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Now it is time to work for economic freedom: PM at India-SA Business Meet

Published By : Admin | July 8, 2016 | 19:52 IST
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His Excellency Mr Jacob Zuma,

President of the Republic of South Africa,

Hon'ble Minister of International Relations and Cooperation,

Hon'ble Minister of Trade and Industry,

Captains of South African and Indian Industry,

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I am happy to be with you today.

India-South Africa relations are built on a strong foundation of history.

  • We were directed together by destiny;
  • We are driven together by dreams.

Our history had many common chapters.

With struggle and sacrifice, we changed the course of history.

Fortunately, in this process,

we had the guidance of the greatest leaders which the human race has seen.

Friends,

Our leaders like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi brought political freedom for us.

Now, it is the time to work for economic freedom.

Thus, our relations rest upon our common desire to fulfil the aspirations of our people.

  • We have been friends in adversities ;
  • Now we should franchise in opportunities

With the blessings of our great leaders, both the countries have marched on the path of development.

Both South Africa and India are important players in the BRICS economies.

Our people at home and the world at large are looking at us with great expectations.

We can join handsto fulfil these twin expectations.

It is heartening that we have had very active and fruitful engagement on all possible fronts.

This august gathering is also an important part of the same process.

Friends,

I admit that I am little late in visiting this great country.

However, President Zuma and I have met several times in last two years.

South Africa is India's key trade and investment partner.

In the last ten years, bilateral trade has grown almost 380%.

The story of investments also continues to be bright.

There is continuous flow of investments both ways.

More than 150 Indian companies are operating in South Africa.

Similarly, many companies of South Africa are doing excellent work in India.

However,

the scope is tremendous.

The potential is increasing day by day.

This is because both countries are strengthening their economic fundamentals.

Therefore, we must look at ways to diversify our trade basket, to complement our needs and to serve the people.

Our active partnership across various facets and forums is a testimony to the fact that such engagement is possible.

Friends,

For Indian companies, South Africa is a home in this continent.

Many leading Indian companies have a foot-print here.

They are engaged in a wide range of activities.

Many Indian CEOs are here with us.

My advice to them is to see that their business results into socio--economic transformation of this great country.

I have been advocating three Ps for India.

(Public Sector, Private Sector and People’s Partnership).

I have been emphasising on the Personal Sector.

The same applies here.

Skill development and community empowerment should be central to your business plans.

The spirit of African humanism , UBUNTU , should reflect in your business ethos.

This is equal to our philosophy of

सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः

This is what Mahatma Gandhi stood for.

We have always believed in nurturing and nourishing not in exploiting.

Encouraging fact is that our business engagement is not one way.

South African companies are also active in India.

Many of them have presence on ground.

We have learnt from your knowledge and benefited from your innovative products.

South African business excellence and Indian capacities must leverage each other; for growth and development in our two countries.

Friends,

In last two years we have worked very hard on all fronts to set the economy right.

We have got very encouraging results of our sincerity and hard work.

Today, India is a bright star in the global economy.

We are being seen as the engine of global growth.

India has become the fastest growing large economy in the world.

At a time of global slowdown, we have registered 7.6% growth in GDP.

World Bank, IMF and other institutions have projected even better growth in the coming days.

Not only that, in 2014-15, India contributed 12.5% of global growth.

Its contribution to global growth is 68% higher than its share of the world economy.

The FDI in this year has been the highest ever.

The ratings agency Moody's has said that FDI inflows were all-time high in 2016, highlighting the success of our 'Make in India' initiative.

Make in India has become the biggest brand that India has ever had.

Both within and outside the country, it has captured the imagination of people, institutions, industries, businesses, media and the political leadership.

As part of the Make in India exercise, we have given emphasis on Ease of Doing Business.

We have taken decisive steps to ease the licensing processes and rationalize the provisions relating to clearances, returns, and inspections.

