PM Modi reflects on the last 10 years of his government.
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on diverse topics with NDTV’s Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia in an exclusive interview. In the wide-ranging conversation, they discuss development, infrastructure, governance, stock market and much more. With election results just weeks away, PM Modi reflects on the last 10 years of his government and his plans for India for the coming years.
Here are the Highlights On PM Modi’s Big Interview:
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PM Modi On Celebrating Elections:
PM Modi says, “I want the people to celebrate the elections as a festival of democracy and not see voting as a contract to form a government but think of it as a responsibility to take the country forward.”
PM Modi On NDTV Live: PM Modi’s Message To Youth
PM Modi says, “I believe the youth should read about India’s journey since independence to understand the changes the nation has witnessed. For example, how coal was transported to run trains. How a stoker or a fireman, who put coal in the burner, used to work under so much heat. I think the youth of the country will be an active participant in India’s growth if they are aware of the country’s journey since independence. It would develop leadership values and they would love to add more value to the journey. It will be an inspiration for them”
PM Modi On NDTV Live: PM Modi’s Japan Experience
PM Modi said, “I learn things from other countries as well. I visited Japan a few years ago. I was the Chief Minister (of Gujarat) then. I had some time, so I decided to explore the area on foot. I noticed a pathway for the visually challenged. I took pictures of that on my phone. As soon as I landed in Ahmedabad, around 10 pm, I called the city commissioner. I asked him to visit me in the morning. When he came, I showed him the photos and asked him to use them in a footpath that was then being made in the Kankeria area. That was implemented there soon after.”
PM Modi On NDTV Live: PM Modi On Importance Of His Experience As Chief Minister
“I am a person who has been the Chief Minister of a progressive state for a long time. So I was familiar with people’s aspirations. I was familiar with conflict between public aspirations and the government. So I have a wealth of experience.”
“I have travelled in trains without reservation, I have traveled in general coach, I have travelled on foot and in trucks too. I have been connected with the ground and I have also emerged from it and that experience is very useful.”
“The basis of our foreign policy has been – Neighborhood First, Act east Policy. We have created a place with the world. There is competition with the neighbors too but our effort is to take everyone along.”
PM Modi On NDTV Live:
“Those who are sitting in jail for theft and have been allowed to come out of jail due to illness, how are they talking about constitution”
PM Moid: “My mantra is Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikaas“
“Whoever wants to call me communal can do so but I will keep exposing the sins of the opposition.”
PM Modi: “The scales are heavily tilted in our favour. I don’t have to say anything about that. We have the upper hand. And everyone knows it.”
“Does the INDI Alliance have any common agenda? Is there any strategy for the campaign? There’s nothing. They are playing their own trumpet and the country doesn’t have faith in them.”
“If you make the INDI Alliance sit together, it seems that they are trying to set their children. I can’t see the future of the country’s children there. When this happens, I do not believe that they can win the trust of the people of the country.”
“We have a track record of ten years of strong government. Be it our work against terrorism, be it on security, be it on development issues, be it on foreign policy or be our initiative in times of crisis, I think the people of the country see all these things. And hence the common man of the country has made up his mind”
Sanjay Pugalia: “In South India and East India, you have expressed confidence that this time BJP will get success there. Are you not overconfident about South India and East India?”
PM Modi: “Even when I am confident, I never express it. I don’t live with overconfidence. I think big but I stay grounded.”
“There is great trust in this government. It is for this reason I say that the BJP will get a historic mandate and will set a record”
“Today the country feels that there is such a government which is concerned about our sorrows, respects our dreams and always tries to show our strength”
Sanjay Pugalia: “The opposition alleged that employment has not been created. So employment has not been created or its form has changed?”
PM Modi: “In aviation sector, there were about seventy airports in our country, today there are about a hundred airports. There’s an order for 1000 aeroplanes in the pipeline. Can anyone imagine how many types of people will get employment.”
“The data of PLFS says that unemployment has reduced by half. Six crore new jobs have been generated in last six-seven years, said PLFS data. EPFO also says over six crore new officers have already been registered in seven years.”
Sanjay Pugalia: “Nowadays, a lot of new youth are interested in investment. My own opinion is that this time the market had already understood the outcome of the election and moved up very fast. Right now there is nervousness in the market as to how the mandate will come, so you would like to comment on it.”
PM Modi: “Within a week after election results, all the programmers of India’s stock market will get tired. See how the share of PSU companies has spiked. The shares of PSU are bound to fall, but its value in the stock market has increased manifold.”
Sanjay Pugalia: “You have an image that you are very strict in terms of fiscal discipline. But nowadays there is competition of guarantees you double down on making people happy for ease of living. So, some investors fear what will happen to fiscal discipline.”
PM Modi: “People who have seen my tenure in Gujarat, they know I have been very insistent on financial discipline.”
“I consider welfare as a kind of social infrastructure of India. I consider it a very important part. If we target the welfare scheme and do it with quality of life in mind, then it becomes an asset.”
