6 days Ago By Moneycontrol
Namaskar. Through this summit, you have given me the opportunity to connect with esteemed guests from across the country and the world, as well as with your viewers. I express my gratitude to Network 18.
I am happy that you have connected this year's summit with the aspirations of the youth of India. In the beginning of this year, on the occasion of Vivekananda Jayanti, this very Developed Young Leaders of India Dialogue was held at the Bharat Mandapam. Then I saw in the eyes of the youth the brilliance of dreams, the capability of determination, and the passion to develop India.
By 2047, the height at which we want to take India, the roadmap we are walking on, if we follow it step by step, then definitely, we will get nectar. And this nectar will give energy to the generation of Amrit Kaal. It will give direction.
And it will give speed to India. I congratulate you on this summit. I give you my best wishes.
Friends, today the world is looking at India and the world's expectations are also from India. In just a few years, we have become the 11th to 5th largest economy in the world. In a very short time.
Many types of global challenges have come. But India did not stop. India started running at double speed.
And in a decade, it has shown the double size of its economy. Those who used to think that India will run slowly and steadily, they are now seeing a fast and fearless India. And there is no doubt in this that India will soon become the 3rd largest economy in the world.
Who is driving this incredible speed of growth? It is being driven by the youth of India, their ambitions and their aspirations. Addressing these ambitions and aspirations of the youth of India is the priority of the country today. Friends, today is 8th April.
Just tomorrow or day after tomorrow, 100 days of 2025 are coming to an end. The first phase of 2025. The decisions that have been taken in these 100 days, you will see a glimpse of youth aspirations.
In addition, in these 100 days, we have not only taken decisions, we have laid a strong foundation for the future. We have paved the way for possibilities through policies. Tax on income up to 12 lakh rupees!.
Thank you. The biggest benefit of this is being given to our young professionals and entrepreneurs. 10,000 new medical seats, 6,500 new seats in IIT.
Meaning expansion of education and acceleration of innovation. 50,000 Atal tinkering labs, that means innovation will shine in every corner of the country. And from one lamp, many others are lit.
For AI and skill development, the Centre for Excellence. The youth will get a chance to be ready for the future. 10,000 new PM research fellowships.
The journey from idea to impact is going to be easier. Just as the space sector was opened, similarly, the nuclear energy sector has also been opened. Innovation will get support, not limits.
The youth related to gig economy will be given the cover of social security for the first time. Those who were invisible to others, are now in the centre of policies. For SC, ST and women entrepreneurs, a term loan of 2 crores.
Inclusivity is not just a promise, it's a policy. The benefit of all these decisions is going to be given to the youth of India. Because when the youth move forward, India will move forward.
Friends, what India has done in these 100 days, shows that India is not going to stop. India is not the one to bow down either. India isn't one to stop now.
In these 100 days, India became the 4th country in the world, which achieved the ability of docking and undocking of satellites. India successfully tested the semi-cryogenic engine. India has crossed the historical threshold of 100 gigawatt solar capacity.
India has set a record of coal production of 1000 million tonnes. The National Critical Mineral Mission has started. And in these 100 days, the decision was made to set up the 8th Pay Commission for employees.
The decision was made to increase the subsidy for farmers. That is, the worry of the provider is the priority of the government. In Chhattisgarh, more than 3 lakh families joined together in new homes.
In Svamitva Scheme, more than 65 lakh property cards were given. And not only that, in these 100 days, one of the highest tunnels in the world, the Sonmarg Tunnel, was dedicated to the nation. INS Surat, INS Nilgiri, and INS Vagsheer have become new jewels in the strength of the Indian Navy.
For the army, Made in India, Light Combat Helicopter, got the green flag. And a bill to amend the Waqf Act has been passed. That is, for social justice, another big and strong step was taken.
These 100 days, are greater than 100 decisions. These are the days of the fulfillment of 100 resolutions. Friends, this is the mantra of performance.
And, the real energy behind Rising Bharat. Do you know, just two days ago, I was in Rameshwaram. There, I got the opportunity to visit the Pamban Bridge.
About 125 years ago, the British had built a bridge there. That bridge saw history. It endured the storm.
Once, the tsunami, the cyclone, caused a lot of damage to that bridge. The country waited for years. People kept asking for it.
But the previous governments never woke up to it. When our government came, work started for the new Pamban Bridge. And now the country has got its first vertical-ripped rail-sea bridge.
Friends, A country cannot run by delaying projects. The country runs by performing, by working fast. Delay is the enemy of development.
And we have decided to defeat this enemy. I will give you more examples. For example, Assam's Bogibeel Bridge.
Our former PM, Dev Gowda, in 1997, laid the foundation for it. When Vajpayee's government came, they started the work. When Vajpayee's government gone and Congress's government came, they postponed the work of the bridge.
Lakhs of people of Arunachal and Assam's people were troubled. But there was no effect on the previous government. In 2014, when you gave us the opportunity to serve, this project started again.
