Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India’s new attitude of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ was helping the country make the right decisions at the right time. “India has come out of the ‘chalta hai’ attitude it once had and is well on its way to taking a pledge of have to do’ and ‘have to do on time’,” the prime minister said while addressing the Indian diaspora in Munich during his visit to Germany.
Prime Minister Modi, who is in the European nation to attend the G7 summit, continued the theme of ‘democracy’ from his ‘Mann ki Baat’ earlier in the day. He said democracy was the “pride of India and in the DNA of every Indian”.
Recalling the Emergency of 1975, PM Modi said today’s date (June 26) was important as 47 years ago an attempt was made to hold democracy hostage and crush it. “The people of India answered all conspiracies to crush democracy. We Indians take pride in our democracy wherever we are. Every Indian proudly says that India is the mother of democracy.”
Praising India’s democratic values, Modi said the Emergency was a “black spot” on the country’s vibrant democracy. In his speech, he targeted the Congress as the then prime minister Indira Gandhi announced the emergency on June 25, 1975.
Here is all you need to know about PM Modi’s Munich speech, which focused on India’s achievements in technology, healthcare, industry and social welfare:
- On democracy: PM Modi said Indians all over the world were proud of their democratic values. “We Indians take pride in our democracy wherever we are. Every Indian proudly says that India is the mother of democracy,” he said.
- On emergency: Targeting the Congress, PM Modi said June 25, 1975, was an important date for all as India’s democracy was held hostage and an attempt was made to crush it. He said the Emergency of 1975 was a “black spot” on the country’s vibrant democracy.
- On ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’: PM Modi said India’s decision making capacity had been enhanced due to its new attitude of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’. He said when a country made right decisions at the right time and with the right intent, it was imperative that it would grow. “Today, every village in our country is open-defecation free, has electricity, has roads and 99% villages also have clean cooking fuel.”
- On healthcare: The prime minister enumerated India’s achievements during the Covid-19 pandemic, and how the poor in India were availing free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh. “In this time of Covid-19, India is ensuring free food grain to 80 crore poor for the last two years.” Modi said 90 per cent adults in India had received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, while 95 per cent adults had taken at least one dose. “This is the same India, about which some people were saying it will take 10 to 15 years to vaccinate 1.25 billion population.”
- On ‘Digital India’: The PM said ‘New India’ was at the forefront of Industry 4.0. “Be it IT or digital technology, India is shining on every front. We are making new records in data consumption, data prices and even digital transactions. India is leading the way. With the highest mobile data consumption, India is one of the cheapest data providers in the world,” he said.
- On startup ecosystem: Modi also spoke about the thriving startup ecosystem of the country. “There was a time when India was nowhere in the race of startups. Today, we are the third largest startup ecosystem. Similarly, we used to import even the simplest phones; today, we are the second largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world,” he added.
- On tech revolution: Modi said India was witnessing a a technological and digital revolution. “From the largest vaccination drive to public procurement to use of drones in agriculture, India is now moving towards an innovation-led future,” he added.
- On climate change: Modi said climate change was not only for government policies. “Today, our youth are adopting pro-climate technologies and sustainable practices. Today, cleanliness is becoming a lifestyle in India. The people of India, the youth are considering it their duty to keep the country clean,” he added.
- On sustainable solutions: PM Modi said India was no longer lamenting over global issues, but providing sustainable solutions to the world. “India is leading the charge and providing sustainable solutions to the world. Today, with International Solar Alliance, India has given the mantra of ‘One sun, one world, one grid’ to the world,” he said.
Modi is all set to discuss topical issues like climate, energy, food security, counter-terrorism, environment, gender equality and democracy with the leaders of the G7 (United Kingdom, United States, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Germany). He is in Germany to attend the G7 summit and has also been invited by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The summit is being hosted by Germany in its capacity as the chair of G7.
(With PTI inputs)
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