Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the second Global Investors Summit in Uttarakhand where he urged rich Indians to have at least one destination wedding in the hill State and initiate the “Wed in India’ movement on the lines of ‘Make in India’.
“We in India believe that it is God who brings two people together in marriage. Then why are these young people, instead of starting their new life from the land of God, running to foreign countries [for their wedding],” said PM.
Asking all youngsters to start a “Wed in India” movement, Mr. Modi said that it surprises him how all the “dhannaseth” (rich) people of India follow the trend of getting married abroad. Addressing the crowd at the investors summit organised at Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun, the PM pointed out that many in the audience are likely to have had weddings in foreign countries.
“I know that all of you present here will not invest in the State. All I am asking is that have at least one wedding in your family in Uttarakhand in the next five years. Even if 5,000 weddings take place here, a huge infrastructure will develop, giving jobs to many,” he added.
Complimenting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Uttarakhand government and all those involved in the successful rescue of workers after the recent tunnel collapse at Silkiyara, the PM reiterated the benefits of a double-engine government whose “double efforts” are visible everywhere.
Referring to the work under way in the State, from rural areas to the Char Dham project, Mr. Modi said that the day is not far when the distance between Delhi and Dehradun is reduced to two and a half hours. The Dehradun and Pantnagar airport extension projects will strengthen air connectivity to the State. Heli-taxi services are being expanded and rail connectivity too is being strengthened, he said, adding, “This creates new opportunities in agriculture, industry, logistics, storage, tourism, and hospitality.”
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Referring to the the BJP’s victory in the Assembly elections of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, the PM said that an aspirational India desires a stable government rather than instability and this is why people voted based on good governance and track record.
The PM also urged industrialists and businessmen to explore possibilities of engaging with women’s self-help groups and farmer producer organisations (FPOs), which would take local products to the global stage.
Highlighting the Lakhpati Didi (women lakhpatis) initiative, Mr. Modi underlined his resolve to create “two crore Iakhpati didis from the rural regions in the country” and said the programme will gain momentum with the launch of the ‘House of Himalaya’ brand. He also thanked the Uttarakhand government for the initiative.
The PM added that there is a need to come out of the mentality of “cheap exports” and prioritise “capacity building”. Highlighting the import bill of ₹15 lakh-crore for petroleum and ₹4 lakh-crore for coal, he said India also imports ₹15,000-crore worth of pulses. Efforts are on to reduce import dependency of pulses and oilseeds, he said.
“India is going to become the third largest economy in the world in the next few years”, said Mr. Modi who credited the growth to a combination of “stable government, supportive policy system, mentality of reform and transform, and confidence in development”.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami informed that memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth over ₹3 lakh crore have been signed with various firms ahead of the summit, and of them, investments worth ₹44,000 crore have been realised.
MoUs worth more than Rs 44 thousand crore were signed in the Global Investors Summit on Friday. MoUs were signed mainly for investment in EV (electric vehicles), real estate, health care, higher education, tourism, film, AYUSH and energy sectors.
