PM: Need to continue repair, prepare of health infrastructure, economy
Modi also said India offers what innovators and investors need, and invited the world to invest in the country.
The country’s focus must be on repairing and preparing the health infrastructure and the economy to meet future challenges, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said
Modi also said India offers what innovators and investors need, and invited the world to invest in the country. India, he said, is home to one of the world’s largest start-up ecosystems and several unicorns have come up in recent years.
“Over the past year, we have witnessed a lot of disruption in different sectors. Much of it is still there,” Modi said at the VivaTech Summit. “Yet, disruption does not have to mean despair. Instead, we must keep the focus on the twin foundation of repair and prepare.”
This time last year, the world was still seeking a vaccine and today two vaccines are being made in India, and more are in the development or trial stages, he said.
“We have to continue repairing health infrastructure and our economies,” he said. “And when I say prepare, I mean insulating our planet against the next pandemic, ensuring we focus on a sustainable lifestyle that stops ecological degradation, strengthening cooperation in furthering research as well as innovation.”
Stating that the country offers what innovators and investors need, the Prime Minister said, “I invite the world to invest in India based on the five pillars of talent, market, capital, ecosystem and culture of openness.” He said India has 1.18 billion mobile phones and 775 million internet users — more than the population of several nations.
Data consumption in India is among the highest and cheapest in the world. Also, Indians are the largest users of social media. “There is a diverse and extensive market that awaits you,” he said.
“History has shown that leadership in new technology drives economic strength, job, and prosperity. But our partnerships must also serve a larger purpose, in the service of humanity. This pandemic is not only a test of our resilience but also of our imagination. It is a chance to build a more inclusive, caring and sustainable future for all,” he added.
He also said, “I believe where convention fails, innovation can help. This has been seen during the Covid-19 global pandemic, which is the biggest disruption of our age. All nations have suffered losses and faced anxiety about the future.”