The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): Addressing the esteemed audience at the World Government Summit, the Prime Minister of India expressed profound gratitude for the honor of delivering the keynote address for the second time. He extended his heartfelt thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed for their warm hospitality and the opportunities for meaningful interactions over recent times, acknowledging their visionary and resolute leadership.
The summit, a significant platform for global thought leaders, owes much to the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid. The Prime Minister lauded Dubai’s emergence as a global epicenter for economy, commerce, and technology, exemplified by the successful hosting of Expo 2020 and COP-28 during the pandemic.
Emphasizing the challenges and responsibilities of governments in the 21st century, the Prime Minister highlighted the expansive challenges ranging from food, health, water, energy security, education, to inclusive societal development. He acknowledged technology as a key disruptor and stressed the escalating threats of terrorism and climate challenges. Amidst these, the relevance of the World Government Summit grows, offering a critical platform to address these global concerns.
The Prime Minister shared his belief in the necessity of inclusive, smart, clean, and green governments that prioritize ease of living, justice, mobility, innovation, and business. Reflecting on his 23-year journey in governance, including 13 years in Gujarat and 10 years in the central government, he emphasized the importance of minimal government interference in people’s lives while ensuring maximum governance efficiency.
Highlighting India’s experience during COVID-19, the Prime Minister noted the increased trust in the government, attributed to sensitive governance prioritizing people’s needs and aspirations. His governance philosophy, encapsulated by the principle ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’, fosters an environment that enhances citizen enterprise and energy through a holistic, people-participatory approach.
Under his leadership, India has witnessed transformative initiatives like sanitation drives, enhancing girl education, and digital literacy, all bolstered by public participation. The government’s focus on social and financial inclusion has connected over 500 million people to banking services, advancing India in fintech and digital payments. The empowerment of women and youth has been a key agenda, with recent legal provisions for women’s reservation in the parliament and significant strides in creating opportunities and skill development for the youth. This approach has elevated India as the third-largest startup ecosystem globally.
The Prime Minister underscored his government’s commitment to ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ (Collective Effort, Inclusive Growth), focusing on last-mile delivery and saturation approach in governance, ensuring no beneficiary is left behind. This model has significantly reduced discrimination and corruption, contributing to lifting 250 million people out of poverty in the last decade.
In terms of transparency and digital advancement, India’s 1.3 billion citizens now have a digital identity interconnected with their banks and mobile services. The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system has facilitated the transfer of over $400 billion directly into people’s accounts in the last 10 years, saving over $33 billion from falling into the wrong hands.
Addressing climate change, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s unique approach, working on solar, wind, hydro, biofuels, and green hydrogen. He introduced the ‘Mission LIFE’ (Lifestyle for Environment), advocating a pro-planet approach and suggested moving beyond carbon credits to embrace green credits, a topic extensively discussed during COP-28 in Dubai.
Looking towards the future, he posed several questions to global governments regarding balancing national sovereignty with international interdependence, commitment to national interests alongside international rule of law, contribution to global good, enriching universal values with cultural wisdom, managing digital technology’s negative impacts, and collectively combating terrorism. These questions guide the future planning and direction of governments.
Emphasizing collaboration, the Prime Minister called for promoting the values of a cohesive, cooperative, and collaborative world. He advocated for listening to and incorporating the priorities of the Global South in global decision-making, sharing resources and capabilities with needy countries, developing global protocols for emerging challenges like AI, cryptocurrency, and cybercrime, and maintaining national sovereignty while respecting international law.