Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address of the 95th annual plenary session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) through video conferencing today. PM Modi said that at the moment India is facing many challenges, including coronavirus, locust swarms invasion, gas well explosion in Assam’s Tinsukia, Cyclone Amphan and minor earthquakes across India. Once again hammering on self-reliant India, PM Modi said that India should convert these crises into a turning point towards becoming self-sufficient.
LIVE: PM Modi addresses annual plenary session of Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). https://t.co/iQufQABlGe
— BJP (@BJP4India) June 11, 2020
North-East India found a special mention in PM Modi’s address. Quoting Swami Vivekanand as once saying: “The simplest method to be worked upon at present is to induce Indians to use their own produce and get markets for Indian artware in other countries’, Modi said that the path shown by Swami Vivekananda is an inspiration for India in post-COVID world.
The Prime Minister said that this is the time when India has to shun conservative approach and take bold decisions and make bold investments. We together have to revive the manufacturing sector in West Bengal, said Modi. We’ve always heard “what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow”, we have to take inspiration from this and move forward together and have to revive the historical excellence of Bengal in the manufacturing sector, said Modi.
Speaking further on the development of NE India, PM Modi said that like Siliguri, entire North-East India could become a hub for organic products. People in East and North-East India could become the biggest beneficiary of the reform in the agriculture sector. The country is running another mission to make the country free from single-use plastic. North-East should take benefit from this opportunity. Illuminating on how people, profit and planet can flourish and coexist together, Modi said that West Bengal has an opportunity in a single-use plastic ban.
Kolkata can act as a pivot for development of the East and Northeast
Recent decisions taken by Centre for farmers have freed the agriculture economy from years of slavery. Having said this, PM Modi furthered that West Bengal can now ramp up jute production and make the best of the situation. Kolkata can act as a pivot for development of the East and Northeast, said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister lauded the Indian Chamber of Commerce for its contribution towards the development of industries in the north-east and said its high time India becomes vocal for local.
I see people thinking kaash (I wish) we were self-reliant in medical equipment, solar energy, I wish we were self-reliant in manufacturing PPE kits, I wish we were self-reliant in defence production, electronic production, mobile manufacturing, I wish we were self-reliant in manufacturing all that we buy or consume. I see countless such kaash in Indians today. The solution to all this can only come from Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India). India which today is an importing nation has to first rise up and become self-reliant and then move on to become an exporting nation. This is the vision that will take India forward, said PM Modi.
Time to take the Indian economy out of ‘command and control’ and take it towards a ‘plug and play’ economy
At this time we’ve to take the Indian economy out of ‘command and control’ and take it towards a ‘plug and play’ economy. This isn’t the time for a conservative approach. It’s time for bold decisions and bold investments. It’s time to prepare a globally competitive domestic supply chain, emphasised the Prime Minister, reiterating that self-reliant India is based on self-confident Indians.
The Indian government is speedily implementing the policies declared to make the country self-reliant, what the citizens need to do is work in the direction so as to make India an exporter of every product that the country needs. This is how the country would become Atmanirbhar, said Modi.
“While it true that coronavirus has slowed down our growth, India has now left the lockdown behind and has entered unlock phase 1. So in a way, we have already started getting our growth back. India took the right steps at the right time. When we compare our country to others, we can realise how the lockdown has helped us,” said PM Modi.
“This is the time to recognize opportunity, to try oneself and to move towards new heights. If this is the biggest crisis, then we should take full advantage of it, while learning the biggest from it”, said the Prime Minsiter, urging India to move ahaead towards becoming self-reliant.