If I talk of some other indicators:

  • India has consistently been ranked as the most attractive investment destination by several global agencies and institutions.
  • We have jumped 12 ranks in the latest global ranking by the World Bank on ease of doing business.
  • India has also improved its UNCTAD ranking of investment attractiveness.
  • Against 15th so far, now we are at 9th place.
  • India has also jumped 16 places on the World Economic Forum’s global competitive index.

Due to positive impact of our policies and practices, our confidence has gone up.

This also gives us motivation to further simplify our processes to become an easier place to do business.

An innovative Start-up India programme has also been launched to incubate ideas and develop them into enterprises.

All this is having a good impact on expansion of job market and rise in purchasing power of the people.

This finally leads to India becoming a place with better quality of life and higher living standards.

We have ensured that our growth is inclusive and embraces both rural and urban communities.

We are taking a leap towards next generation infrastructure in both core areas and social sectors.

Friends,

Socio-economic challenges of both our countries are more or less same.

My advice is that the wheels of development should not be re-invented.

Our two countries are very uniquely positioned to complement each other.

For example:

  • Nature has been kind on both of us.

We have immense natural resources.

The need is to properly harness them and to use them sustainably for welfare of the common man.

We can learn a lot from each other in this.

  • We particularly want to engage with your world class mining companies.

Some of them are already active in India.

But we want strategic engagements on this front.

Our interest in this sector is not one sided.v · Secondly, the challenge of climate change and the need of fast track development is before both of us.

We are both committed to clean and green pathways to progress.

At the same time, we need energy resources.

  • With the help of a number of countries, we have formed the International Solar Alliance.

I hope that we will enrich and take advantage of this forum.

  • Our two countries have the unique benefit of opposite seasons

When it is summer or mango season in India, it is winter here, and vice versa.

We can leverage this geographic advantage to market each other's fruits, vegetables and other perishables

  • India with its huge domestic market offers massive opportunities for your food processing industry.

Our collaboration in this sector will bring value for our farmers and our villages.

  • We in India are working on very ambitious plans of infrastructure.

The task which is pending from the days of independence has to be completed fast now.

Together, we can do a lot to fill these gaps.

  • India is best suited to help you in technology and skills.

Efforts are already underway in these areas.

At the India Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi last year, we under-took to educate and train 50,000 Africans in India over the next five years.

These are just a few examples.

We can work together in a number of areas.

  • From Defence to Dairy;
  • From Hardware to Software;
  • From Medicines to Medical Tourism;
  • From Soft Skills to Science and Technology.

There are opportunities for us.

India today is among the most open economies.

We have liberalised our FDI regime in most of the areas and in all possible ways.

We have rationalised our norms and made it simple for businesses to establish and grow.

Friends,

To conclude, I would like to say that we have added institutional depth to our partnership.

Our BRICS business engagement and CEOs Forum have helped to expand and enrich our partnership.

Today, we have successfully held the 3rd Meeting of the India-South Africa CEOs Forum.

We value your recommen- -dations and look forward to putting them into practice.

We are thankful to the South African government for introducing 10 year BRICS (ब्रिक्स) visa for regular business travellers.

The Indian Industry is quite encouraged by the move.

In February this year, we launched our e-Visa programme for South Africa.

This is valid for short term tourist and business travellers.

You can now get your visa for India sitting at home in your email, and that too free of cost!

Friends,

  • Let us join hands once more;
  • Let us commit ourselves together once again;
  • This is necessary to fight the enemy of poverty;
  • This is perhaps much more challenging;
  • But we have to succeed;
  • And this only can be our real tribute to our great leaders.

 

Thank you.

 

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Prime Minister's address to the Indian Community in Guyana
Prime Minister's address to the Indian Community in Guyana
November 22, 2024

Your Excellency President Irfan Ali,
Prime Minister Mark Philips,
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo,
Former President Donald Ramotar,
Members of the Guyanese Cabinet,
Members of the Indo-Guyanese Community,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Namaskar!

Seetaram !

