COVID-19 crisis should be turned into an opportunity for self-reliant India, says Narendra Modi
DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the country needs to bring a change in economic conditions, has to move from the policy of command and control to “plug and play” in order to prepare it for the post COVID world.
Addressing the Industry heads at the 95th annual plenary session of Indian Chamber of Commerce on the theme of people, planet and profit in Kolkata through video conference, Prime Minister highlighted government’s people-centric, people-driven and planet-friendly policies.
He called upon industry leaders to work towards making India an exporter in all three fronts : people, planet and profit.
He said this is the time for bold investments and bold decisions to build a globally competitive strong domestic supply chain in the country. No conservative approach could solve the problem that the country is undergoing due to many obstacles.
The country is fighting multiple challenges on many fronts like coronaviurs, locust attacks, earthquake, cyclones etc. He affirmed that these odds have further strengthened the determination of the country. Highlighting the importance of Atma Nirbhar Bharat, he said the country is determined to convert the challenges into an opportunity and termed self-reliance as the key solution to pave path for the Post COVID world.
Modi said self-reliance has been paramount in government’s policy decisions in the last 6 years and maintained that the COVID crisis has given an opportunity to speed up efforts in this direction.
Remembering Swami Vivekananda’s mantra for Indian’s to use their own produce and find markets in other countries, he termed self-reliance as the key solution for India. He said that Swami Vivekananda has shown the path for a Post COVID world.
Emphasising on the need to cut down imports, he said production of goods in the country has been encouraged by the various reforms announced by the government and reiterated his call to go vocal for local.
Appreciating the efforts of small traders and producers, he said that “when we buy local produce from them, we are not just paying them for their goods and services, but are honoring their contributions.”
Talking about the efforts to develop the north-east as a hub of organic farming, Modi said along with the country, eastern and north eastern states have huge potential to utilize the benefits of the economic reforms to boost their productivity. Organic farming could become a huge movement in the north-east and dominate global market.
He further urged the Industrial body and corporate to chalk out strategies to further help achieve the goal of self-reliance by adopting greater investment in the manufacturing sector.
The Prime Minister appreciated the efforts of the Indian Chamber of commerce in serving the nation since its creation in 1925. He also applauded the ICC’s contribution to the development of the North East.