PM Narendra Modi sees high tide of hope for change in India ahead of US visit

Washington, Sep 26: India will be open and friendly for business, ideas, research, innovations and travel, said Indian

who assured that unnecessary laws and regulations will be eliminated and bureaucratic processes will be made easier and shorter.

In an Op-Ed piece "Unleashing India's Energy and Drive" that appeared in the Wall Street Journal Friday, Modi 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 article appeared on a day when Modi begins his five-day visit to the US.

India's journey to prosperity can be a more sustainable: Modi

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. We will do what it takes to make it a reality."

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".

"This is a journey of our choice, rooted in our tradition that worships nature's bounties.

"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