I am delighted to be with all of you today.First of all, I want to thank President Irfan Ali for joining us.I am deeply touched by the love and affection given to me since my arrival.I thank President Ali for opening the doors of his home to me.

I thank his family for their warmth and kindness. The spirit of hospitality is at the heart of our culture. I could feel that, over the last two days. With President Ali and his grandmother, we also planted a tree. It is part of our initiative, "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam", that is, "a tree for mother”. It was an emotional moment that I will always remember.

Friends,

I was deeply honoured to receive the ‘Order of Excellence’, the highest national award of Guyana. I thank the people of Guyana for this gesture. This is an honour of 1.4 billion Indians. It is the recognition of the 3 lakh strong Indo-Guyanese community and their contributions to the development of Guyana.

Friends,

I have great memories of visiting your wonderful country over two decades ago. At that time, I held no official position. I came to Guyana as a traveller, full of curiosity. Now, I have returned to this land of many rivers as the Prime Minister of India. A lot of things have changed between then and now. But the love and affection of my Guyanese brothers and sisters remains the same! My experience has reaffirmed - you can take an Indian out of India, but you cannot take India out of an Indian.

Friends,

Today, I visited the India Arrival Monument. It brings to life, the long and difficult journey of your ancestors nearly two centuries ago. They came from different parts of India. They brought with them different cultures, languages and traditions. Over time, they made this new land their home. Today, these languages, stories and traditions are part of the rich culture of Guyana.

I salute the spirit of the Indo-Guyanese community. You fought for freedom and democracy. You have worked to make Guyana one of the fastest growing economies. From humble beginnings you have risen to the top. Shri Cheddi Jagan used to say: "It matters not what a person is born, but who they choose to be.”He also lived these words. The son of a family of labourers, he went on to become a leader of global stature.

President Irfan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, former President Donald Ramotar, they are all Ambassadors of the Indo Guyanese community. Joseph Ruhomon, one of the earliest Indo-Guyanese intellectuals, Ramcharitar Lalla, one of the first Indo-Guyanese poets, Shana Yardan, the renowned woman poet, Many such Indo-Guyanese made an impact on academics and arts, music and medicine.

Friends,

Our commonalities provide a strong foundation to our friendship. Three things, in particular, connect India and Guyana deeply. Culture, cuisine and cricket! Just a couple of weeks ago, I am sure you all celebrated Diwali. And in a few months, when India celebrates Holi, Guyana will celebrate Phagwa.

This year, the Diwali was special as Ram Lalla returned to Ayodhya after 500 years. People in India remember that the holy water and shilas from Guyana were also sent to build the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Despite being oceans apart, your cultural connection with Mother India is strong.

I could feel this when I visited the Arya Samaj Monument and Saraswati Vidya Niketan School earlier today. Both India and Guyana are proud of our rich and diverse culture. We see diversity as something to be celebrated, not just accommodated. Our countries are showing how cultural diversity is our strength.

Friends,

Wherever people of India go, they take one important thing along with them. The food! The Indo-Guyanese community also has a unique food tradition which has both Indian and Guyanese elements. I am aware that Dhal Puri is popular here! The seven-curry meal that I had at President Ali’s home was delicious. It will remain a fond memory for me.

Friends,

The love for cricket also binds our nations strongly. It is not just a sport. It is a way of life, deeply embedded in our national identity. The Providence National Cricket Stadium in Guyana stands as a symbol of our friendship.

Kanhai, Kalicharan, Chanderpaul are all well-known names in India. Clive Lloyd and his team have been a favourite of many generations. Young players from this region also have a huge fan base in India. Some of these great cricketers are here with us today. Many of our cricket fans enjoyed the T-20 World Cup that you hosted this year.

Your cheers for the ‘Team in Blue’ at their match in Guyana could be heard even back home in India!

