INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Narendra Modi, who was in Sweden yesterday, addressed the Indian community in Stockholm after a busy day which saw him attend ten top-level
In his speech to the Indian diaspora, PM Modi said India is going through a period of change, and the government in the last four years has
worked very hard towards building a developed and inclusive country
The event, which saw a packed house, was held at Stockholm University.PM Modi went on to highlight the initiatives taken by his government
towards the upliftment and empowerment of the poor
In his speech he criticized previous governments saying, "Earlier, removing poverty was just limited to words and slogans" thereby
suggesting that it was just about lip service
He went on to say that it was his government that "is committed to poverty alleviation and was using empowerment as a tool to achieve its
We are working day and night to ensure we achieve this," he said."The country is going through a period of massive change
Presently, there is a government in India which is working day and night for the country's prestige, self respect and taking it to new
heights in the 21st century," PM Modi said amidst loud cheers from the audience."In the last four years, the government has worked for
building a developed and inclusive India
It is working round the clock for creating a New India by 2022," the prime minister said.Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, who was also
present at the event, said Sweden greatly values its partnership with India
He also lauded the Indian community for its immense contribution to the Nordic country.Prime Minister Lofven said his talks with PM Modi had
helped the bilateral partnership between Sweden and India take a "great step forward".In his address, Prime Minister Modi also highlighted
that India's stature has increased manifold at the world stage
"Be it Africa or small Pacific countries, or ASEAN or Europe or Asia, all of them are looking at India as a trusted friend," he said.He
cited India's entry into the export control regimes - Wassenaar Arrangement, the Australia Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime
(MTCR) - as an example of India's increasing stature at the global stage.Among the achievements of his government, Prime Minister Modi said
that in India, the government is now using technology for accountability and transparency
"Digital infrastructure has changed how citizens used to interact with the government
Reaching out to the government has now become a practice rather than a privelage," he said.PM Modi also pointed out that the perception
about the way the government functions was changing
"It is easier to do business in India and the country has jumped 42 ranks in ease of doing business index," he pointed out
He also pointed to the government's move of implementing the GST - considered India's biggest reform since independence - saying the
"historic" reform in the indirect tax regime is being increasingly adopted by the industrial sector.He also spoke in detail about the Jan
Dhan Yojna, which has helped millions of poor people and farmers get bank accounts, the Aadhaar number, which has helped majorly in sending
benefits directly to the poor, and mobile technology, which is helping India become a digital economy, thereby increasing transparency and
He also highlighted how these initiatives have also merged to create direct benefit transfer facility."These are allowing welfare schemes to
reach their intended targets
also stressed on the government's focus on ease of living and mentioned the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme, being termed by people as 'Modicare'
