Modi calls for making development a mass movement

“Each individual has to feel a part of the development movement. This is how Gujarat has developed,” he said, giving details of how the state had achieved milestones in areas as diverse as agriculture, health, education and judiciary.

“For us in India, poverty and deprivation still remain the biggest challenges. Since the country is growing, the challenge to create conditions in which the poor can participate in the process of development is all the more important,” he added.

Talking about how his government had been able to reduce the number of pending court cases from 1.25 crore to about 22 lakh, Modi said it all depended on the will of the government.

“Ultimately, the people are not interested in government, but in governance. For good and strong governance, people have to be made to feel a part of the decision-making process. Development must become a mass movement,” he said.

Modi emphasised that the current economic downturn had once again shown how important it was to have good infrastructure. He said regions with strong infrastructure would be able to insulate themselves against recessionary forces.

He went on to say the success of developmental efforts also depended on creating a conducive atmosphere and, in this regard, called for an overhaul in the roles of international institutions like the IMF, World Bank and even the United Nations.

“It is necessary to make World Bank and IMF more democratic and more representative of the needs of the developing countries,” he said. Similarly, he said while the United Nations had been very successful in preventing wars, it needed to reorient itself to effectively counter global terrorism.