Women empowerment vital to dvpt: PM at global biz meet, Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Entrepreneurs find opportunity in adversity, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and advised them to focus on their work regardless of the reaction.

“Swami Vivekananda said that each work has to pass through three stages — ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Those who think ahead of their time are sure to be misunderstood. Most entrepreneurs would be familiar with this,” Mr Modi said on Tuesday in his address to 1,500 delegates from 45 countries at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017.

He said essential qualities that set entrepreneurs apart are their patience and determination. “The power to think differently and ahead of the times for the betterment of mankind is what sets entrepreneurs apart. I see that power in India’s young generation today.”

Dwelling on the theme of GES 2017, ‘Women First, Prosperity for All’, Mr Modi said that in Indian mythology woman is an incarnation of Shakti. “We believe women’s empowerment is vital to our development.”

He gave examples of successful women in India — Hyderabad-based sportswomen Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, and Sania Mirza. Positioning India as an innovation-driven and entrepreneurial country, Mr Modi took the delegates through key achievements of Indians in different fields — Charaka for Ayurveda, Aryabhatta for the invention of zero, Kautilya for Arthashastra.

Inviting entrepreneurs from across the world to set up their facilities in India, Mr Modi said India has improved its rank from 54 in 2014 to 35 in 2016 on the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index. 

“This signifies the relative ease and efficiency with which products can be moved into and from a country,” he said.