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The turning point in India’s growth story is that today, people are not skeptical, but excited, if someone wants to start their own company, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday. Addressing the nation through his programme Mann ki Baat, Modi said Indians were not just dreaming of becoming job seekers, but also job creators, and this would strengthen India’s stature on the global stage.
“Friends, a few years back if someone said that he wants to do business or wants to start a new company, then elders of the family would answer, “Why don’t you want to do a job, have a job bhai! There is security in a job, there is salary. The hassle is also less. But, if someone wants to start their own company today, then all people around him are excited and fully supportive. Friends, this is the turning point of India’s growth story, where people are now not only dreaming of becoming job seekers but also job creators. This will further strengthen India’s stature on the global stage,” Modi said.
The PM emphasised that in a country with a large population of youths, three aspects matter, ideas and innovation, the spirit of taking risks and the can-do spirit. “…when these three things combine, phenomenal results are produced, miracles happen,” Modi added.
He said India was, in a way, leading the world of startups globally, pointing out that startups in the country were attracting record investments year after year and have spread into small towns as well. He said till 2015, there used to be hardly nine or ten unicorns (startups with a valuation of over US$ 1 billion) in the country, but in the last 10 months, a unicorn was being raised in India every 10 days.
“This is also a big thing because our youth have achieved this success in the midst of the corona pandemic. Today, there are more than 70 unicorns in India,” Modi said.
Modi also spoke to a college student who, through his startup, was working on improving mileage and reducing carbon emissions from vehicles. The student, Mayur Patil, had received a government grant for his work. “Indian youth are also contributing solutions to global problems through startups,” the PM said.
The greatest satisfaction for the government lies not just in formulating policies and implementing them, but rather in seeing how they change lives, Modi explained. He also spoke to two beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat who availed of heart and knee surgeries through the scheme.
Remembering Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar ahead of his death anniversary on December 6, the PM underlined that the Constitution teaches us to remember our duties. “Baba Saheb had devoted his entire life in rendering his duties for the country and society. We, the countrymen, should never forget the basic spirit of our Constitution, that our Constitution expects all of us to discharge our duties. So let us also take a pledge that in the Amrit Mahotsav, we will try to fulfil our duties with full devotion. This shall be our true tribute to Baba Saheb,” Modi said.
The prime minister also mentioned Uttar Pradesh in multiple contexts. He spoke about how an Australian, who had spent 13 years in Vrindavan, had gone back and created a similar environment, artistically and culturally, in Perth. He also spoke about how Rani Laxmibai’s lawyer John Lang was an Australian.
“All of us know of the huge contribution of Jhansi and Bundelkhand in our fight for freedom. Veeranganas, brave hearts such as Rani Laxmibai and Jhalkaribai, hailed from here… this region has given to the country legendary sportspersons like Major Dhyanchand too,” Modi said.
The prime minister, however, stressed that bravery was not only displayed on the battlefield. “When bravery becomes a vow and it expands, then many feats start getting accomplished in every field,” Modi said, narrating the story of people from Jalaun in UP rejuvenating a river in the region. “…this example of bravery shows the determination of our countrymen, and it also tells that if we take a resolve, nothing is impossible and that is why I say ‘Sabka Prayas’, everyone’s effort,” Modi said.
Speaking on conservation, he said, “My dear countrymen, when we conserve nature, in return nature also gives us protection and security. We experience this in our personal life as well,” and narrated the story of local people in Thoothukudi preventing soil erosion by planting palmyra trees. “Friends, nature poses a threat to us only when we disturb her balance or destroy her sanctity. Nature nurtures us like a mother, and fills our world with vivid colors too.”
He also spoke about the viral picture of a “flying boat” which was actually moving across the crystal clear waters of a Meghalaya river. “There are many states in our country; there are many areas where people have preserved the colours of their natural heritage. These people have kept the lifestyle of living in harmony with nature alive even today. This is an inspiration to all of us too. Whatever natural resources are around us, we should save them, bring them back to their actual form. In this lies the interests of all of us; interests of the world,” Modi said.
The PM also mentioned Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the contribution of tribals in the freedom struggle and the golden jubilee celebrations of the 1971 war.