New India: Rising on the Kartavya Path

India is making a statement to the world, that this is a confident New India that has finally shed its colonial mindset and is setting its mark on the present and future of the world. While the world is still grappling with post-Covid economic disruption, the Indian narrative is a sharp contrast.

Some very interesting developments over the past few weeks have caught the attention of the world and reinforced PM Narendra Modi's vision of New India.

INS Vikrant, India's first indigenously designed and manufactured aircraft carrier was commissioned into the Indian Navy. I was at the commissioning ceremony of this outstanding example of India's capabilities in Mega Engineering and sophisticated Technology and along with all other Indian citizens, felt proud that we've joined an elite group of nations - the US, Russia, France, the UK and China -- that is capable of designing and constructing aircraft carriers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also unveiled the Navy's new ensign, an octagon inspired by the royal insignia of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Until now, St George's Cross, the last vestige of our colonial past, had remained part of the Navy's flag. It took 75 years and a true leader like PM Narendra Modi to change it.

Another defining milestone was when a Bloomberg research report confirmed that the Indian economy's size had crossed that of the UK -- the country that had colonized us for centuries -- to emerge as the world's 5th largest economy. And also the opening of the grand new Central Vista, the renaming of Rajpath to Kartavya Path, and the installation of great leader Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's statue under the Grand Canopy at the India Gate. India is making a statement to the world, that this is a confident New India that has finally shed its colonial mindset and is setting its mark on the present and future of the world.

In the past eight years of "sushasan" under PM Modi, the transformation of India has been deep and significant. Our nation has dealt with even the biggest challenge like Covid pandemic, the biggest Black Swan event of this century, and others like the war in Ukraine and domestic vested interests that have spared no effort in slowing down India's rise. The perception of India as a weak, leaky, dysfunctional democracy has been changed to one that is strong, resilient, welfare-oriented and commanding global awe and respect.

Today, India under PM Narendra Modi is the fastest growing economy in the world with the highest ever FDI inflow - $83 billion. These feats were achieved in a period when the world was recovering from the after-effects of Covid and still struggles to deal with it even as India has protected its people and their livelihoods with both vaccines and expanding economic opportunities.

This deep decisive transformation during India's 'Amritkaal' is being spearheaded by a leader on a mission - one who works relentlessly, and lives a life single-mindedly dedicated to working to the vision of this New India and for the development for all Indians -- 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'.

Unlike politicians and leaders (including in new avatars) who have promoted corrupt revdi culture for decades, PM Modi has focused on expanding our economy and creating more and more opportunities for ALL. He has ignored short-term political impulses and instead concentrated on building the benefits of long-term Investments, transformation and sustainable growth and prosperity.

The biggest stakeholders of India's future - the youth of India - firmly believe in his vision of New India. The democratic discourse, which for several decades had centred around scaremongering minorities into vote-banks and/or corrupt freebie politics with the poor, is now slowly and surely being changed by PM Narendra Modi into one that focuses on real issues like governance, corruption-free politics, benefits of economic growth and targeted welfare schemes for the poor and vulnerable.

His political opponents including new entrants continue, despite the electoral rejection by Indian voters -- to peddle their failed minority vote-bank and/or corruption-ridden revdi politics with even less and diminishing success.

The impact of PM Modi's leadership is there for all to see. While the world is still grappling with post-Covid economic disruption, the Indian narrative is a sharp contrast. Take a look at the electronics manufacturing sector, which was in a moribund state just a decade ago. Today, India is the second biggest mobile phone manufacturing country. The world's biggest companies are investing in India to set up manufacturing units to 'Make in India' for the world.

As the electronics manufacturing sector grows, there will be a demand for semiconductor chips. The government is now working hard to reduce chips imports and establish India as a global chip manufacturing hub. It has rolled out an incentive scheme worth Rs 76,000 crore to attract international semiconductor and display manufacturers. Earlier this week, the Vedanta -Foxconn announced a Rs 1.5 lakh-crore investment to set up a semiconductor manufacturing facility in Gujarat. It is projected to create near 1 lakh jobs in the state.

PM Modi's focus on future and on the youth and his belief of New India for Young India is evident from the vibrant start-up and innovation ecosystem in India. With over 75,000 startups and 100+ unicorns, we are witnessing an exponential rise in job opportunities for Young Indians. Start-ups and innovators are going to be the key for catalyzing New India's techade.

This is no tall claim - several global thought leaders have echoed this fact at various fora. During a recent visit to India, Patrick P Gelsinger, CEO Intel, affirmed that he is 'deeply optimistic about this decade for India'. Bob Sternfels, the CEO of McKinsey, has recently said that "it is not India's decade, it is India's century." Microsoft founder Bill Gates, in a TV interview, spoke of how India under Modi "has a lot to feel good about". Their optimism stems not just from India's demographic dividend, which will result in it having a fifth of the world's working population by 2047, but also from the direction that PM Narendra Modi is steering India to - which has changed the way the world looks at India today.

The pace of progress that PM Narendra Modi is setting is rapid and torrid. More is to come in the coming years, with the advent of 5G and thereafter 6G and our goal of becoming a trillion dollar digital economy by 2026. PM Modi has set the goals for all Indians to make the next decade "India Techade". Our 'pran' (commitment) for the next 25 years, during the AmritKaal, is to continue our good work on a mission mode, keeping in mind the motto of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas'.

(Rajeev Chandrasekhar is the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship)