“Under the guidance of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the work of upgradation and strengthening of medical infrastructure under Prime Minister Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) is in a steady progress. Keeping in mind the experiences of the global epidemic of COVID, important work is being done under ECRP-II (Emergency COVID Response Package – II) to strengthen the medical units of the future”. This was stated by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare while virtually laying the foundation stone of a 500 bedded hospital in Dehradun and three 50 bedded Critical Care Blocks at Rudraprayag, Nainital and Srinagar, from Joshimath today. Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Uttarakhand, Shri Dhan Singh Rawat, Health Minister, Uttarakhand and Shri Ganesh Joshi, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Uttarakhand, Smt. Rajya Laxmi Shah, Member of Parliament from Uttarakhand and Shri Naresh Bansal, Member of Parliament from Uttarakhand were also present in the ceremony held in Dehradun.

Earlier on Thursday, Dr Mandaviya visited the Malari village in Chamoli district to review the Vibrant Village Programme and other development projects in Malari and nearby areas. Before departing for Malari, he also inspected the Jan Aushadi Kendra in Dehradun and interacted with health workers and beneficiaries there.

Appreciating the commitment of the Uttarakhand govt towards the health sector, the Union Health Minister stated that “the Government of Uttarakhand is speeding up the work in the health sector, where a total of 14 critical care blocks are being constructed, 7 under the PM-ABHIM scheme and 7 under ECRP-II”. “Through these initiatives, better health facilities for emergency care will be easily available to the general public living in remote areas of the mountainous region”, he further stated.

The Critical Care Blocks at Rudraprayag and Nainital will be constructed under the ECRP-II package while the one at Srinagar will be built under the PM-ABHIM scheme. A total of Rs 71,25,00,000 has been sanctioned for 3 critical care blocks in Srinagar Pauri, Rudraprayag, and Haldwani, Nainital in order to make healthcare facilities accessible to the general public, with mutual coordination between the Government of India and the Government of Uttarakhand. An amount of Rs 23,75,00,000 has been approved for the construction of each critical care block. Facilities like ICU beds, HDU beds, isolation ward beds, isolation rooms, emergency beds, operation theatres, labor delivery rooms, joint care labs, and dialysis rooms will be provided in the Critical Care Blocks.

The 500 bedded facility in Doon Medical College will be expanded with an amount of Rs 120 crores to upgrade and strengthen the medical infrastructure in the state. With this initiative, patients coming from remote areas will also be able to get better treatment facilities in the state capital.

Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami thanked the Centre for bringing in much needed health infrastructure in the state. He stated that under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister, India is surging ahead in the health sector with high impact schemes like Ayushman Bharat. He said that the Govt of Uttarakhand is working with the Union Govt to further improve the quality of healthcare in the state by spreading awareness about diseases, bringing quality and affordable healthcare services, increasing the quality and quantity of healthcare professionals in the state and by working on a mission-mode to bring in transformation in healthcare infrastructure and other schemes.

Shri Dhan Singh Rawat highlighted the progress achieved by Uttarakhand in the health sector. He stated that “Uttarakhand has achieved the highest number of blood donation in the country with more than 80,000 people already registered in the e-Raktkosh blood donation portal”. He also stated that over 50 lakh ABHA cards have been issued to people of Uttarakhand and more than 7 lakh people have availed free treatment out of them. “In the fight against TB, Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to cover 100% of TB patients under the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative”, he further stated.

Dr R Rajesh Kumar, Health Secretary, Uttarakhand, Shri Vishal Chauhan, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry and other senior officials of the Union Health Ministry and Uttarakhand Govt were present on the occasion.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said India’s StartUps and R&D outcomes are setting global benchmarks and are at par with the world. In addition, under PM Sh Narendra Modi, India’s StartUp ecosystem has achieved global ranking of No. # in the world, he said.

Dr. Jitendra Singh was addressing the Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Grants Award Ceremony instituted by the Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation, in New Delhi.

Cautioning against working in silos, the Minister called for cultivating synergy between all stakeholders such as the academia, Startups, research institutions and industry to reap the benefits of collective efforts.

The Minister said, India needs to take the lead in scientific R&D. The Government has set the goal of TB Free Bharat by 2025. During the Covid pandemic, the Department of Biotechnology made the world’s first DNA based vaccine.