And in just four years, in 2018, the work of the bridge was completed. Similarly, in Kerala, there is an example of Kollam Bypass Road Project. This was stuck since 1972.
Think, 50 years. Whether it is LDF or UDF, no government did any work on it for 50 years. Within five years of becoming our government, we completed its work.
Friends, at Navi Mumbai Airport, the discussion started in 1997. In 2007, it was approved. But Congress's government did not work on it.
Our government also completed this project quickly. Those days are not far, when from Navi Mumbai Airport, commercial flights will also start. Friends, what I’m listing right now — that will include the Parliament building as well.
This Bharat Mandapam will also come. Friends, today, 8th April, for one more reason, is very important. Today, 10 years of Mudra Yojana have been completed.
The youth sitting here, they must have heard stories from their parents, that earlier, without a guarantee, the bank would not even open the account. To open an account, you need a bank guarantee, you need the help of another person. You need the help of a relative.
Bank loan, for an ordinary family, was a dream. Poor families, SC, ST, OBC, landless labourers, women, who could only work hard, but who did not have anything to mortgage. Did their dreams have no value? Did their aspirations have no value? Did their hard work have no value? Our Mudra Yojana addressed their aspirations, and gave a new path to the youth.
In the past 10 years, 52 crore loans have been given without any guarantee under the Mudra Yojana. 52 crore. And not only the scale of Mudra scheme, the speed is also amazing.
By the time a traffic light turns from red to green, 100 Mudra loans get cleared. By the time you are free after brushing, 200 Mudra loans are approved. By the time you finish listening to your favorite song on a radio channel, 400 Mudra loans get sanctioned.
Nowadays, Instant Delivery App, is very popular. After your order, as long as the delivery takes place, 1000 Mudra loans are sanctioned. By the time you finish one episode on any OTP channel, the foundation for 5,000 Mudra businesses gets established.
Friends, Mudra Yojana, did not ask for a guarantee, it trusted. And it will be good to know, because of Mudra Yojana, 11 crore, 11 crore people, for the first time, have got a loan, to do their own work, for self-employment. These 11 crore people, have become the first time entrepreneurs.
That means, in 10 years, 11 crore new dreams, have been fulfilled. And you know, how much money, has been transferred from Mudra, to villages and small towns. Approximately, 33 lakh crore rupees.
33 lakh crore rupees. This is not even the GDP of many countries. This is not just micro finance.
This is a mega transformation at the grassroots. Friends, it’s the same kind of example when it comes to aspirational districts and aspirational blocks. The previous governments declared over 100 such districts as backward and then left them to their fate.
Out of these, many districts were in North-East, were in tribal belt. ChatGPT said: What should have been done is that the government should have sent its best talent to these districts — but what actually happened was that officers were sent there as a form of punishment posting. This was the old thinking.
Let the backward, remain backward. We have changed this approach, and these districts have been declared as aspirational districts. We have focused on the administration of these districts.
We have implemented our flagship schemes on mission mode in these districts. On the basis of different parameters, the growth of these districts has been monitored. Today, those aspirational districts are better than the average of many states, and some have surpassed the national average.
And the biggest benefit of this has gone to the youth of those very regions. Now the youth there say, we can also do it. We can also move forward.
Today, many reputed institutions and reputed journals praise the aspirational district program. Inspired by this success, we are now working on 500 aspirational blocks. When growth is driven by aspirations, then it is inclusive and also sustainable.
Friends, for any country's rapid growth, it is very important that the country has peace, stability, and a sense of security. Gurudev Tagore had an imagination, Chitta Chetha Vaishunya, Uchya Chetha Shiv, where, the mind is without fear, and the head is held high. But for many years in India, fear, terror, and an atmosphere of intimidation kept increasing.
The biggest loss from this was borne by the youth. In the fire of violence, separatism, and terrorism, it is the youth of the country who have been scorched the most. In Jammu and Kashmir, till many years, many generations of youth, were trapped in bombs, guns, and stoning.
But till so many years, the rulers of the country did not have the courage to put out this fire. Because of our government's strong political will and sensitivity, the situation there has changed. Today, the youth of Jammu and Kashmir is connected to development.
Look at Naxalism. More than 125 districts of the country were in the grip of Naxalism, were in the grip of violence. More than 125 districts.
Where Naxalism used to start, there, the government's boundary used to end. A large number of youth were affected by Naxalism. We tried to bring such youth into the mainstream.
In the last 10 years, more than 8000 Naxalites have surrendered. They have left the path of violence. Today, the number of Naxal-affected youth is less than 20.
In our Northeast as well, an endless cycle of separatism and violence had been going on for decades. In the last 10 years, our government has made 10 major peace agreements. During this time, more than 10,000 youth have left weapons, and have joined the mainstream of development.
Success is not only that thousands of youth have left weapons. Success is also, that it has saved the present and future of youth. Friends, for decades, there was a trend in our country where, instead of confronting national challenges, they were swept under the rug of political convenience.
