Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the biggest remaining hurdle in India is poverty. He accused previous governments of not allowing the poor and underprivileged to advance. Underlining the importance of policies rather than slogans in the fight against poverty, the Prime Minister said, “We must strengthen them so that they can overcome this obstacle with their will and power.”
Speaking at the 2023 HT Leadership Summit, PM Modi interpreted the theme of the event – ‘Beyond Barriers’ – as a message that people will support political representatives after breaking all barriers. “…The world was given the message that India was on the path to a better future. While the upcoming elections are now being discussed, the theme of the summit is ‘Overcoming Obstacles’… 2024 election results will overcome obstacles…” he said.
The Prime Minister came down hard on dynastic politics, which he described as another obstacle to India’s progress. He said Indians once thought that they would be successful only if they were affiliated with an influential family. “For a long time, India and Indians had to face many obstacles. India has been trying to overcome all obstacles since 2014 and I am happy that we are talking about beyond obstacles. After independence, our nation could not progress at this pace… there were some obstacles in the mentality… After 2014, India is working to overcome these obstacles. “We went to a place on the moon that no one can reach… We are No. 1 in digital transactions… We are No. 3 in startups and lead the world through the G20,” he added.
On the success of Chandrayaan-3, Prime Minister Modi noted that it has instilled self-confidence in the entire country. “With the success of Chandrayaan, 140 crore people have not become scientists and astronauts but the entire country is feeling confident,” he said.
He also said that with India’s changing mindset, the country is also leading the world in climate action goals. This has led to a profound shift towards environmental responsibility and sustainability, he added.
Modi highlighted the transformative power of financial inclusion by talking about how the debit card, once a status symbol, has become accessible to the poor. “Good economics and good politics can coexist, today’s India is proof of this,” he said.
He also cited a number of development measures taken by his government to highlight the changes, arguing that India’s growing middle class and poverty reduction will be the basis of a major economic cycle. He added that the country has become the fifth largest economy in the world and will rank third in our third term. Citing data, Modi said the number of people filing income tax returns has almost doubled to 7.5 billion in 10 years by 2023, while the average income has increased by up to Rs 13 lakh.
Modi also said that there was fear mongering about the impact of abrogation of Article 370, but by removing it, his government opened the doors of development and peace in Jammu and Kashmir. Saying that terrorism has ended here and tourism has increased, Modi underlined that his government is committed to helping the region reach new heights in development.
(with PTI inputs)
news source (www.thekashmirmonitor.net)