Dr Jitendra Singh remarked that, but for the brief two years of Covid, the wider phenomenon in the last three to five decades is that India has moved from communicable to non-communicable diseases. “The WHO Guidelines of Management of Diabetes during Pregnancy have been formulated by a Group which I belong to,” he added.

Commending the Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation for giving recognition to budding scientists, Dr. Jitendra Singh observed that unlike the West, the culture of philanthropy is yet to pick up in India. He also advocated more private participation in R&D to double up Government efforts.

The Minister said, there  is no noble deed for distinguished professionals other than giving back to society and being of some utility to the society at large.

On the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh gave away the Paramahamsa Grants Awards in Biomedical Sciences and Agricultural Sciences.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal today launched the App Version of National Logistics Portal (Marine)  ‘Sagar-Setu’ in the presence of Shri Shripad Y. Naik, MoS, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Shri Sudhansh Pant, Secretary  and other senior officials.

The app has been envisaged with deliverables covering features like Login Module, Service Catalogue, Common Application Format, Letter of Credit, Bank Guarantee, Certification, and Track & Trace etc. It will provide real-time information of activities that are generally not in reach of the importer, exporter, and customs broker including vessel-related information, gate, container freight stations and transactions on fingertips. It also enables digital transactions for payments required for the clearance process of import and export like container freight station charges, shipping line charges, transportation charges, etc.

While launching this app Shri Sonowal mentioned, ‘the SAGAR-SETU app of the National Logistics Portal (Marine) would help custodians in easier access to functionalities on a handheld device. Mobile App will ensure data mobility such that approvals & monitoring shall be at the finger tips of port & ministry officials and stakeholders as well’.

Benefits for Traders

• Improve convenience with reduced turnaround time for approval and compliances.

• Increase visibility of operations and tracking.

Benefits for Service Providers

• Help in tracking of records and transactions offered

• Receive notification of service requests.

It is pertinent to add that the Ministry of Ports, Shipping Waterways and Ministry of Commerce & Industry envisaged this one-stop digital platform National Logistic Portal Marine in the month of January 2023. Within a span of two months SAGAR-SETU app has been launched which will boost maritime trade thereby enhancing the economy of the country.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has complimented CNN News 18 network for bringing out the Coffee Table Book “Voice of India-Modi and His Transformative Mann ki Baat” which was unveiled  by the Vice President of India at the News 18 Rising India Summit as the book acknowledges the people mentioned and the impact they have created.

In reply to a tweet by the Vice President, Shri Narendra Modi tweeted :

“The most beautiful part about #MannKiBaat is the manner in which it celebrates grassroots level change makers. As this programme completes hundred episodes, I compliment efforts like the one by @CNNnews18 to acknowledge the people mentioned and the impact they have created.”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has met the makers of Oscar winning documentary short film ‘The Elephant Whisperers’.

The Prime Minister tweeted;

“The cinematic brilliance and success of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ has drawn global attention as well as acclaim. Today, I had the opportunity to meet the brilliant team associated with it. They have made India very proud.”

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah inaugurated Computerization of Uttarakhand’s Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies (MPACS), Joint cooperative farming, Jan Suvidha Kendras and Janaushadhi Kendras in Haridwar today. Many dignitaries including the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami were present on the occasion.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, on October 30, 2021, for the first time in the country, the work of computerization of Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) started in Uttarakhand and today  computerization of all the 670 PACS of the state has been completed. He said that we had sent model bylaws for MPACS to the state governments some time ago and the work of establishment of 95 MPACS in Uttarakhand has already been completed. Shri Shah said that along with this, Uttarakhand is the first state to start 95 Jan Aushadhi Kendras and Jan Suvidha Kendras under the Cooperative Societies.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi formed a separate Ministry of Cooperation in the country with the vision of “Sehkar Se Mantri”. Through Ministry of Cooperation computerization of all the 65,000 active PACS in the country has started. He said that many facilities including 307 District Cooperative Banks have also been computerized. Shri Shah added, by completing the computerization of 307 cooperative bank branches and 670 MPACS today, the Uttarakhand government has achieved first place in the cooperative sector in the country. He said that computerization would bring complete transparency in the system and audit would be done online which would improve the financial discipline of PACS. Shri Shah said that 95 Jan Suvidha Kendra will deliver more than 300 schemes of the Central Government and the State Government directly to the villages. He added that about 50 to 90 percent cheap medicines would be available to the people through cooperative Jan Aushadhi Kendras. Shri Shah said that the model of integrated collective cooperative farming has been launched today in 95 development blocks of Uttarakhand.