Friends,

This morning, I had the honour of addressing the Guyanese Parliament. Coming from the Mother of Democracy, I felt the spiritual connect with one of the most vibrant democracies in the Caribbean region. We have a shared history that binds us together. Common struggle against colonial rule, love for democratic values, And, respect for diversity.

We have a shared future that we want to create. Aspirations for growth and development, Commitment towards economy and ecology, And, belief in a just and inclusive world order.

Friends,

I know the people of Guyana are well-wishers of India. You would be closely watching the progress being made in India. India’s journey over the past decade has been one of scale, speed and sustainability.

In just 10 years, India has grown from the tenth largest economy to the fifth largest. And, soon, we will become the third-largest. Our youth have made us the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world. India is a global hub for e-commerce, AI, fintech, agriculture, technology and more.

We have reached Mars and the Moon. From highways to i-ways, airways to railways, we are building state of art infrastructure. We have a strong service sector. Now, we are also becoming stronger in manufacturing. India has become the second largest mobile manufacturer in the world.

Friends,

India’s growth has not only been inspirational but also inclusive. Our digital public infrastructure is empowering the poor. We opened over 500 million bank accounts for the people. We connected these bank accounts with digital identity and mobiles. Due to this, people receive assistance directly in their bank accounts. Ayushman Bharat is the world’s largest free health insurance scheme. It is benefiting over 500 million people.

We have built over 30 million homes for those in need. In just one decade, we have lifted 250 million people out of poverty. Even among the poor, our initiatives have benefited women the most. Millions of women are becoming grassroots entrepreneurs, generating jobs and opportunities.

Friends,

While all this massive growth was happening, we also focused on sustainability. In just a decade, our solar energy capacity grew 30-fold ! Can you imagine ?We have moved towards green mobility, with 20 percent ethanol blending in petrol.

At the international level too, we have played a central role in many initiatives to combat climate change. The International Solar Alliance, The Global Biofuels Alliance, The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Many of these initiatives have a special focus on empowering the Global South.

We have also championed the International Big Cat Alliance. Guyana, with its majestic Jaguars, also stands to benefit from this.

Friends,

Last year, we had hosted President Irfaan Ali as the Chief Guest of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas. We also received Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in India. Together, we have worked to strengthen bilateral cooperation in many areas.

Today, we have agreed to widen the scope of our collaboration -from energy to enterprise,Ayurveda to agriculture, infrastructure to innovation, healthcare to human resources, anddata to development. Our partnership also holds significant value for the wider region. The second India-CARICOM summit held yesterday is testament to the same.

As members of the United Nations, we both believe in reformed multilateralism. As developing countries, we understand the power of the Global South. We seek strategic autonomy and support inclusive development. We prioritize sustainable development and climate justice. And, we continue to call for dialogue and diplomacy to address global crises.

Friends,

I always call our diaspora the Rashtradoots. An Ambassador is a Rajdoot, but for me you are all Rashtradoots. They are Ambassadors of Indian culture and values. It is said that no worldly pleasure can compare to the comfort of a mother’s lap.

You, the Indo-Guyanese community, are doubly blessed. You have Guyana as your motherland and Bharat Mata as your ancestral land. Today, when India is a land of opportunities, each one of you can play a bigger role in connecting our two countries.

Friends,

Bharat Ko Janiye Quiz has been launched. I call upon you to participate. Also encourage your friends from Guyana. It will be a good opportunity to understand India, its values, culture and diversity.

Friends,

Next year, from 13 January to 26 February, Maha Kumbh will be held at Prayagraj. I invite you to attend this gathering with families and friends. You can travel to Basti or Gonda, from where many of you came. You can also visit the Ram Temple at Ayodhya. There is another invite.

It is for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas that will be held in Bhubaneshwar in January. If you come, you can also take the blessings of Mahaprabhu Jagannath in Puri. Now with so many events and invitations, I hope to see many of you in India soon. Once again, thank you all for the love and affection you have shown me.

Thank you.
Thank you very much.

And special thanks to my friend Ali. Thanks a lot.