But now, the time has come, that we should not avoid such issues. The 21st century generation cannot be burdened by the political mistakes of the 20th century. Appeasement politics has been a major challenge in India's path to growth.
Recently, an amendment has been made in the law related to Waqf in Parliament. Your Network has also held considerable discussions on this topic. At the core of the debate surrounding Waqf lies the politics of appeasement.
The politics of appeasement. The politics of appeasement is nothing new. Its seed was planted during our independence struggle.
Just think — before India, along with India, and even after India, many countries around the world gained independence. But how many of them had the condition of partition tied to their freedom? How many countries broke apart at the very moment of gaining independence? Why did this happen only with India? Because at that time, the hunger for power was placed above the interest of the nation. The thought of a separate country was not of a common Muslim family, but was of a group of extremists, Some leaders of the Congress nurtured this for their own gain — so that they could become the sole claimants to power.
Friends, Congress got power in this politics of appeasement, some extremist leaders got power and wealth, but the question is, what did the common Muslim get? What did the poor, backward Muslim get? They got neglect. They got illiteracy. They got unemployment.
What did the Muslim women get? They got injustice like Shabano. Where their constitutional right was trampled by the hardline party. They got the order to remain silent, the pressure not to ask questions.
And the hardline parties got an open license to trample women's rights. Friends, politics of appeasement is totally against the basic principle of social justice in India. But Congress made it the weapon of the vote bank politics.
The amendment made to the Waqf Act in 2013 was an attempt to appease Muslim fundamentalists and the land mafia. This law was shaped in such a way that it created the illusion of standing above the Constitution. The very Constitution that opened the path to justice — those very paths were narrowed by the Waqf law.
And what were the consequences? The courage of the hardline parties and the land mafias increased. In Kerala, there are Waqf claims on land belonging to the Christian community in rural areas; in Haryana, land disputes involving Gurdwaras have emerged; in Karnataka, there are claims on farmers' land. In many states, entire villages and thousands of hectares of land are now entangled in NOC requirements and legal disputes.
Be it a temple, be it a church, be it a Gurudwara, be it a farm, be it government land, no one could trust that their land would remain theirs. Only one notice used to come and people used to look for papers for their own homes and farms. The law that was for justice became the cause of fear.
What kind of law was this? Friends, I congratulate the Parliament for making a magnificent law for the benefit of the entire society, for the benefit of the Muslim community. Now, the pure feelings of the Waqf will also be protected and the rights of the poor, backward Muslims, women, children, will also be protected. The discussion on the Waqf Bill was the second-longest debate in our parliamentary history.
That is, the second-longest debate in 75 years. On this bill, a total of 16 hours of discussion took place across both Houses of Parliament, and the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) held 38 meetings. A total of 128 hours of discussion took place on this bill.
Around 1 crore online suggestions were received from across the country. This shows that today, in India, democracy is not limited only to the four walls of the Parliament. Our democracy is becoming stronger through public participation.
Friends, the world is rapidly moving towards technology and AI. And that is why it is important to know that on our softer side, art, music, culture, creativity, because we don't want to create robots, we want to create humans. That means whatever operates with the help of machines must work even more for humanity and with greater sensitivity.
Entertainment is one of the biggest industries in the world today. And in the future, it will be expanded even more. So, in such a time, to encourage art and culture, to celebrate it, waves came.
And now, when Rahul was giving a speech, waves came ten times. Yes, there were ten WAVES words. But those WAVES did not start in 2014.
In every ten years, it comes with a new form. And today, when I am talking about WAVES, that is, waves means World Audio, Visual and Entertainment Summit. A platform called WAVES has been created.
Next month, in Mumbai, it is going to have a very big event. And it is going to continue. A big organization is being set up.
You all know, in our country, movies, podcasts, gaming, music, AR, and VR are very vibrant and creative industries. We have taken the mantra of Create in India and decided to take it to the next level. WAVES will encourage Indian artists to create content and go global.
And along with that, Create in India will give the opportunity to all the artists to come to India. I will also tell the Network 18 colleagues to come forward to popularize the WAVES platform. There are a large number of young people here working in creative domains.
I also had the opportunity to meet some of them, and I will encourage them to become a part of this platform as well. The wave of WAVES should reach every home, every heart. You will do this.
I have complete faith in you. Friends, through this summit, Network 18 has commendably showcased the creativity, ideas, and determination of the youth of our country. You have engaged the youth.
You have given them a platform to think about the problems of the country, give suggestions and find solutions. And most importantly, you have made them a part of change, not just a listener. Now I request the universities, colleges and research institutions of the country to take the engagement of this summit forward.
The insights that have come out, the suggestions that have come, document them, study them and make them reach the policy. Then this summit will not just be an event, but will be able to make an impact. Your enthusiasm, your thinking, your participation is the energy of the determination to make India a developed country.
Once again, I would like to extend my best wishes to all the participants of this event and especially to our young participants. Thank you very much..