Shri Amit Shah said that on the initiative of the Ministry of Cooperation, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the return of money to about 10 crore depositors who had deposited their money in 4 cooperative societies of Sahara Group. He said that with this historic decision, all the investors of Sahara Group would get their money back. Shri Shah added that all the investors of Sahara Group can send their applications to the Central Registrar so that after verification they can get their money back in 3-4 months

The Minister of Cooperation said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has taken many new initatives through the mantra of “Sehkar Se Samridhi”. He said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is making National Cooperative University, National Cooperative Policy and Cooperative Database. Along with this, Multistate Cooperative Societies have been formed for the seeds, marketing of organic farming and export of farmers’ produce. He said that in the coming days, the Nal se Jal (water from tap) Scheme would be handed over to the PACS because in the model bylaws of the multidimensional PACS sent by the Government of India, the PACS would also be able to provide water to the village. He said that now the PACS would be able to do many types of work. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has connected many marginal farmers having small landholdings with many types of businesses by forming the Ministry of Cooperation. He expressed confidence that by making PACS multipurpose, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi  has taken a strong step to increase the income of farmers through cooperatives. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, all the initiatives taken in the field of cooperatives, the government of Uttarakhand led by Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami has implemented them at the grassroots level and it has benefitted the small farmers of Devbhoomi.

1000 Cities targeted to become 3-Star Garbage Free by October 2024” said Sh. Hardeep S. Puri, The Hon’ble Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs on the occasion of International Zero Waste Day 2023 in New Delhi. Highlighting the progress in the GFC-Star rating protocol, launched in January 2018 to encourage a competitive, mission-mode spirit among ULBs, he further said that the certification has increased exponentially since inception. While interacting with the ‘Swachhta Doots’ from across the nation, the Minister congratulated them for being change makers and leaders in their community and also turning challenges to livelihood opportunities.

Speaking about the achievements of the Mission, the Minister informed that urban India has become Open Defecation Free (ODF), with all 4,715 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) completely ODF, 3,547 ULBs are ODF+ with functional and hygienic community and public toilets and 1,191 ULBs are ODF++ with complete faecal sludge management. Further, waste processing in India has gone up by over four times from 17% in 2014 to 75% today. This has been aided through 100% door-to-door waste collection in 97% wards and source segregation of waste being practiced by citizens across almost 90% wards in all ULBs in the country.

Shri Puri expressed confidence that the resolve and determination shown in achieving the targets of SBM-U would be amplified manifold in the second phase of the mission (SBM-U 2.0) where India aims to become Garbage Free nation. He highlighted the importance of today’s ‘Garbage Free Cities’ rally in raising awareness about waste management in the country, as changes in consumption patterns and rapid urbanisation drive up waste generation.

Swahhata is a Jan Andolan now, receiving tremendous support from citizens. The Mission has mobilized millions of citizens across the country towards the goal of making cities clean, green, and garbage free. The campaigns have seen massive mobilization of youth and women leaders who have taken a positive step towards urban swachhata. The efforts towards transforming cities to become garbage free received a fresh impetus with the launch of Swachhotsav 2023,byUnion

Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri on 7th March, 2023. The campaign aimed to galvanize participation and leadership of women to realize the goal of ‘Garbage Free Cities’. A series of events and activities have been organized across cities from 8^th March, 2023 onwards to celebrate and bring together women from different walks of life to lead the way towards building ‘Garbage Free Cities’. Swachhotsav campaign was a platform for over 400,000 women entrepreneurs taking up leadership role in urban sanitation. Participating in unique Yatra and the Mashaal March women took the responsibility of urban sanitation and led from the front to transform the urban landscape.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister launched Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban2.0,with the over all vision of creating “Garbage Free Cities”(GFC),there by placing India on a new trajectory of growth towards an ecosystem of holistic sanitation and waste management. Achieving Door-to-Door Collection, Source Segregation, Waste processing & Dumpsite remediation, IEC, Capacity building, digital tracking etc. are the components of creating a GFC. India is also promoting the zero-waste approach that entails responsible production, consumption and disposal of products in a closed, circular system.The Minister lauded the ‘Rally for Garbage Free Cities’ as a women led Jan Andolan, wherein lakhs of citizens have taken on the responsibility of cleaning their streets, neighbourhoods, and parks.

Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, MoHUA commended the role of women’s leadership in ensuring circularity of waste management and implementing a zero-waste approach turning waste into valuable resources. He stressed the need to upscale Self-help groups to a professional level so as to ensure higher income generation for these groups. Further, from ‘Women-in garbage management’ to ‘women-led garbage free cities’ are showing desired results in tune with the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister.

In the presence of Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, the event saw participation of Mayors, Commissioners, and Mission Directors who discussed Circularity in Garbage Free Cities, Women and Youth for GFC, Businessand Tech for GFC. The event also saw a Fireside Chat with Mayors where States like Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh shared their best practices and success stories.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted everyone on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navmi.

The Prime Minister said that Bhagwan Ramchandra’s life will keep on inspiring in every age.

The Prime Minister tweeted :

“रामनवमी के पावन-पुनीत अवसर पर समस्त देशवासियों को अनेकानेक शुभकामनाएं। त्याग, तपस्या, संयम और संकल्प पर आधारित मर्यादा पुरुषोत्तम भगवान रामचंद्र का जीवन हर युग में मानवता की प्रेरणाशक्ति बना रहेगा।”

Namaskar!

I bring you the greetings of 1.4 billion people of India.

The idea of elected leaders was a common feature in ancient India, long before the rest of the world. In our ancient epic, Mahabharata, the first duty of citizens is described as choosing their own leader.

Our sacred Vedas, speak of political power being exercised by broad-based consultative bodies. There are also many historical references to Republic states in ancient India, where the rulers were not hereditary. India is, indeed, the mother of democracy.

Excellencies,

Democracy is not just a structure; it is also a spirit. It is based on the belief that the needs and aspirations of every human being are equally important. That is why, in India, our guiding philosophy is “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas”, meaning ”striving together for inclusive growth”.

Whether it is our effort to fight climate change through life-style changes, to conserve water through distributed storage, or provide clean cooking fuel to everyone, every initiative is powered by the collective efforts of the citizens of India.

During Covid-19, India’s response was people-driven. It is they who made it possible to administer over 2 billion doses of Made in India vaccines. Our ”Vaccine Maitri” initiative shared millions of vaccines with the world.

This was also guided by the democratic spirit of ”Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – One Earth, One Family, One Future.

Excellencies,

There is much to say about the virtues of democracy, but let me say just this: India, despite the many global challenges, is the fastest growing major economy today. This itself is the best advertisement for democracy in the world. This itself says that Democracy Can Deliver.

Thank you, President Yoon, for chairing this session.

And thank you, to all the distinguished leaders for your presence.

Thank you very much.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated the people of Karnataka for establishment of a PM Mitra mega textiles park in Kalaburagi.

In reply to a tweet by the Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal the Prime Minister tweeted:

“Congratulations to my sisters and brothers of Karnataka for the establishment of a PM Mitra mega textiles park in Kalaburagi. This park will celebrate Karnataka’s rich textiles tradition and also create employment opportunities for the people.”

#PragatiKaPMMitra”

Union Minister Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah attended the Annual Session 2023 of ASSOCHAM based on the theme ‘Bharat@100: Paving the Way for Inclusive and Sustainable Global Growth’ as the Chief Guest in New Delhi today.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that the development of the entire India can happen only when entire nation makes efforts for it. He said that unless there is an all-inclusive development of India, we cannot achieve our goal. He said that many people consider the population of 130 crores as a huge burden but it has a huge market. He said that we cannot move forward until efforts are made from each and every corner of the country for development of India.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that if we analyse the political map of India today, we  see that one Central Government, 28 State Governments, 2 UT Governments, 6 UTs, about 2.5 lakh local bodies, 30-31 lakh elected representatives, 6.40 lakh villages and their panchayats, district panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations together form our administrative set up. He said that the development of India is not possible until the Prime Minister of the country implements the concept of Whole of Government Approach and Team India at the grassroot level. Shri Shah said that Prime Minister Shri  Narendra Modi has decided to take the entire country together by rising above different ideologies and realizing the vision of Team India. This is the reason  that the government under his leadership in the last 9 years has achieved many milestones. He said that the similar level of energy is experienced in every corner of the country. He added that India has created a consciousness by holding G-20 meetings at 59 places across all the states and UTs. He said that if the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi would not have adopted the approach of working together, then we would never have been able to successfully fight the pandemic like Covid-19. He said that today the world is convinced that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India is the only country which has fought Covid-19 in the best possible way.

