply and administration. We have inked record MoUs from global investors for this summit. Rs 44,000 crore deeds have already been grounded and I assure the investors to get the best return for the money they spent here,” said Dhami.