India is going through a massive transformative phase and international agencies say the country will drive the growth of the global economy in the coming decade, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday as he invited the Indian community in Japan to contribute actively in building a “new India”.
Modi, who arrived in Japan on Saturday to attend the 13th India-Japan annual summit, detailed India’s economic and technological growth during his four-year tenure.
“India is going through a massive transformative phase today. The world is appreciating India for its service to humanity. The nation is being felicitated for its policies and for the work being done towards public welfare,” he said.
Modi said that India is continuously working with the spirit of Indian solutions-global applications. He said that India’s model of financial inclusion, especially JAM (Jan Dhan Yojana, Mobile, Aadhar) trinity and digital transaction model, is now appreciated all over the world.
He hailed the expanding network of telecommunications and internet in the country.
“Today India is making tremendous progress in the field of digital infrastructure. Broadband connectivity is reaching villages, over 100 crore mobile phones are active in India. 1 GB is cheaper than a small bottle of cold drink. This data is becoming the tool for service delivery,” Modi said.
Speaking about ‘Make in India’ initiative, Modi said the initiative has emerged as a global brand.
“We’re manufacturing quality products not only for India but for the world. India is becoming a global hub, especially in the field of electronics and automobile manufacturing. We’re rapidly moving towards being no 1 in mobile phones manufacturing,” he said.
He said that solutions or innovations taking place in India are not only cost-effective but the best in quality as he cited India’s space programme as an example.
“Last year our scientists created a record by launching over 100 satellites into space simultaneously. We sent Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan at a very low cost. India is preparing to send Gaganyaan into space by 2022. Gaganyaan will be ‘Indian’ in all aspects and the one travelling in it will also be an Indian,” he said.
Modi said India is becoming one of the fastest growing big economies due to the development taking place in the country.
“After seeing these developments, international agencies say that India would drive the growth of the global economy in the coming decade,” he said.
He said Japan and the Indian diaspora has a big role to play in India’s growth story.
Modi emphasised on the Japanese contribution in creating smart infrastructure for building a New India’.
“From bullet train to smart cities, Japan is contributing in all the new India infrastructure that is being built,” he said.
Terming the Indian community as ambassadors of India in Japan, the prime minister urged them to invest in India and to maintain cultural ties with the motherland.
He urged the Indian community to strive to continuously improve the relations between India and Japan.
Modi hailed the Indian diaspora for introducing Kabbadi and cricket in Japan where martial art is very popular.
“Just as lamps light up the dark during Diwali, wherever you are, you are spreading the light of India to every corner of the world and Japan and making the country proud,” the prime minister said.
Modi also invoked the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the event.
“We celebrate Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary every year, but this time we will grab the attention of the entire world. In Gujarat, his birthplace, Sardar sahab’s statue – the tallest in the world – is being built,” he said.
The structure is reported twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the United States. It is being constructed at the banks of River Narmada in Gujarat.
He invited the Indian diaspora for the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas in January in Varanasi and Ardh Kumbh.
Earlier in the day, Modi addressed a gathering of vibrant Indian community in Japan and also interacted with some respected names in Japanese venture capitalists.
He asked Japanese businessmen to engage more with India. He further said that the inputs offered at the Business Leaders Forum will propel India to achieve global benchmarking.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and held productive, focused discussion on bilateral, regional and global issues.
He appreciated the Japanese support extended to the flagship initiatives in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Sunday hosted by Japanese PM Shinzo Abe for a private lunch at the latter’s personal villa near Lake Kawaguchi in Yamanashi. The Indian PM is the first foreign leader to be invited to the villa.
Read | PM Modi, Japanese PM Abe take express train to Tokyo from Yamanashi
Following this, the two leaders took an express train from Yamanashi to Tokyo.
Sharing a light moment from the reception, PM Modi wrote on Twitter, “Extremely grateful to PM @AbeShinzo for the warm reception at his home. I am truly honoured by this gesture. PM Abe also taught me the Japanese way of eating food using chopsticks!”
This was the 12th meeting between the two leaders in the last four years.
India is the only country with which Japan holds annual bilateral summits. The only other country with which India has a similar arrangement is Russia.
The Summit meeting comes ahead of a major joint military exercise between the militaries of India and Japan, which is to be held in November 2018 at Counter Insurgency Warfare School.
(With PTI inputs)