India has officially staked the claim on global leadership, as PM Modi become the first Indian PM in 20 years to speak at the famed plenary session of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
His historic speech lasted for over an hour and was delivered in Hindi. He spoke about the rise of India in a global economy, and the importance of data in the contemporary business world.
He declared that India will become a $5 trillion economy by 2025, as he invited some of the most powerful leaders and CEOs to invest in India.
His speech criticized the protectionism strategies employed by President Trump, and he spoke about terrorism, global climate change and economic progress.
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Top 5 Highlights From PM Modi’s Historic Speech At WEF, Davos
Climate Change Should Concern All
PM Modi stressed the fact that developed, rich countries are doing very little for stopping the climate change which is happening at an unprecedented pace, all around. He said,
“Everyone talks about reducing climate emissions, but there are very few countries who back their words with their resources to help developing countries to adopt the appropriate technology,”
Protectionism Will Destroy Global Economy
Taking an indirect dig at US President Trump, PM Modi said that protectionism is now challenging globalization, and UN should intervene to stop this. His comment was targeted for the US, where President Trump has introduced a series of protectionist measures. PM Modi said,
“Forces of protectionism are raising their heads against globalisation. They want to reverse its flow,”
Greed Is Replacing Harmony
Referencing Mahatma Gandhi and Buddha, PM said that slowly but gradually, nations are becoming greedy, and leaders from developed nations are showing lesser sympathy and empathy for poorer nations. This way, the balance of global harmony is being destroyed. He said,
“The world has moved from needs-based to greed-based consumption. This does not live up to the ideals of Gandhi, or the teachings of Buddha”
Data Will Rule The World
Highlighting India’s importance in soft-power and IT, PM Modi said that in the coming days, data and information is a precious commodity, and the one who has data will rule the world. He said,
“There is now a race to control data because it is believed that whoever is able to control the data can dominate the world,”
Red Carpet For Global CEOs, Leaders
PM Modi declared that India will become a $5 trillion economy by 2025, and welcomed all leaders and CEOs, entrepreneurs to visit India, and invest. He said that instead of ‘red tape’, they will be welcomed with ‘red carpet’. He said that India is welcoming FDI with open arms, as 1400 archaic laws have abolished, and rules relaxed for seamless investments.
You can find the text of entire speech here.