Modi at Davos: India has given world a Bouquet of Hope – of trust in democracy, tech, talent and temperament

New Delhi, Jan 17 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India as a strong democracy has given the whole world a beautiful present – a Bouquet of Hope, in the form of Indians’ unflinching trust in democracy, the technology to empower the 21st century and the temperament and talent of Indians, as he projected India as a very attractive destination for business and a trusted partner in the global supply chain.
Addressing the World Economic Forum at Davos in virtual mode, the Prime Minister outlined the economic reforms undertaken by his government for ease of business and the strides taken towards moving to a digital economy and enhanced connectivity.
He said that India is committed to becoming a trusted partner in the global supply chain. “We are opening up the path to signing FTAs with many countries. Indians have innovation, the ability to adopt to new tech, and the spirit of entrepreneurship, which can give new energy to our global partners. That is why this is the best time for investment in India,” he stressed.
He urged for collective, synchronized action by every country, and every global agency to meet the challenges before the world, including that of changes in the global order.
“The disruptions in supply chains, inflation and climate change are examples of these challenges. One other challenge is of crypto currency,” the PM said, adding that for this countries need to align their thinking, as a decision taken by any one country will be insufficient to tackle it.
Calling for reform of the multilateral organizations, the PM said that seeing the global landscape “the question arises whether the multilateral organizations are equipped to tackle the new world order and new challenges; do they have the requisite capability for the job?”
He said it is the responsibility of every democratic country to push for reforms in these organizations so that they are equipped to deal with present and future challenges, and expressed hope that the discussions in Davos would move in this direction.
The PM said that India is currently going through another Covid-19 wave, with utmost caution and precautions, while also taking big strides in the economic sphere.
Citing the 160 crore vaccines doses administered in the past year, he said “it fills us with self confidence”.
“A strong democracy like India has given the whole world a beautiful present: a bouquet of hope. This bouquet contains, our Indians’ unwavering trust in democracy, the technology to empower the 21st century, the temperament and the talent of Indians,” he said.
He said that India’s multi-lingual multi-cultural ethos is a great strength for the entire world, and “India is thinking not just for itself , but to work for humankind”.
The PM said that during the corona times, India worked towards its vision of ‘One Earth One Health’ and thereby provided many countries with vaccines, and medicines, and helped save countless lives.
“India is the third biggest pharma producer and is the pharmacy to the world. We are among those countries whose health professionals and doctors have won plaudits with their expertise and empathy,” he added.
“India capabilities are an example to the world. We are sending a record number of software engineers to the world; 50 lakh are working in India. India has the third most number of unicorns, while more than 10,000 startups were registered in the last three months. We have the biggest digital payments platform,” the PM enumerated.
He said the government is pushing forward with ease of doing business and moving towards less involvement of the government, adding that his government has simplified the corporate tax and made it the most competitive in the world.
“The way ex pat Indians are showing their skills on the world stage the same way the Indian youth are ready to give your businesses the much needed energy in India,” he said.
Citing the reform measures undertaken by his government, he said “We took our major steps towards digital and physical infrastructure reforms during the corona times.”
“While moving on the path of Atmanirbharta, India’s focus has been not just on easing the processes but also to incentivize investment and production,” he said, adding that with this approach, in 14 sectors USD 26 billion production linked investment schemes have been launched.
“For the launching of the fab, chip and display industry, we have set up a USD 10 billion incentive plan, which is proof of our commitment to smoothen the global supply chain,” he stressed.
“We are moving on the vision of Make in India, Make for the World. Along with Telecom, insurance, defence and aerospace, today India holds vast potential in the field of semi conductors.”
The PM said that India is making plans and policies with the target of the coming 25 years in mind. “In this process, India along with high growth has included the saturation of welfare and wellness. The period of growth will be green, clean, sustainable and reliable.”
Mentioning his vision of LIFE or Lifestyle for Environment that he enumerated at Glasgow, the PM said that the throw away culture and consumerism has made the challenge of climate change even more serious. Citing the “take-make-use-dispose economy” of the present times, he said it is essential to move towards the circular economy. “LIFE, that is lifestyle for environment, is a vision of a resilient and sustainable lifestyle that will help tackle the climate crisis and the unpredictable challenges of the future. That is why it is essential to make mission LIFE a global mass movement. In this participatory movement of LIFE, we can make P3 or Pro Plant People the basis for it.”
Touching on climate change, he reiterated India’s commitment, made at the COP26 in Glasgow, of targeting Net Zero by 2070. “We have targeted net zero by 2070. Though we contribute only 5 percent to global emissions, but to tackle climate change our commitment is 100 percent,” he said, adding that India’s initiatives of the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition of Disaster Resistant Infrastructure are proof of this.