Rising Bharat Summit | PM Modi charts vision for India's future with focus on growth, empowerment, & anti-corruption measures

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a resolute keynote address at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit on Wednesday, March 20, outlining his vision for India's future with an emphasis on unprecedented growth, expansion, and prosperity in the coming years. He asserted India's pivotal role as a global growth driver, poised to lead the world to new heights.

"Modi guarantees that the next five years will be of unprecedented growth, expansion and prosperity," PM said, adding that "India is a pilot that will take global growth to new heights."

"Today we are talking about developed India and self-reliant India (Aatmanirbhar Bharat). In just 10 years, 250 million people have come out of poverty. India's economy has moved from 11th to 5th. India's forex reserves crossed $700 billion. India's exports have increased exponentially," he added.

Reflecting on the achievements of the past decade, PM Modi highlighted the efficacy of his government's "Nation First" approach. He pointed to significant milestones such as the elevation of the income tax exemption threshold from ₹2 lakh per annum to ₹7 lakh, resulting in substantial savings for taxpayers. Additionally, he praised the impact of GST, which he said has has saved around ₹45,000 crore annually and facilitated reduced loan rates.

"For a long time, the middle class of the country has been a victim of political neglect. Most of you would be able to correlate with my view. The middle class had a lot of challenges earlier... The middle class was confined to only three needs — home, children's marriage and their future. In the last 10 years, we have unshackled the middle class. Earlier, ₹2 lakh income was taxable. Now ₹7 lakh income is tax free. Due to GST, around ₹45,000 crore have been saved annually..."

Modi further highlighted the government's crackdown on corruption, leveraging technology to expose and apprehend wrongdoers. He pointed out instances where illicit wealth has been unearthed, signalling a shift towards greater transparency and accountability.

"Earlier government treasuries were looted. We have completely stopped this looting of the government treasury. If the situation had been the same earlier... if there was a theory of one rupee and 15 paise, then ₹27-28 lakh crore would never have reached the poor, but would have gone somewhere else."

"Our govt is employing technology to catch the corrupt, and therefore it's easier to nab them. Today, it's becoming hard to hide money trails, and therefore, stashs of money are being found now from beds and walls. A bundle of notes are being unearthed from a Congress MP's home...and hence they are rattled," PM Modi said.

Addressing the empowerment of the middle class, PM Modi emphasised the government's commitment to addressing their long-standing challenges. "There was not a single scheme in the earlier governments for the middle class living in cities. If any government made a plan for middle-class houses, then our government made it. We gave subsidies for houses to middle-class people and gave relief in interest. In this way we spent about ₹50,000 crore," he added.

"Today, the positive feeling of Modi's guarantee is not dependent on any advertisement. Modi has become the guarantee for the poor whom no one used to guarantee. That's why every poor person in the country believes in Modi's guarantee. This is nothing right now, we still have to go further," he said.