Uttarakhand Global Investors Summit: Like ‘Make in India’, launch ‘Wed in India’ drive, Modi tells youth

Modi also launched Uttarakhand government’s ‘House of Himalaya’ brand and pointed out to the investors that the state has a lot of untapped potential from which they can benefit. This year, the summit’s theme is ‘Peace to Prosperity’.

Even though the guests might not like what he is saying about weddings, he said the country needs a wedding revolution through the ‘Wed in India’ movement.

“I want to say this to the millionaires and billionaires,” he said, “It is believed and said (in our society) that when there is a marriage, God has made that pair. I cannot understand if God is making the pair, why are the couples not starting the journey of their life from the feet of God and going to a foreign country. I want the youths of the country to start the ‘Wed in India’ movement like ‘Make in India’.”

“It has become a fashion of our ‘dhanna seth’ to get married in other countries. Many people here might look down on it (getting married in India),” he said.

“… Make sure that at least one destination wedding in your family in the next five years takes place in Uttarakhand. Even if just 5,000 marriages take place in Uttarakhand every year, a new infrastructure will develop here, making it a major wedding destination for the world. India has enough strength to make it happen if we decide,” Modi added.

Over the last decade, a new ambitious India is emerging and a section of India’s population, who were earlier living in scarcity, is now connected with facilities. “Because of our beneficial schemes, over 13.5 crore people came out of poverty in five years. These people have given a new speed to the economy,” he said.

The prime minister mentioned there is a need to understand the potential of the middle-class because on one side, the neo middle-class is spending more on their needs while the middle-class is also spending on the things they like.

Congratulating the Uttarakhand government for launching the ‘House of Himalaya’ brand, he called it a brilliant attempt to establish the local products of the state in foreign markets which will strengthen the ‘vocal for local’ campaign. “This is also a matter of my personal satisfaction. Only very few people here might know about my pledge. I have decided that over 2 crore village women will be made lakhpati under the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ campaign. This might seem like a tough task, but if the ‘House of Himalaya’ brand is successful, it will speed up my work. This is another reason why I thank the Uttarakhand government,” he said.

Slamming the previous government for their “approach of minimum access to the border areas”, he said, “The previous government had an approach that gave minimum access to border areas. The double-engine government has changed that also. We do not consider the border villages as last villages, instead we are developing them as the country’s first villages. We started the aspirational district programme, and now we are starting an aspirational block programme,” he said.

Referring to an import bill of Rs 15 lakh crore for petroleum and Rs 4 lakh crore for coal, Modi said there is a need to come out of the mentality of cheap exports and prioritise capacity building. He elaborated on the efforts to reduce import of pulses and oilseeds as even now India imports Rs 15,000 crore worth of pulses.

“India is going to become the third-largest economy in the world in the next few years. I assure you this will happen in my third term,” he said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “There are many such personalities about whom we have only heard and not seen. But when we look at the Prime Minister today, we see a part of all those great personalities in him,” he said.

The summit saw the participation of Pranav Adani, Director Adani Group and Managing Director (Agro, Oil & Gas), Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and MD of JSW, Sanjiv Puri, MD of ITC, Baba Ramdev, Patanjali founder, Kalyan Chakrabarti, CEO of Emaar India, and R Dinesh, Chairman of TVS Supply Chain Solutions.

Modi attended an exhibition, unveiled the Ground Breaking Wall and also launched a book Sashakt Uttarakhand and the brand House of Himalayas.

Reciting one of his poems, he emphasised the bond he shares with Uttrakhand, where he said one can feel divinity and development simultaneously. Uttarakhand, which encompasses nature, culture, and heritage, is going to emerge as a brand, he said.

Referring to the massive victories in the recently-concluded Assembly polls, he said people voted for good governance and its track record. He said while the state government works by keeping in mind the local realities, the central government is making unprecedented investments in Uttrakhand.

He informed about the creation of theme-based tourist circuits with an aim to bring tourists close to nature and India’s heritage.

Referring to his clarion call from the ramparts of the Red Fort about strengthening the national character, he said, “Whatever we do, it should be the best in the world. Our standards should be followed by the world. Our manufacturing should be on the principle of zero impact, zero defect. We now have to focus on increasing export-oriented manufacturing,” he said.

Cautioning against packaged food, he highlighted the possibilities of Ayush-related organic food which can benefit farmers and state entrepreneurs.

Stating that the agreements have exceeded the target of proposals worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore, Dhami said the objective of ‘Destination Uttarakhand’ is the state’s overall development by combining ecology and economy with green economy and employment. Of them, the work of implementing proposals worth Rs 44,000 crore has begun, which will increase employment opportunities of the local people, he said.