New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a 4-nation tour to African countries, on Friday addressed the Indian community in Johannesburg. India is working to achieve over 8 per cent growth in the coming years, Modi said, while attributing the rise of the country to HOPE—Harmony, Optimism, Potential and Energy.
He told the Indian diaspora that India is “one of the brightest spot in the global economy” and a “land of opportunities” for those who want to invest and have trade. Modi said his government is working in a campaign mode to create 500 million new jobs by 2022 besides transforming rural and urban areas of the country through infrastructure development.
Modi, who will also visit Tanzania and Kenya, earlier in the day paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela and met anti-apartheid revolutionaries and families on his maiden visit to South Africa.
Here are the highlights:
-We launched e-visa for South Africa; you can now get visa at home without any cost
-A resurgent India awaits you
-India has started International Solar Alliance which has support of over 120 countries
-We live in an age of global challenges; fight against terrorism, piracy, AIDS & Ebola are some of the key areas of our partnership
-We are active drivers of regional partnership. Together we can create new values for our friends in Africa
-Together we can create new enterprise, new skills and new social values. India and South Africa are strategic partners
-Our development and business partnerships are already doing well. Together we can create new skills, enterprises and social values
-As South Africa works for the safety and economy progress of its country, it will find in India a sustainable and reliable partner
-We are aiming to register over 8% growth in the coming years
-Credit for this does not go to Modi but the 1.25 billion ppl of India
-Today India's success story can be defined in just 4 letter "HOPE" where H- harmony, O - optimism, P -Potential and E -energy
-There is a wave of new momentum in our villages, our cities are full of enterprise and energy, and citizens are full of optimism
-The change is not just on paper, but also visible on the ground. There is a new momentum in villages
-We want our youth to meet the global need of skilled manpower. The mindset of our people are also changing
-India like SA is a young nation. Want our youth to be the engine that pulls our society. We are working to skill the youth
-Our Govt engages with its citizens, a society relates to its old and new structures
-Transformation that aims to uplift India's 1.25 billion people, its 500 cities & its 600 thousand villages
-India registered a healthy growth rate of 7.4% this year. We are a bright spot on global economy
-India, today is a land of opportunity for those who want to connect and collaborate, produce and engineer
-Your desire to connect with the land of your forefathers may be an emotion urge, but you dont need to limit to that
-In his(MGandhi) farewell to SA in July 1914 he said,"The sub continent had become to me a scared & dear land, next only to my motherland"
-Gandhi held South Africa dear to his heart
-Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu, “a person is a person because of people". Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, "the world is one family"
-South Africa is a sacred land. It is the land of Mandela and "karmabhumi" of Mahatma Gandhi
-In staying true to Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, you've cared for others. In so doing you've echoed SA ethos of Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu
-I salute you all and countless others dedicated to this country. You are the proud sons and daughters of Indian heritage
-South Africa transformed Mohandas into Mahatma
-Beauty of Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Urdu & Telugu continues to enrich the fabric of South African society
-India, which has boycotted South Africa during the time of apartheid, then warmly welcomed them
-Under decades of apartheid isolation, they not only preserved culture, tradition and language, they also gave them new wings to flourish
-When I see all of you, I am reminded of your ancestors and their struggles. Also, I remember their bravery
-In 1991, on 10th July, international sanctions on SA's cricket were removed. SA team then played its first cricket match in India
-I bring to you the warm wishes of 1.25 billion Indians
-Thank you for welcoming me with such warmth & affection. Your love & affection makes my visit to this great country all the more special
-You all have come here to meet me from various places; some even from Botswana. I am honored and greatly touched
(With inputs from agencies)
