Amit Shah, Union Minister for Home and Cooperation, spoke today at the third edition of the 'Sankalp Se Siddhi' conference in Bengaluru. The event was attended by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Union Minister for Culture, Tourism, and North East Affairs G. Kishan Reddy.
Union home minister stated on this occasion that the GoI has decided to celebrate AzadikaAmritMahotsav on the occasion of 75 years of Independence under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During this AmritMahotsav, the people must decide where India will stand in the world and how it will lead the world in 25 years, at the time of our independence's centennial.
The Sankalp to Siddhi conference is a convention to plan from this 'AmritVarsh' to the Centenary year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has referred to the 75-100-year period as AmritKaal. Following the country's independence, 17 Lok Sabha elections were held, 22 governments were elected, and 15 Prime Ministers served, all of whom contributed to the nation's progress.
However, over the last eight years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prioritized the country's all-around and all-inclusive development in front of the world. The world is now watching the rate at which India is developing in various dimensions. There is no area today where we have not improved, where we have not progressed, and where there are no possibilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's determination to build India through societal welfare demonstrates his strong desire to increase public participation.
According to Amit Shah, when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of the country in 2014, there was policy paralysis and Rs. 12 lakh crore scams were making headlines. Crony capitalism was at its peak, the fiscal deficit was out of control, the ease of doing business was deteriorating, and our global standing was dwindling. In such a situation, the people made a historic decision by electing Modi as Prime Minister, ushering in a decisive government with an absolute majority after 30 years.
During the previous administration, no one considered the Prime Minister to be the Prime Minister; rather, each minister considered himself to be the Prime Minister. At the time, the people elected a decisive government, and if we look back over the last eight years, we have become the fastest growing economy. The successful implementation of GST resulted in a record Rs.1.68 lakh crore in GST revenue in April this year. Most merchandise exports occurred in 2022, as did the highest FDI, and we also made a quantum leap in the Ease of Doing Business rankings. Shah stated that over the last eight years, Narendra Modi has worked hard to revitalize and strengthen the economy.
With the two slogans of self-reliance India and Make in India, the government has given the country's economy a direction. The Modi government has laid the groundwork for the next 25 years of AmritKaal, and no one can now dismiss India.
Amit Shah stated that under Narendra Modi's leadership, the nation's GDP growth in 2022 will be 7.4 percent, which is significantly higher than that of many developed countries. This demonstrates that our policies have been effective and are yielding results. Between 2014 and 2021, India received $440 billion in FDI, making us the world's seventh most popular investment destination.
We were ranked 142 in the Ease of Doing Business rankings in 2014, and we are now ranked number 63. From a unicorn start-up in 2014 to over 100 unicorn start-ups today, India's youth are representing the country on the global stage. In 2014-15, we were ranked 71st in the Global Competitiveness Index; today, we are ranked 43rd.
According to the union home minister, the CII should serve as a platform for R&D. India's industry should focus on changing scale rather than increasing speed, and if the scale is to be changed, then R&D must be prioritized. He stated that India's youth are the best brains for R&D and that the CII should make efforts to conduct R&D in India.
CII should develop some concrete solutions to problems. Shah stated that we must move forward by focusing on defence, energy, and how to become a cost-effective industry and manufacturing hub. He urged the CII to associate itself with the interests of 130 crore people, as well as their joys and sorrows.
