'Self-reliant India only cure for a hundred sorrows’: Top 10 quotes from PM Modi’s Gujarat speech amid tariff row
In Gujarat's Bhavnagar, PM Modi launched significant development projects to enhance India's maritime sector. With an emphasis on self-reliance, PM Modi linked the festive spirit of Navratri to the country's economic growth and urging a collective move away from dependence on foreign nations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a roadshow in Gujarat's Bhavnagar, drawing large crowds of supporters waving tricolours as he greeted them.
PM Modi also participated in the 'Samudra se Samriddhi' event, where he inaugurated and lay the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth over ₹34,200 crore. He also addressed a gathering on the occasion.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to conduct an aerial survey of Dholera, and at around 1:30 PM, chair a review meeting before visiting the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal.
According to a PMO release, PM Modi laud foundation stone for multiple development projects related to the maritime sector worth over ₹7,870 crore. He also inaugurated the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal at Indira Dock.
PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of a new container terminal and associated facilities at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata; new container berth, cargo handling facilities, and associated developments at Paradip Port; the Tuna Tekra Multi-Cargo Terminal; firefighting facilities and modern road connectivity at Kamarajar Port, Ennore; coastal protection works including sea-walls and revetments at Chennai Port; sea-wall construction at Car Nicobar Island; a multi-purpose cargo berth and Green Bio-Methanol Plant at Deendayal Port, Kandla; and ship repair facilities at Patna and Varanasi.
Here are top quotes from PM Modi's address :
1- I thank everyone from India and abroad who sent me best wishes on my birthday.
2-From Vishwakarma Jayanti to Gandhi Jayanti, people across the nation are celebrating Seva Pakhwada. In the last three days, several programmes were held under Seva Pakhwada. One lakh people have donated blood in the blood donation camps till now in Gujarat. Cleanliness drives were undertaken in several cities, and lakhs of people joined. More than 30,000 health camps were organised in the State; this number is huge. Women's health is at the centre
3- I have come to Bhavnagar at a time when the Navratri festival is about to begin. This time, due to the reduction in GST, markets are expected to be more vibrant. And in this festive atmosphere, we are celebrating the ‘Samudra Se Samriddhi’ festival today.
4-Today, India is moving forward with the spirit of 'Vishwabandhu'. We have no major enemy in the world. Our biggest enemy is our dependence on other countries. This is our biggest enemy, and together we must defeat this enemy of India, the enemy of dependence.
5-We must always reiterate this. The greater the foreign dependence, the greater the country's failure. For global peace, stability, and prosperity, the country with the world's largest population must become Atmanirbhar.
6-If we remain dependent on others, our self-respect will be hurt. We cannot leave the future of 1.4 billion countrymen to others. We cannot leave the resolution for the country's development to the dependence of others. We cannot put the future of future generations at stake... There is only one medicine for a hundred sorrows, and that is a self-reliant India.
7-After Independence, Congress ignored the potential of India, which is why even 6–7 decades later, the country could not achieve the success it deserved. There were two main reasons: for a long time, the Congress government kept the country entangled in a 'license raj', and when globalisation arrived, they focused only on imports and even then misappropriated thousands of crores.
8-The shipping sector is one of the major examples of the loss our nation had to bear. India was a global maritime power for a very long time. We were the biggest shipbuilding centre in the world... We used India-made ships just 50 years ago.
Shipbuilding eco-system
9-The country's shipping sector has fallen victim to Congress's misgovernance. Instead of focusing on shipbuilding in India, they prioritised paying rent to foreign ships. Shipbuilding eco-system collapsed in India... We became dependent on foreign ships for 90% of our trade... Today, India pays around 75 billion dollars or around ₹6 lakh crores to foreign shipping companies as a rent for shipping services... It is almost as high as India's defence budget.
10-The policies of the Congress governments caused great harm to the country's youth. These policies prevented India's true strength from being revealed.
(With agency inputs)