New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called on 200 young CEOs at Niti Aayog’s ‘Champions of Change’ program, to become ‘soldiers of a prosperous India’.
Under the 'Champions of Change', young CEOs began deliberations on six themes - New India by 2022, Doubling Farmer's Incomes, Creating Cities of Tomorrow, Taking Forward Make in India, Reforming Financial sector, Building World-Class Infrastructure.
The Prime Minister, who is also the Chairman of the government think-tank, called these young entrepreneurs a “part of his team” to battle obstacles to fulfill his dream of a “cashless India 2022”.
He further stressed on the need for this team to prioritise the welfare of the citizens of India. “Every citizen must have a feeling that this country is mine and I have to work for the country, I want to add something towards its growth,” he said.
Taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, Modi explained the need for a unified effort in working towards the welfare of India. “Mahatma Gandhi turned the freedom struggle into a mass movement and we saw the results,” he said.
He urged the industry leaders to think of the “poorest of the poor” while innovating new technology or products. However, he added that “there is no question of compromising on the quality” of the product.
On doubling farmers’ incomes, he said that one must take into account every aspect of a farmer’s life to ensure value addition. Citing the example of urea used by farmers, he said “Rationalising numerous laws to provide gas smoothly for the manufacture of Urea is a big initiative of the government to ensure farmer welfare”.
He also went on to talk about the Government e-Marketplace or GeM that facilitates online procurement of common use goods and services required by various government departments, organisations or PSUs. “Even with little reach, procurements of Rs.1000 crore have already been recorded by GeM,” he said.
The Prime Minister thanked the lot of 200 CEOs for their contribution to the program and thinking in terms of the country and not just the industry. "If this generation thinks of feasible solutions to our unique problems, markets and jobs will automatically be created," he said.
He also expressed his gratitude towards the outgoing Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya and said his contribution to nation building has been enormous.