Shri Amit Shah said that the precise policies made after deliberations by the Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi have taken India on the path of progress. Our ideology has made India safe, our sensitive schemes have made India’s development all-inclusive and we have surprised the world with our achievements. He said that through Digital India, a total of 8840 crore digital transactions have taken place in the country in the year 2022, in which the share of UPI is 52 percent and their total value is Rs 126 lakh crore. He said that electricity has reached to 99 percent of India’s villages, 1.90 lakh panchayats of the country have been connected to BharatNet and over 6 lakh kilometers of optical fiber has been laid in the last 6 years. Shri Shah said that in 2014 there were 6.1 crore broadband connections, which has increased to 82 crore in September 2022. He said that this shows that while leading the country, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has the capacity, courage and vision to harness all the possibilities so that the country can reach the targeted goal.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has set two goals for the country. Firstly, India should be a fully developed nation by 2047 and secondly, to make  India a $ 5 trillion economy by 2025 and to achieve these two goals, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has laid a strong foundation in 9 years. He said that India’s total export of merchandise goods in 2022 is $ 421 billion, FDI of $ 83 billion has come to the country, there are more than 70,000 start-ups out of which 116 are unicorns. He said that the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has kept the focus of expenditure on infrastructure and the average GST collection for the 10 months of 2022-23 has been Rs 1.49 lakh crore per month.

Shri Amit Shah said that before 2014, no one ever discussed about 60 crore people who did not have any bank account and who were not a part of the country’s economy. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has provided the facility of a bank account to every family in 9 years. He said that through DBT the government led by Prime Minister Modi has directly transferred more than Rs. 24 lakh crores to the 48 crore bank accounts for more than 310 schemes of 53 ministries. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has brought many reforms to raise the living standard of these 60 crore people of the country. Shri Shah said that by giving a human face and sensitivity to the GDP, Prime Minister Modi has brought change in the lives of the deprived 60 crore people of the country. There can be no bigger booster for the country’s economy than the efforts of these 60 crore people. Earlier, the deficit was kept hidden in the country’s budget, but the government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi has controlled the deficit and brought it within the parameters of the economy.

The Union Home Minister said that Shri Modi has done the biggest task of investing in infrastructure and for this he inspired the Central Government as well as the State Governments. He said that after 5 years, the logistics cost in India will come down to 7.5 percent from the present 13 percent. He said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has planned to invest about Rs 100 lakh crore in infrastructure. He said that in 2014 the length of National Highways was 91,000 kilometers which has increased to 1.46 lakh kilometers today. He said that industrial development was not possible without reducing the infrastructure and logistics cost and with great vision, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has set a target to bring down the logistics cost in 5 years. Shri Shah said that Prime Minister Modi has also brought political stability in the country and after 30 years in 2014, a government with full majority was formed and the people of country has made significant  contribution in it. Shri Shah said that this period of 10 years would be known as the period of political stability in the history of Indian democracy. He said that the internal and external security situation in the country has also strengthened in the last nine years. A strong environment of national security has been created in the country, which has developed a favorable environment for industrial development across the country from the Northeast to Kutch in Gujarat and from J&K to Kanyakumari.

Shri Amit Shah said that the since 2014, Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has implemented the principles of governance at the grassroot level with a strong determination and has brought many new policies. New Education Policy, New Drone Policy, New Health Policy, New Electronics Policy, Commercial Coal Mining Policy, Make in India, Stand-up India, Skill India and Digital India policies have completely changed all the parameters. The government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has created an environment to strengthen the local industries of the country with Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local. He said that development is not possible without long-term and visionary policies and the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi never took decisions which are liked by the people and vote bank, but took such decisions which are good for the people. Shri Shah said that the government with foresighted approach and without the greed for vote bank created an environment in the country, took decisions, made policies and implemented them with firmness. It has yielded amazing results which are in front of the world today in the form of our achievements. He said that in 2014, when Shri Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, the per capita income of the country was Rs. 68,000, which is Rs. 1.72 Lakh rupees today.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that India’s share in the global GDP in 2014 was 2.60 per cent, which has increased to 3.40 per cent by March 31, 2022. He said that our share in global FDI inflow was 2.10 per cent in 2014 which has increased to 6.70 per cent in 2022. Shri Shah said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has tried to grow the economy on the 4 pillars of tough decisions, formulation of precise policies, strict implementation of these policies and complete removal of corruption. He said that the time has come for the Indian industry to change its size and scale under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has called upon the youth to ideate, innovate and set up new companies and R&D establishments to help realise the Government’s vision of transforming India into one of the most powerful nations in the coming times. He was delivering the Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw memorial lecture at Symbiosis International (Deemed) University in Pune, Maharashtra on March 28, 2023. The Raksha Mantri pointed out that, as the country has entered ‘Amrit Kaal’, Government has laid the groundwork for a strong and self-reliant ‘New India’ by rolling out a number of policies and steps to promote use of latest technology & ease of doing business, which have given the youth an opportunity to realise their dreams.

