New Delhi:
Come to India if you want prosperity with peace, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the World Economic Forum (WEF) which started on Tuesday in Switzerland’s Davos.
He addressed the Plenary Session on the first day of the WEF, with pressing notes on terrorism, climate change and globalisation. He also spoke about technology and cyber security.
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation based in Geneva. The Forum’s mail mission is to “improve the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of the society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.”
As many as 2,500 top business leaders, international political leaders, economists and journalists join the meeting for up to four days and discuss the widely pressed issues from around the world.
PM Modi is the second Prime Minister to address the World Economic Forum after 20 years. The key points which PM Modi presented on the stage of WEF were focused on developing India along with the whole world.
Highlights of PM Modi’s speech at World Economic Forum 2018:
# The first time WEF was addressed was when Prime Minister Deve Gowda came in 1997. At that time, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was little more than 400 billion dollars, while now it is six times more than that.
# In 1997, the Euro wasn’t in circulation, Brexit did not happen, the world did not know of Osama bin Laden and Harry Potter, and there was no Google or Amazon or Twitter. It was a time when only birds tweeted and if Amazon was searched, information about jungles and rivers would be given.
# Social media is a big example of how technology is being used to join, bend and break our world. The one who controls the data will dominate the world. Social media is both a boon and a bane for today’s world.
# India has always believed in the concept of unity and integration. The entire world is one family, and we should face the negative situations like a family faces its problems in unity. It is appropriate to bridge the differences between us.
# The first major issue today is of climate change. Glaciers are melting in the Arctic and islands are sinking. Today, we are exploiting Mother Nature for our personal greed and we need to ask ourselves if we are moving forward or backward.
# Mahatma Gandhi always said that utilise according to your need and not your greed. But what we are doing today is being greedy. Is this taking us towards development or deterioration.
# The second big challenge of the world is terrorism. Terrorism is dangerous, but more than that, the false distinction between good terrorists and bad terrorists is highly dangerous. Along with this, the way the educated young people are being driven toward terrorism is very hazardous.
# The third big challenge in front of the world is increased self-centeredness. Globalisation around the world is shrinking along with its shine. New tariff barriers are an example of how globalisation is being stalled by several world powers. We must ensure that the global organisations created after World War II reflect today’s dynamics.
# Mahatma Gandhi always stress on point that I don’t want the walls and windows of my world to be closed from all sides. I want the air of the world to come freely but that should not uproot my home. We must understand the importance of freedom and democracy.
# In 2014, as many as 600 crore Indian voters voted for a regional party to form the government after 30 years, and we have always strived for ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. Opening bank accounts for every Indian to ensure financial stability, gender justice or any other matter, I have always worked for progress of our country.
# Our path to progress is reform, perform and transform, which is why investing, travelling and manufacturing in India has to become easier than before. Doors for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are being opened, GST has been implemented and technology is being used to create transparency. Democracy, demography and dynamism are shaping our destiny today.
# India has seen massive changes in 3.5 years. By 2025, young Indians will not just be job seekers but will become job seekers. For a shared prosperity, we have to work together, shedding our differences.
# I invite you all to come to India if you want wellness with wealth, wholeness with health and peace with prosperity. You will always be welcomed in India wholeheartedly.
