Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047 now has a clear deadline.
At the BJP’s Diwali Milan event, he urged journalists to highlight India’s achievements and share its story with global audiences.
Modi cited progress in space, mobile manufacturing, semiconductors, infrastructure, solar power, startups and digital payments.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India’s ambition to become a developed nation now has a clear deadline: 2047, the centenary of Independence. He said setting a date should sharpen the pace of work across the country.
Addressing journalists at the BJP’s Diwali Milan programme at its headquarters in New Delhi, Modi said: “Deadlines are important… for individuals, institutions and even the country. We are also working on a deadline of 2047 to achieve Viksit Bharat.”
“This dream has been there since Independence, but now there is a date. Before India celebrates 100 years of Independence, we have to make our country developed. When a deadline is set, the way we work and the speed of it also changes,” he said.
PM Modi Asks Media To Take India’s Story To The World
The prime minister urged journalists to give greater attention to India’s achievements and share them with audiences abroad.
“Communication is a key element of the 21st century. We have a wonderful India story to share. But are we using this power? Are we going to the world with the India story?” he asked.
Modi said his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, highlighted individual achievements. He urged the media to give similar visibility to such stories. “If the media does this too, it will serve the nation,” he said.
He praised field reporters for reaching difficult locations, including during crises and disasters, and said a diversity of views helped sustain democracy. “It is diversity of opinions that has kept our democracy vibrant, and Indian media plays a key role in that,” he said.
Modi also called for a public awareness campaign against drug abuse, asking the media to help prevent young people from falling into addiction. “Now we will have to show the same awareness regarding drugs. We will have to bring our youth out of all this,” he said.
Cites Space, Infrastructure And Digital Payments
Citing developments from the past 12 years, PM Modi pointed to India’s space programme, mobile manufacturing, semiconductor ecosystem, infrastructure and renewable energy. He referred to Chandrayaan’s landing near the Moon’s south pole, the Chenab rail bridge and the expansion of solar power generation.
“India has, in just 12 years, increased its solar generation capacity by more than 50 times. India has done a lot of work in the last 12 years that should get space,” he said.
He also described India as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem and said the Unified Payments Interface had become the world’s largest real-time payment system.
Modi credited scientists, entrepreneurs and citizens for the country’s progress. “When we can do so much, then we can also fulfil the dream of a Viksit Bharat by 2047,” he said.
The prime minister also claimed that 50 crore people had moved above the poverty line in the past 12 years, citing a World Bank report. “There were slogans of ‘Garibi Hatao’. But poverty has been removed by this government. According to the World Bank, 50 crore people have been elevated from below the poverty line in the last 12 years,” he said.
The Diwali Milan programme was attended by senior Union ministers and BJP leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president Nitin Nabin, Railway and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Mansukh Mandaviya.
