The Weekend Leader - Modi hard-sells India to the US

Modi hard-sells India to the US

Washington

26-September-2014

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said that India and the US have a fundamental stake in each other's success as he assured that a confident India is "open and friendly for business, ideas, research, innovations and travel".

In an Op-Ed piece "Unleashing India's Energy and Drive" in the influential Wall Street Journal, Modi wrote that India and the US have "a fundamental stake in each other's success for the sake of our values and our many shared interests".

The article appeared Friday, the day Modi arrives in the US to begin a five-day official visit.

Modi said it "is also the imperative of our partnership".

"And it will be of great value in advancing peace, security and stability in the Asia and Pacific regions; in the unfinished and urgent task of combating terrorism and extremism; and in securing our seas, cyber space and outer space, all of which now have a profound influence on our daily lives," he said.

The Indian prime minister said that the complementary strengths of India and the US can be used for "inclusive and broad-based global development to transform lives across the world".

"Because our countries' values and interests are aligned, though our circumstances are different, we are in a unique position to become a bridge to a more integrated and cooperative world. With sensitivity to each other's point of view and the confidence of our friendship, we can contribute to more concerted international efforts to meet the pressing global challenges of our times," he added.

Modi noted that this is "a moment of flux in the global order".

He wrote: "There is a high tide of hope for change in India. This May, across India's immense diversity, 1.25 billion people spoke unequivocally for political stability, good governance and rapid development."

"India has a government with a majority in the Lok Sabha, our lower house of parliament, for the first time in 30 years. A young nation with 800 million people under age 35, India is brimming with optimism and confidence. The young people's energy, enthusiasm and enterprise are India's greatest strength. Unleashing those attributes is my government's biggest mission," he said.

The Indian prime minister wrote: "We will pursue this mission by eliminating unnecessary laws and regulations, making bureaucratic processes easier and shorter, and ensuring that our government is more transparent, responsive and accountable. It has been said that doing the thing right is as important as doing the right thing."

He went on to say: "We will create world-class infrastructure that India badly needs to accelerate growth and meet people's basic needs."

"We will make our cities and towns habitable, sustainable and smart; and we will make our villages the new engines of economic transformation. 'Make in India' is our commitment - and an invitation to all - to turn India into a new global manufacturing hub..."

Modi said that he strongly believes in "the possibilities of technology and innovation to transform governance, empower people, provide affordable solutions for societal challenges and reach people in ways that were unimaginable not so long ago".

The number of cell phones in India has gone up from about 40 million to more than 900 million in a decade; our country is already the second-largest market for smart phones, with sales growing ever faster, he said.

"When I think of the growth in computing power and storage capacity and its miniaturization that the world has witnessed over the past two decades, I am confident that this can be replicated in renewable energy. With solar and wind power, thousands of Indian villages will be able to get access quickly to reliable, affordable and clean energy, without waiting for large, faraway conventional power plants to be built."

Modi pointed out that "India's journey to prosperity can be a more sustainable and environmentally sensitive one than the path followed by countries that came of age in earlier eras".

"India will pursue its dreams in partnership with our international friends. History tells us that India's natural instinct is to be open to the world. India will be open and friendly-for business, ideas, research, innovations and travel. In the coming months, you will feel the difference even before you begin your travel to India." - IANS



Milky Mist Cheese