New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that India's achievements and successes sparked a new wave of hope across the globe, adding that once perceived as a nation that would sink itself and others, the country is now driving global growth.
“World is now recognising this century as India's century and India's achievements and successes have sparked new hope globally," the Prime Minister said during a programme at the Bharat Mandapam here.
He added that the direction of India's future is evident from the work and accomplishments of today, pointing out that even 65 years after independence, India was the world's eleventh-largest economy.
However, in the past decade, India has become the fifth-largest economy and is now rapidly moving towards becoming the third-largest economy in the world.
He also said that when the nation's youth get involved in the national discourse, it brings novelty to ideas and fills the entire environment with their energy.
He emphasised that this energy was being felt at the summit. He further stated that the involvement of youth helps break all barriers and go beyond boundaries, making every goal achievable and every destination reachable.
PM Modi also reiterated his idea of bringing one lakh youth without any political background to the politics of India
Recalling the situation 18 years ago, in 2007, when India's annual GDP reached $1 trillion, the Prime Minister highlighted that back then, the economic activity in India for an entire year was $1 trillion.
The Prime Minister added that today, the same amount of economic activity is happening in just one quarter, which demonstrates the rapid pace at which India is progressing.
He provided examples to show the significant changes and results achieved in the past decade, highlighting that in the last 10 years, India has successfully lifted 25 crore people out of poverty, a number greater than the population of many countries.
PM Modi also reminded the audience of the time when only 15 paise out of one rupee sent by the government reached the poor, with 85 paise lost to corruption.
In contrast, over the past decade, more than Rs 42 lakh crore have been transferred directly to the accounts of the poor through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), ensuring that the entire amount reaches the beneficiaries.
Underlining that 10 years ago, India lagged behind in solar energy, the Prime Minister said: "Today, India is among the top 5 countries in solar energy capacity, having increased it 30 times, while solar module manufacturing has also seen a 30-fold increase."
He also stated that 10 years ago, even children's toys like Holi water guns were imported, while today, India's toy exports have tripled. He also pointed out that 10 years ago, India imported rifles for its army, but in the past decade, India's defense exports have increased 20 times.
The Prime Minister further highlighted that in the past 10 years, India has become the world's second-largest steel producer, the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer, and the third-largest startup ecosystem.
He remarked that in the same period, India's capital expenditure on infrastructure has increased fivefold and the number of airports in the country has doubled, and the number of operational AIIMS has tripled.
The Prime Minister further emphasised that in the past decade, the number of medical colleges and medical seats has nearly doubled.
“Today's India thinks big, sets ambitious targets, and achieves significant results," PM Modi said, remarking that this is happening because the nation's mindset has changed, and India is moving forward with great aspirations.
He highlighted that previously, the mindset was to accept the status quo, but now, people know who can deliver results.
The Prime Minister cited examples of how the aspirations of the people have evolved, from requesting drought relief work to demanding Vande Bharat connectivity and international airports. He pointed out that the previous dispensations had crushed the aspirations of the people, leading them to lower their expectations.
Underscoring that the strength of any society or nation increases when barriers and obstacles are removed for its citizens, PM Modi said that this enhances the capabilities of the citizens, making even the sky seem small.
He pointed out that the government is continuously removing the obstacles placed by previous administrations and cited the example of the space sector, where earlier everything was under ISRO's purview. While ISRO did commendable work, the potential of space science and entrepreneurship in the country was not fully utilised.
He remarked that the space sector has now been opened up for young innovators, resulting in the creation of over 250 space startups in the country. These startups are now developing rockets like Vikram-S and Agnibaan, he added.
The Prime Minister also mentioned the mapping sector, where previously government permission was required to create maps in India. This restriction has been removed, and today, geospatial mapping data is paving the way for new startups. Pointing out that the nuclear energy sector was previously under government control with various restrictions, the Prime Minister said that this year's budget has announced the opening of this sector to the private sector, paving the way for adding 100 gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity by 2047.
Stressing the importance of national security for a country's development, PM Modi underlined the significant work done in the past decade to enhance security.
He recalled that earlier, serial bomb blast breaking news and special programmes on sleeper cell networks were common on TV, but today, such incidents are absent from both TV screens and Indian soil.
The Prime Minister remarked that LWE is now on its last breath, with the number of affected districts reduced from over a hundred to less than two dozen. This was achieved by working with a "nation first" spirit and bringing governance to the grassroots level in these areas, he added.
PM Modi highlighted that decisive government actions have cleared Naxalism from the jungles, but it is now spreading to urban centers.
He remarked that "Urban Naxals have rapidly infiltrated political parties that were once opposed to them and inspired by Gandhian ideology, rooted in India's heritage".
