PM’s speech in India Inc. Global Week 2020

Distinguished guests from  all walks  of life,  Namaste!   Greetings from India.  I appreciate  India Inc   Group  for  organizing this event. The present event    is a part of the  excellent work that  India Inc  has done    over the past years. Your events have helped bring the opportunities in India    to a global  audience.   You have helped making the links between  India and UK  stronger. I am happy that this year's event has expanded its reach  to  other partners also.     Congratulations again!  Hopefully next  year,  you will also get the opportunity to be on the Centre Court and  enjoy Wimbledon.  

friends,  In these times,   it is natural to  talk about  revival . It is equally natural to link global  revival   and India.     There is faith that the story of global  revival  will  have India playing a  leading role.  I see this closely linked with   two factors.   The first is- Indian talent.  World over,  you have seen  the contribution of India's  talent-force.     This includes Indian  professionals,   doctors,   nurses,   bankers,   lawyers,   scientists,    professors,   our  hard-working labour.     Who can forget the Indian   tech  industry and tech  professionals. They have been showing the  way for decades.     India is a power-house  of talent that is:  Eager    to contribute.  And  Ever ready  to learn.  There is  two-way   synergy that is greatly beneficial.     

friends,   The second  factor is  India's ability  to reform and rejuvenate . Indians are  natural reformers!History has shown that India has overcome every  challenge, be it social or economical. India has  done so  with a  spirit of reform and rejuvenation .  The same sprit continues now. 

friends,   On one hand India is fighting  a strong battle against the global  pandemic.  With an increased focus on people's health,  we are  equally focussed on the health of the economy.  When India talks of   revival   it is:  Revival  with care,   Revival   with compassion,  Revival   which is sustainable- both for the environment  and the  economy. We in India belong to the culture where Mother Nature is  worshipped by everyone.  It is believed in India that the Earth is  our Mother and we are her children. 

friends,  During the last six  years,   India has made great gains in areas such as:  Total  financial   inclusion.  Record housing and infra construction.  Ease of Doing  Business.Bold tax reforms including the GST.  Roll out of the world's  largest health care initiative - Ayushman Bharat.  These gains have set  the foundations for the next round  of development  initiatives.     

friends,   Indians have the spirit to achieve what is believed to be  impossible.  No wonder that in India,  we are already seeing  green-shoots when it  comes  to economic recovery. In this time of a pandemic, we have  provided relief to our citizens and undertaken  deep structural reforms. We are making the economy:  More Productive,   Investment friendly    and   Competitive.   

Our relief package has been smart and  targeted to provide the  most poor with the  most help. Thanks to  technology, every  penny    has reached the beneficiaries directly.  The relief  includes:  providing free cooking gas,   cash in the  bank  accounts,   free food grains to millions of people and many other  things.     As soon as we unlocked,  we have launched  one of the  world's largest public works program to provide employment to millions  of workers.      This will not only re-energise the rural economy, but  also help in creation of durable  infrastructure in the rural areas. 

friends,   India remains one of the most open economies in the world. We are  laying  a red carpet for all global companies to come and establish  their presence in India.  Very few countries will offer the kind of  opportunites India does today.  There are many possibilities and  opportunities in various  sunrise sectors in India.  Our reforms in  agriculture provide a very attractive investment opportunity to invest  in storage and logistics.    We are opening the doors to investors to  come and invest directly in the hard-work of our farmers.      

friends,  We have brought reforms in the MSME sector.   A booming   MSME  sector will also complement  big industry.  There are investment  opportunities in the defence sector.  With relaxed  FDI norms,  one  of the world's biggest militaries  invites you to come and make products  for it!  Now,  there are more opportunities for private investment in  space sector.   This will mean greater access to commercial use of space  tech  for the benefit of people.    India's tech  and start-up sector  is vibrant. There is a market of  millions of  digitally empowered,  aspirational  people!     Imagine the  kind of products you can make for  them.     

friends,   The pandemic has once  again shown that India's Pharma industry is an asset not just for India  but for the entire world. It has played a leading role in reducing the  cost of medicines  especially for developing countries.     Vaccines  made in India are responsible for two-thirds of the vaccination needs of  the world's children.   Today also,  our companies are active in the  international efforts for development and production of COVID-19  vaccine.  I am certain that India will have an important role in  developing and in  scaling-up production of the vaccine once it is  discovered.   

friends,  130 crore Indians have given the call for  an  आत्मनिरभर भारत.  A self  reliant   India.  आत्मनिरभर भारत  merges  domestic production and consumption with global supply chains. आत्मनिरभर भारत   is not about being  self-contained  or being closed to  the world.  It is about being self-sustaining and  self-generating. We will  pursue   policies that promote efficiency,  equity  and  resilience .   

friends,  I am happy to note that this Forum is also marking the 100th birth anniversary of Pandit Ravi Shankar.  He took  the  beauty of  Indian classical music to the world. You would also  have seen how Namaste  has gone global as a form of greeting.The  pandemic has also seen the increasing appeal of  Yoga,  Ayurveda and   traditional medicines world over. India's ancient culture,    India's universal, peaceful ethos, is our strength.      

friends,   India is ready to do whatever it can to further global good and  prosperity.This is an India that is reforming,  performing  and   transforming. This is an India that offers new economic  opportunities. This is an India that is adopting a  human-centric  and inclusive approach to development.   

India awaits you all!   

Namaste!   Thank you very much.