When the world is immersed in worry, India is spreading hope: PM

Newdelhi:21/10/24:The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the NDTV World Summit 2024 in New Delhi today. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister welcomed all dignitaries and said that discussions on a multitude of issues would take place at the Summit. He also acknowledged the presence of global leaders from different sectors who would put forth their views.

Reflecting on the past 4-5 years, the Prime Minister pointed out that discussions on the concerns of the future have been a common theme. He mentioned that the recent challenges of Covid pandemic, post-economic stress, inflation & unemployment, climate change, ongoing wars, disruption of supply chains, death of innocents, geopolitical tensions, and conflicts had become a point of discussion in all global summits. Drawing parallels with the discussions taking place in India at the time, the Prime Minister underlined that India is deliberating its century. “India has become a ray of hope in this era of global turmoil. When the world is worried, India is spreading hope”, the Prime Minister remarked. He underlined that even though India is affected by the global situation and the challenges before it, there is a sense of positivity that can be experienced.

India of today is both a developing nation and an emerging power”, the Prime Minister emphasized, stressing that India understands the challenges of poverty and knows how to pave the path of progress. He highlighted the government’s fast-paced policy-making and decision-making processes and new reforms. Addressing the issue of complacency, the Prime Minister said that this mindset does not drive a nation forward. He underlined that 25 crore people have come out of poverty over the past 10 years 12 crore toilets have been built and 16 crore gas connections have been provided, but it is not enough.

The Prime Minister further informed that in the last 10 years, India has built over 350 medical colleges and more than 15 AIIMS, established over 1.5 lakh startups, and handed out Mudra loans to 8 crore young people. “This is not enough”, the Prime Minister stressed, emphasizing the need for the continuous progress of India’s youth. He underlined that India’s potential as one of the world’s youngest nations can take us to great heights, and we have much more to achieve quickly and efficiently.

Highlighting the nation’s shift in mindset, the Prime Minister noted that Governments often compare their achievements with previous administrations, considering surpassing them as success looking back 10-15 years. He emphasized that India is changing this approach and success is no longer measured by achievements but by course of the future’s direction. The Prime Minister further remarked on India’s forward-looking vision and said that India is now moving ahead with a future-focused approach. “Our goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 is not just a vision of the government but reflects the aspirations of 140 crore Indians. It’s no longer just a campaign for public participation, but a movement of national confidence”, Shri Modi remarked. He mentioned that lakhs of citizens contributed their suggestions when the government began working on the vision document for Viksit Bharat. He informed that debates and discussions were held in schools, colleges, universities and various organizations and the government set the goals for the next 25 years based on these inputs. “Today, discussions on Viksit Bharat are part of our national consciousness and have become a true example of transforming public power into national strength”, he added.

The Prime Minister emphasized the government’s commitment to empowering India’s youth to become a driving force for global growth and highlighted the government’s focus on education, skill development, research, and employment. He said that the results of the efforts in the last 10 years are now visible and mentioned India’s highest improvement globally in research quality as reflected in the latest Times Higher Education ranking. He noted that the participation of Indian universities in international rankings has grown from 30 to over 100 in the past 8–9 years. The Prime Minister underlined that India’s presence in the QS World University Rankings has increased by more than 300% in the last ten years while the number of patents and trademarks filed in India is at an all-time high. He said that India is fast becoming a global hub for research and development where over 2,500 companies worldwide now have research centers in India, and the country’s startup ecosystem is undergoing unprecedented growth.

The Prime Minister emphasized that India is working swiftly on the skill sets and infrastructure required for Industry 4.0. He noted that during the past decade, he has participated in various global platforms, including G-20 and G-7 summits significant discussions about India’s Digital Public Infrastructure have taken place. “Today, the whole world is looking at India’s DPI,” he stated, referencing his discussions with Paul Romer, who praised India’s innovations like Aadhaar and DigiLocker. “India did not have the first-mover advantage in the era of the internet”, Shri Modi pointed out, noting that private platforms led the digital space in countries with the advantage. He said that India has provided a new model to the world by democratizing technology and highlighted the JAM trinity—Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile which provides a robust system for faster and leakage-free service delivery. He also touched on UPI facilitating over 500 million daily digital transactions and said that the driving force behind this is not corporations but our small shopkeepers and street vendors. He also mentioned the PM Gati Shakti platform created to eliminate silos in infrastructure project construction which is now helping to transform the logistics ecosystem. Similarly, the ONDC platform is proving to be an innovation that democratizes and enhances transparency in online retail. Shri Modi underlined that India has demonstrated that digital innovation and democratic values can coexist and reinforced the notion that technology is a tool for inclusion, transparency, and empowerment, rather than control and division.

Expressing pride in India’s growth, the Prime Minister remarked, “As India progresses, the world will benefit even more.” He envisions a future where India’s century becomes a victory for all of humanity. He said that India’s century thrives on everyone’s talent and is enriched by innovations. Shri Modi stressed the significance of India’s efforts in promoting global stability and peace. “This is a century in which India’s initiatives contribute to a more stable world and enhance global peace”, Shri Modi concluded.