6 min readSep 18, 2022 06:55 PM IST
First published on: Sep 18, 2022 at 03:10 PM IST
Some very interesting developments over the past few weeks have caught the attention of the world and reinforced PM Narendra Modi’s vision of New India.
INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured aircraft carrier, was commissioned into the Indian Navy. I was at the commissioning ceremony of this outstanding example of India’s capabilities in mega engineering and sophisticated technology and along with all other Indian citizens, felt proud that we’ve joined an elite group of nations—the US, UK, Russia, France, and China — that is capable of designing and constructing aircraft carriers.
PM Modi also unveiled the Navy’s new ensign, an octagon inspired by the royal insignia of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Until now, St George’s Cross, the last vestige of our colonial past, remained part of the Navy’s flag. It took 75 years and a true leader to change it.
Another defining milestone was when a Bloomberg research report confirmed that the Indian economy’s size had crossed that of the UK to emerge as the world’s fifth-largest economy. So were the opening of the grand, new Central Vista, the renaming of Rajpath to Kartavya Path, and the installation of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue under the grand canopy at the India Gate. India is making a statement to the world — that this is a confident New India that has finally shed its colonial mindset.
In the past eight years of “sushasan” under PM Modi, the transformation of India has been deep and significant. Our nation has dealt with even the biggest challenges — such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Domestic vested interests have spared no effort in slowing down India’s rise. The perception of India as a weak, leaky, dysfunctional democracy has been changed to one that is seen as strong, resilient, welfare-oriented and commanding global awe and respect.
Today, India is the fastest-growing economy with the highest ever FDI inflow — $83 billion. These feats were achieved in a period when the world was recovering from the after-effects of Covid and is still struggling to deal with it even as India has protected its people and their livelihoods with vaccines and expanding economic opportunities. This deep, decisive transformation during India’s “Amrit Kaal” is being spearheaded by a leader on a mission — one who works relentlessly, and lives a life single-mindedly dedicated to realising the vision of this New India and for the development of all Indians through sabka saath, sabka vikas.
Unlike politicians and leaders (including in new avatars) who have promoted the corrupt “revdi culture” for decades, PM Modi has focused on expanding our economy. He has ignored short-term political impulses and concentrated on long-term investments, transformation and sustainable growth.
The biggest stakeholders of India’s future – the youth – firmly believe in his vision of New India. The democratic discourse which for several decades had centred around turning minorities into vote-banks and/or corrupt freebie politics for the poor is now slowly and surely being changed by the PM into one that focuses on real issues like governance, corruption-free politics, benefits of economic growth and targeted welfare schemes. His political opponents including new entrants continue, despite the electoral rejection by Indian voters, to peddle their failed minority vote-bank and/or corruption-ridden “revdi politics” with even less and diminishing success.
The impact of PM Modi’s leadership is there for all to see. While the world is still grappling with post-Covid economic disruption, the Indian narrative presents a sharp contrast. Take a look at the electronics manufacturing sector, which was in a moribund state just a decade ago. Today, India is the second-biggest mobile phone manufacturing country. The world’s biggest companies are investing in India to set up manufacturing units to Make in India for the world.
As the electronics manufacturing sector grows, there will be a demand for semiconductor chips. The government is working hard to reduce chip imports and establish India as a global chip manufacturing hub. It has rolled out an incentive scheme worth Rs 76,000 crore to attract international semiconductor and display manufacturers. Earlier this week, Vedanta-Foxconn announced a Rs 1.5 lakh crore investment to set up a semiconductor manufacturing facility in Gujarat. It is projected to create near 1 lakh jobs in the state.
PM Modi’s belief in “New India for Young India” is evident from the vibrant start-up and innovation ecosystem in India. With over 75,000 startups and 100 + unicorns, we are witnessing an exponential rise in job opportunities for young Indians. This is no tall claim – several global thought leaders have echoed this fact at various fora. During a recent visit to India, Patrick P Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, affirmed that he is “deeply optimistic about this decade for India”. Bob Sternfels, CEO of McKinsey, recently said that “it is not India’s decade, it is India’s century”. Bill Gates spoke of how India under Modi “has a lot to feel good about”. Their optimism stems not just from India’s demographic dividend, which will result in it having a fifth of the world’s working population by 2047, but also from the direction that PM Modi is steering India towards.
The pace of progress that PM Modi is setting is rapid. There is more to come with the advent of 5G and thereafter 6G and our goal of becoming a trillion-dollar digital economy by 2026. PM Modi has set the goals for all Indians to make the next decade the “India Techade”. Our pran (commitment) for the next 25 years, during the Amrit Kaal, is to continue our good work on a mission mode, keeping in mind “sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas and sabka prayas”.
The writer is Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology
PM Narendra Modi attending Khadi Utsav at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. (Express file photo by Nirmal Harindran)
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