'He has conquered new heights'

 


Today's centre of attraction Shri Dilipbhai, Shri Ashok Advani, Shri Shashi Ruia and all the other respected people present over here.

I AM THANKFUL to Ashokji that I got a chance to meet you people. I congratulate Dilipbhai for the honoured award received. I know Dilipbhai for many years; he speaks very little and is shy by nature. But he has conquered new heights and will continue to do it.

Speaking of the pharmaceutical industry ... in the whole of India, Gujarat has contributed the most, and, to top it all, Gujarati people are the most involved in this industry outside India. The core fact behind it comes from the so-called game changers denned these days - our ancestors who started the first pharmacy college in India 50 years ago in Ahmedabad. Due to the foundation of this college, human resource developed in the country and India found its roots in this sector.

I am being introduced as the longest running chief minister and I want to cite a small example - when I got the responsibility of Gujarat state for the first time, our state was financially deficit. We had a total deficit of Rs. 6,7OO crore, and, today, we are a surplus state.

When I started my career as the chief minister of Gujarat, people used to request power supply for just dinner purposes, which shows that Gujarat was short of power supply. From there, we started our journey in the power sector and now we are the only state in the country where three-phase uninterrupted power is being supplied. We don't know the meaning of load shedding. In the rest of the country, if power supply is received, it becomes news; while in Gujarat, news is created when there are power cuts. We had a deficit of 2,000 MW but, with our innovations, the situation has changed. In our country, all state-owned electricity companies are in huge debt. When I became Gujarat's CM, our power companies were making Rs. 2,600 crore losses per year. I added Rs. 900 crore to it by giving discount to schools and farmers, and the total reached Rs. 3,500 crore. We are now Rs. 700 crore profits. During the last 10 years, we have doubled the power production and it is great to know that we haven't increased the tariff by a single rupee. We can do this by taking precautions and stopping leakages.

We initiated solar energy power production. Gujarat was the first state in the country that introduced the solar policy and then the Central government followed with the same. When we started the policy, we quoted a rate of Rs. 12, while the Central government quotes Rs. 19. And it was made mandatory that suppliers go for them. But it went the other way round and they came to us at less rates and now Gujarat is a world leader in the field of solar energy production. It's been seen that all public sector units have a definite end. In our state, we have many well-known companies which were in debt and they were funded by the government in 2001. We concentrated on many issues and professionalised them and now they have become four times profitable. Things can be changed if we give proper attention and Gujarat is the best example.

In the agricultural sector during the last 20 years, all the governments have been targeting 4 per cent growth, which has still been unachievable. Gujarat is a state where we face draught in seven out of every 10 years, and we only have the Narmada River. We started a mass movement of rain water harvesting and made lakhs of check dams to stop water. And Gujarat is the only state where the water table has increased from 3 metres to 13 metres. You'll be happy to know that our agricultural growth is 11 per cent, while other states do not have even 4 per cent growth in the last 10 years. In 2001, total production of cotton in Gujarat was 23 lakh bales, whereas today the number has reached 1.23 crore; but, for some reason, today, the Central government has banned the export, which is adversely affecting trade relations with other countries. No buyer will take interest if the policies of the government fluctuate. Our prime minister is an economist; yet, I don't know why this decision was taken. Last year, due to the fluctuating policies of this government, farmers in Gujarat faced a total loss of Rs. 14, 000 crore.

In Gujarat, we conduct cattle healthcare camps, where we have eradicated 112 common cattle diseases. Gujarat is the only state in the world where we conduct cattle cataract operations and dental check-ups. Due to this, I guarantee that if you have tea in Singapore, it will contain milk from Gujarat.

We were not known for our agricultural sector, but now I guarantee that if you visit Europe, you will find bhindi (lady's finger), which are grown in Bardoli (Gujarat). And, you will also find in Afghanistan tomatoes that have come from Gujarat, We are also concentrating on service and tourist sectors. We all know that Gujaratis are the best tourists, but Gujarat had no attractions for the tourism sector - apart from the Gir forest and Somnath and Dwarka temples. In the last three years, we had commenced aggressive campaigns for it and now Gujarat tourism has grown by 40 per cent, which is double the growth figure for Indian tourism. We are growing in all sectors - whether it is service, agriculture or tourism. This was possible because we turned development into a mass movement. We took an example from our freedom struggle in which many individuals gave up their lives. But Mahatma Gandhi's contribution, whereby he converted our freedom struggle into a mass movement that resulted in our freedom, was unique. In this manner, development should be a mass movement in which every individual in the country should think of the country's development. We created this type of environment in Gujarat. Now we have started to see the future. When I came into power, there were 11 universities in my state and now we have 41. We are initiating a world-class intimation centre - 'I CREATE' - which will help the young people innovate with a spark and thus help in our growth.

