PM Modi woos corporate India as development partners
Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised major changes in his government’s approach and policies as he wooed young corporate captains to become partners of development.
Addressing the “Champions of Change — Transforming India through G2B partnership” initiative organised by Niti Aayog here, Modi asked the CEOs to expand their business by addressing the requirements of the country.
“There will be major changes in approaches and policies of the past. If we sit together to seek solutions, we will find way. I need your help to take the country forward. Your plans can become part of my policies,” Modi said at the meeting.
The Champions of Change programme, held for the first time, was another initiative of the government to exchange ideas on key sectors. The meeting comes amid the Opposition’s criticism on job loss and adverse affect of GST and demonetisation on the economy.
CEOs formed separate groups to make presentation on themes such as Make in India, Doubling Farmers’ Income, World Class
Keen to increase farm income amid an ongoing crisis in India’s agriculture sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the government is “mulling to amend laws to allow farmers grow timber trees and cut them when needed.”
At an event organised by
Infrastructure and New India.
During his talk with the CEOs, Modi questioned why Indian companies can’t make sophisticated machines needed in health care so that the import cost go down.
He also tossed the idea of presenting Khadi items as Diwali gifts in the corporate India.
“You are concerned only about the performance of the company. We, in government are concerned about improvement of the country. You were looking at different aspects of India on the basis of your experiences but policy-makers are listening to you,” Modi said. Niti Aayog, Modi said his government is trying every measure to increase farm income. “In India, the boundaries between lands of different farmers are wasted. The farmer can grow trees for timber. It is incomprehensible why India still continues to import timber?”
“In this way, the land too, will not remain wasted,” Modi added.
The Prime Minister recalled the independence movement and asked the corporate captains to don the role of soldiers of modern India. While he described Mahatma Gandhi as the only leader who made Independence as mass movement, he said, “Development didn’t become a mass movement in earlier regimes.”
Modi effusively praised outgoing NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya for his contribution in the past three years and mentioned that even as Panagariya is on his way out, “he is working diligently till the very end.”