India has always believed in values of integration and unity, says PM Modi at Davos

Addressing the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, PM Modi said that in India democracy and demography was giving shape to development.

Pic courtesy: Reuters

Davos: Addressing the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India has always believed in values of integration and unity.

Taking the India story to the movers and shakers of the world economy! PM @narendramodi delivering his keynote speech at the Plenary Session of the #WorldEconomicForum in #Davos. Need to work together to address global challenges in a rapidly changing world #IndiaMeansBusiness pic.twitter.com/kVVb12Ia2N — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) January 23, 2018

"I am happy to be in Davos to address the World Economic Forum. This summit seems to find solutions to the various problems the world faces. I thank the people and government of Switzerland for the warm welcome here. Last time an Indian PM came to Davos was in 1997 when Deve Gowda ji had come. That time our GDP was little more than 400 billion dollars, now its more than six times," he said in his opening statement.

"This year the topic here is - Creating a shared future in a fractured world. New powers are changing the balance between economic and political strength. This is indicating a change in future of the world. The world is facing challenges in maintaining peace, stability and security. India has always believed in values of integration and unity - Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - which means the entire world is one family. It is relevant to bridge distances," PM Modi added.

On challenges facing the world, PM Modi said, "Climate change is a huge threat right now, Snow in the Arctic is melting, many islands are sinking or are about to ink. Mahatma Gandhi's principle of trusteeship to use things according to one's need is important. He was against the use of anything for one's greed. We're today exploiting nature for our greed. We need to ask ourselves if this is our progress or regression."

"Terrorism is dangerous. Worse is when people say there is a difference between 'good' and 'bad' terror. It is painful to see some youngsters getting radicalised. Many societies and countries are becoming self-centred. It seems that globalisation, as opposed to its definition, is shrinking. Such misplaced preferences can't be considered any lesser threat than terrorism or climate change. We must admit shine of globalisation is fading," he further said.

On the vibrant democracy in India, he said, "We in India are proud of our democracy and diversity. For a society with diverse religions, cultures, languages, attires and cuisines, democracy is not just a political system but a way of living. Change in India's ranking is an indicator that the people in India have warmly welcomed the change in policies as the road to a better future for them."

"In 2014 after 30 years, Indian voters provided a complete majority to any political party to form govt at the centre. We took the resolution for the development of everyone and not just a specific group. Our motto is 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'. In India democracy, demography and dynamism are giving shape to development and destiny," PM Modi added.

The Indian presence is the largest ever at WEF in 2018 with over 130 participants. The Prime Minister is accompanied by six union ministers - Arun Jaitley, Suresh Prabhu, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, MJ Akbar and Jitendra Singh.

Over 3,000 world leaders from business, politics, art, academia and civil society will attend the 48th WEF annual meeting in the small ski resort town on snow-covered Alps mountains.

The summit is also being attended by US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emannuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Theresa May, among others.