Describing technology as the most important component for business set-up, Shri Rajnath Singh asserted that reforms have been made on a large scale in R&D establishments, such as Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR). He added that the Government has established the link between academia and the industry, wherein now researches being carried out by universities reach the industry for development of state-of-the-art technologies and products.

The Raksha Mantri asserted that the nation, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, is moving forward with a new resolve, wherein the role of the young ignited minds is pivotal. He urged the youth to take advantage of the Government’s policies, bring about a revolution in the economic sector and contribute to the growth story by becoming wealth creators.

Shri Rajnath Singh likened the unparalleled energy of India’s youth to the characteristics of nuclear energy, emphasising on the vital importance of ‘direction’ for its effective utilisation. He supported his statement by saying that “India is today home to over 90,000 start-ups, of which more than 100 are unicorns and this has been made possible due to the zeal and energy of the youth”. He stated that just like nuclear energy requires direction for its best use, the energy of youths needs to be directed towards nation-building and social welfare. This energy can be moderated through values, cultures and traditions, he said.

While the Raksha Mantri exuded confidence that new business entities and factories will soon be established in the country and specialised people will play an important role, he told the students that they have the same responsibility towards the nation as they have for their firms. He urged them to take care of the interests of all stakeholders and at the same time ensure that the nation gets the best and affordable products & services. He called for timely payment of MSMEs & vendors in the supply chain of the respective organisation and use of clean technologies for a safer future. He also urged them to discharge their Corporate Social Responsibilities as an Enlightened Corporate Citizen.

Citing surveys of various agencies, Shri Rajnath Singh stated that India, the fifth largest economy, is continuously surging ahead at an unprecedented pace and is on course to find itself among the top three economies in the world by 2047. He asserted that India’s image has transformed on the international stage under the Prime Minister’s leadership and New Delhi’s views are keenly listened to by the world. He added that India has emerged as a preferred and trusted investment destination for the world. “Be it exports or inflow of FDI, income tax or record collection of GST, our country is doing much better on almost every front,” he said.

The Raksha Mantri also touched upon a number of reforms undertaken by the government to encourage ease of doing business, which includes scrapping of old irrelevant rules and regulations. “Many rules and laws were being followed for decades, which had become obstacles in the path of the youth. We scrapped those rules & regulations and introduced new ones to help the youth realise their dreams,” he said.

Shri Rajnath Singh highlighted a series of reforms undertaken by the Government in the banking sector. “In 2014, many banks were buried under the burden of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) and losses. They were not in a position to give new loans far and wide. Through privatisation of some banks, we are trying to give them a new life. We revived the public sector banks by capitalising them. We revived the banks, which till now were running in losses due to NPA or other reasons, and today they are doing well in the market and are in a position to provide loans,” he added.

Shri Rajnath Singh also shed light on the steps taken for retail investors. “We curbed insider trading, promoted technology and digital architecture in the trading process and made the trading process transparent. Now even people living in villages and remote areas with a mobile, understanding the risks, are ready to invest in the market. In this way, due to the large number of retail investors coming into the market, the depth and resilience of the market has increased,” he said.

The Raksha stressed that as the country will be completing 100 years of its independence in 2047, the youth needs to prepare a roadmap of goals and strive to achieve them to make India a strong and prosperous nation. He underscored the importance of management in the progress of a nation, terming it as the most important factor in socio-economic development. Management helps in making the functioning of an organisation more effective, and in shaping the culture there. In modern organisations, management works like a backbone. Whether it is the efficient use of human, physical or financial resources, right from doing the right thing to doing the right thing is a part of management.

The Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw memorial lecture was held as part of G-20 festival of Thinkers Lecture Series.