One billion hungry stomachs to 2 billion skilled hands: PM Modi hails India's progress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized that the 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' model can be the guiding principle for the welfare of a world changing from a "GDP-centric approach" to a "human-centric one" one week before he hosts world leaders at the G20 meeting. Modi told PTI in an exclusive interview late last week at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence,  “Irrespective of the size of the GDP, every voice matters,” 

On September 9-10, world leaders including US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Arabia's King Mohammed bin Salman, and others will convene at the brand-new Bharat Mandapam conference hall.

Eighty-five percent of global GDP, seventy-five percent of international trade, and sixty-five percent of the world's population all come from the G20. When India's term ends in December, Brazil will have taken over as president of the Group of Twenty (G-20) from Indonesia.

Despite the fact that the G20 is a powerful economic bloc, Modi argued that "a GDP-centric view of the world is now changing to a human-centric one" and that, similar to the post-World War II era, a new global order is emerging in the wake of Covid.

“The shift to a human-centric approach has begun globally and we are playing the role of a catalyst. India's G20 Presidency has also sowed the seeds of confidence in the countries of the so-called Third World,” he said.

“The Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas model that has shown the way in India can also be a guiding principle for the welfare of the world."

Despite the interview's meant to be focused on G20, Modi discussed a wide range of topics, including cyber-security, the debt trap, bio-fuel policy, UN reforms, climate change, and his vision for India in the year 2047.

“For a long time, India was perceived as a nation of over one billion hungry stomachs. But now, India is being seen as a nation of over one billion aspirational minds, more than two billion skilled hands, and hundreds of millions of young people,” Modi said.

“The period till 2047 is a huge opportunity. Indians who are living in this era have a great chance to lay a foundation for growth that will be remembered for the next 1,000 years!” he added.

“By 2047, I am sure that our country will be among the developed countries. Our poor people will comprehensively win the battle against poverty. Health, education and social sector outcomes will be among the best in the world. Corruption, casteism and communalism will have no place in our national life,” he said.

G20 was established at the turn of the millennium when the world's leading nations met to discuss how to respond to economic crises as a group. During the first decade of the 21st century, when the world economy was in turmoil, its importance skyrocketed.

However, Modi argued, the world realized there were other serious and pressing concerns facing mankind when the Covid pandemic erupted.

The prime minister stated that "India's human-centric model of development" in areas like as economic expansion, technological innovation, institutional effectiveness, and social infrastructure has already garnered international attention.

The world took notice of India's tremendous progress. Formerly considered merely a sizable consumer market, his country is now "part of the solutions to global challenges," as he put it.

When India took over as G20 president, its "words and vision for the world were not taken merely as ideas but as a roadmap for the future," the prime minister said.

The G20 added a new dimension by holding ministerial and other meetings all throughout the country, not just in the capital New Delhi but also in smaller places like Indore and Varanasi. Tourist hotspots including Hampi, Kerala, Goa, and Kashmir played host to several of the 200 sectoral gatherings that brought together over a million delegates.

They have been touring various areas, taking in the sights of our diverse population, thriving democracy, and free political system. Further, they are witnessing the people's empowerment that has resulted from the fourth "D," development. Many of the remedies the world needs are already being implemented successfully in our nation, with speed and scale," Modi remarked.

Modi criticized freebies granted by some Indian state governments when answering a question about the global debt crisis, which he called "a matter of great concern, especially (for) developing countries," and he emphasized the importance of financial discipline.

While populism may produce some short-term electoral gains, it always comes at a high cost to society and the economy. People who are already low-income and vulnerable are disproportionately affected, he said.

The prime minister also strongly advocated for reforms to the United Nations to bring it in line with the changing realities of the globe and to assure the representation of voices that count, arguing that an approach from the middle of the 20th century cannot serve the world in the 21st.

Modi added that India supports the African Union's full membership in the G20 since no global strategy can succeed without hearing all perspectives.