Stalwarts Say

It is fitting that the launch of the International Year of Cooperatives is taking place in India, as there is no better country that exemplifies the enormous transformative power of collective action. The Indian cooperative movement has been spectacularly successful, uplifting millions of people from poverty and enhancing their prosperity.

It is our greatest honour to have you (PM Modi) here (in Guyana). You are a champion among leaders. You have led incredibly. You have shown light to the developing world and you have created development metrics and framework that many are adopting in their own country.

Well, this is what makes the digital revolution in India so interesting, is that it's been used by the government to actually provide benefits to all members of society. It hasn't just created benefits for the lucky few, and this I think is very different from most other countries around the world. So I think the success here in India is unique and other countries can learn from it.

I think one of the first things is that the other countries in the Digital South should say to themselves, if India can do it, we can do it too. Countries need to have the confidence and the ambition to try something that hasn't been tried before, the way India did by creating the Aadhaar number. So other countries could copy and learn from India's experience, but they should also tell themselves, we don't have to depend on the rich countries. We may not even want to let the rich countries be the ones who are in charge, because they may not lead to the kinds of improvements in the quality of life that we really want for our citizens.

The United States' partnership with India is stronger, closer, and more dynamic than any time in history. Prime Minister Modi, each time we sit down, I'm struck by our ability to find new areas of cooperation. Today was no different.

“Before leaving for Olympics, when we met PM at his house, I was sitting in one of the last lines. I did not know but even then he had observed me. And when we talked on call after my medal in Paris, he remembered that I had sat in the last row. Such are his observation skills”

"The conversation with PM Modi gave me even more motivation to aim for a bigger medal at the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics.”

“When I won the medal, PM Modi called me, and his first words were to greet me in Marathi, my mother tongue. It boosts the confidence of the player so much. It feels like our entire nation supports us.”

"I literally had goosebumps hearing his words and felt a great surge of energy to win a medal for the nation!"

"The Prime Minister had a unique way to break down silos among the athletes. The Prime Minister asked questions like, 'Who among you is the youngest? How many of you are first-time Olympians? Who here has experience in 2 or 3 Olympics?' "He wanted the experienced athletes to share their insights with the junior ones. The room was filled with a new enthusiasm.”

“Athletes received letters from PM Modi months before the Paris Olympics, encouraging us to reach out for any support needed, which boosted our morale.”

"PM Modi told me to be confident and focus on my goal. He keeps track of every detail about each player.”