Till date, India imports a lot of weapons and equipment for defence purposes. Gujarat is taking initiatives to make India self-sufficient in the sector of defence by bringing out a new policy -for those interested in this field; we will make Gujarat a heavenly place for them. In this way, we will help our nation in its defence.

Gujarat is coming up with many new cities -states within the state - which are very modern. You all must have heard of our gift city, Dholka, which is coming up. It is a special investment region that is double the size of Shanghai and will be the biggest in the world. All of you can imagine how much Gujarat will benefit from it and Mumbai will directly benefit from it because all the money earned in Gujarat is being deposited in banks located in Mumbai. I don't have a problem with that. I wish luck to the bankers over here. I am thankful to have got the opportunity to come here and I again congratulate Mr Dilipbhai and his family.

 

Thank you.

NARENDRA MODI

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The foundation of India - France friendship is based on the spirit of deep trust, innovation, & public welfare: PM at India-France CEO Forum, Paris
February 12, 2025

Your Excellency, President Macron,
Industry leaders from India and France present here,
Namaskar, Bonjour!

I feel a wonderful energy, excitement and dynamism in this room. This isn't just a normal business event.

It is a confluence of the best business minds of India and France. The report of the CEO Forum that has just been presented is welcome.

I see that all of you are moving ahead with the mantra of Innovate, Collaborate and Elevate. You are not just making boardroom connections. You all are also strengthening the Indo-French strategic partnership.

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Friends,

It is a pleasure for me to join this forum with my friend President Macron. This is our sixth meeting in the last two years. Last year, President Macron was the Chief Guest at our Republic Day.

This morning we had co-chaired the AI Action Summit together. I heartily congratulate President Macron for this successful summit.

Friends,

India and France are not just linked by democratic values. The foundation of our friendship is based on the spirit of deep trust, innovation, and public welfare.

Our partnership is not limited to just two countries. We are cooperating together to address global problems and challenges. During my last visit, we had outlined the 2047 roadmap for our partnership. Following that, we are pursuing cooperation in a comprehensive manner in every field.

Friends,

Most of your companies are already present in India. You are active in different areas like aerospace, ports, defence, electronics, dairy, chemicals and consumer goods.

I have had the opportunity to meet many CEOs in India as well. You are well aware of the changes that have taken place in India in the last decade. We have established a stable polity, and predictable policy ecosystem.

Following the path of reform, perform, and transform, today India is the fifth largest economy in the world. It is the fastest growing major economy in the world.

It will soon become the world's third largest economy. India's skilled young talent factory and innovation spirit are our identity on the global stage.

Today, India is fast becoming a preferred global investment destination.

We have launched AI, semiconductor and quantum missions in India. In defence, we are promoting Make in India and Make for the World. Many of you are associated with it. We are scaling new heights in space technology. This sector has been opened up for FDI. We are rapidly making India a global biotech powerhouse.

Infrastructure development is a matter of priority for us. And on this, we are doing public expenditure of more than $114 billion a year. We have laid railway tracks on a massive scale, using technology to modernize and upgrade the railways.

We are fast moving towards the target of 500 Gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030. For this, we have promoted solar cell manufacturing. We have also launched the Critical Mineral Mission.

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We have also taken up the Hydrogen Mission. For this, electrolyser manufacturing is being emphasized. By 2047, we are aiming for 100 gigawatts of nuclear power. I am happy to share that this sector is being opened up to the private sector. We are focusing on SMR and AMR technologies.

Friends,

Today India is becoming the biggest center of diversification and de-risking. A few days ago, a new generation of reforms were outlined in our budget.

New steps have been taken for ease of doing business. In the last few years, we have rationalized more than 40,000 compliances. To promote trust-based economic governance, a high level committee for regulatory reforms has been formed. The custom rate structure has been rationalised.

To facilitate international trade, "India Trade Net" is being introduced with the help of digital public infrastructure. We are bringing a new simplified income tax code towards Ease of Living.

The National Manufacturing Mission has been announced. And, new sectors, such as the insurance sector, have been opened for 100 percent FDI. You must study all these initiatives carefully.

Let me tell you all, this is the right time to come to India. Everyone's progress is linked to India's progress. An example of this was seen in the aviation sector, when Indian companies placed large orders for airplanes. And, now, when we are going to open 120 new airports, you can imagine the future possibilities for yourselves.

Friends,

The 1.4 billion people of India have resolved to build a developed India by 2047. Be it defence or advanced technology, fintech or pharma, tech or textile, agriculture or aviation, healthcare or highways, space or sustainable development. There are many opputunities for investments and collaborations in all these areas for all of you.

I welcome you all to join India's development journey.

When France's finesse and India's scale meet...

When India's pace and France's precision join...

When France's technology and India's talent unite...

Then, not just business landscape, but global transformation will happen.

Once again, I thank you all very much for taking your precious time to come here.