PM Modi: “There should be competitive cooperative federalism. There should be a healthy competition between the states. Now gradually, that competition is coming. They are doing well, mobilizing the bureaucracy. If I get the support of the states, then I believe that no person in the world will go anywhere except India.”
PM Modi: “The next stage in the diamond industry is of ‘green diamond’, lab grown diamond. There is a big market building in the world for this. In coming days, we will make progress in green diamonds as well.”
“We will bring semi conductor chips to India in a few days. I believe that we can become a hub in the chip business which is related to transportation. We are working very fast in defense manufacturing. Defense production worth about Rs one lakh crore has started in my country and export worth Rs 21 thousand crore has been done.”
“India is on the take off stage of industrial revolution.”
Sanjay Pugalia: The success of PLI in shifting people from agriculture to manufacturing was very good in many sectors. But we feel that a lot of work needs to be done so that people can now produce in India. IPhone is an example and there is a need to extrapolate it. What do you think about this?
PM Modi: “Baba Saheb used to say Industrial revolution is very important in this country.”
“There is a need to reduce the burden on agriculture. The law does not work to reduce that burden, diversification has to do that. Diversification happens when you have decentralized industrial network. So if there are two sons, one son will go to work in the industry and the other son will take care of farming, then the burden on agriculture will reduce.”
“We were mobile phone importers. Today, we have become the world’s second largest manufacturer of mobile phones. We are exporting our iPhone across the world today. One in seven iPhones in the world is manufactured here.”
Sanjay Pugalia: Is something going to happen very soon which perhaps we collectively are not even able to think about right now?
PM Modi: “I think that one of the best means of empowerment of the poor is a digital revolution. It will help a lot in reducing inequality. The world has started believing that India will definitely lead the whole world in AI and we have that kind of talent, our youth can do a lot.”
“More than about five lakhs Common service centers have been built. Nowadays, if a common man has to get railway reservation done, he goes to common service center in his village itself. These citizen centric arrangements have been made.”
“I have my own philosophy in governance, I call it P2G2 – Pro People Good Governance.”
PM Modi: “Using space technology, we have surveyed all the islands near India. Some islands are almost the size of Singapore. This means for India, creating a new Singapore is not a difficult task if we set out to do so. We are moving forward in that direction.”
“Using space technology, we have surveyed all the islands near India. Some islands are almost the size of Singapore. This means for India, creating a new Singapore is not a difficult task if we set out to do so. We are moving forward in that direction”
“I think that one of the best means of empowerment of the poor is a digital revolution. It will help a lot in reducing inequality. The world has started believing that India will definitely lead the whole world in AI and we have that kind of talent, our youth can do a lot.”
Sanjay Pugalia: One thing that emerged in the last few years is the work on infrastructure. Airports have doubled and people are traveling a lot. In fact, even after everything being built so fast, we feel a need for more. So do you see it as incremental growth or is there a new focus in your mind in this also?
PM Modi: “Scope, scale and speed, and then there should be skill. If we can get these four things together, I believe we will achieve a lot.”
“UPI is a big achievement in the world of Fintech”
“Building infrastructure alone is not enough, we have to simultaneously plan for its optimum utilisation and that, we are doing.”
PM Modi On NDTV Live: Vision Of 1000 years
PM Modi says, “I take Virasat (heritage) and Vikas (development) together. I said this from Lal Qila too and I am saying this again today. What’s happening now will take India towards a brighter future for the coming 1000 years. In my mind, it is clear that this is our time, this is Bharat’s time and we must not lose this opportunity.”
PM Modi says, “Keeping in mind the next 25 years, keeping in mind 2047, we did some a lot of brainstorming, we took inputs from lakhs of people. I received some 15-20 lakhs suggestions from the youth. We have done a very big exercise, a mega brainstorming. I have been doing this exercise for so long that some officers who were a part of it have retired. We have taken suggestions from ministers, secretaries and experts. I have segregated that too into 25 years, 5 years, 1 year and 100 days in a stage-wise manner. There’ll be additions to it, we might have to drop a thing or two too, but we have a big picture with us. We have added 25 days to this plan because I have seen that the youth is very excited and if we channel that excitement, we can get extra benefit and that’s why, I have added 25 days to 100 days. We have launched ‘MYBharat’. In the coming days, I want to focus on how to connect the youth, how to instill a habit of dreaming big in them, and how to bring a change in their habit to make big dreams come true. I believe these efforts will bring results.”
Sanjay Pugalia: My first question to you would be that you used two sentences, one in Ayodhya that now the foundation is being laid for one thousand years and a hundred year agenda is being made which will be reflected in the third chapter of the Modi era. You also talk about 2047. What is going to be your biggest focus this time in governance?
PM Modi: “I don’t think in pieces. I have a very comprehensive and integrated approach. Secondly, I don’t have the habit of working for media attention. I think in every nation’s life, there are some turning points. If we grab those turning points, it can be very beneficial.”