Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan,’and ‘Jan Arogya Mission’ to show India’s commitment towards development

A Self-Reliant India can be a ‘force multiplier’ for the global economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address to the historic 75th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday.

PM Modi said, “In the changed circumstances of the post-pandemic era, we are moving forward with the vision of a 'Self-reliant India.” “A self-reliant India will also be a force multiplier for the global economy,” PM Modi said further.

Citing success of India’s recent projects such as ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan,’and ‘Jan Arogya Mission’ among others, he said, India’s experiences and its developmental journey with its ups and downs can help in strengthening the path to global welfare.

“Following the mantra of 'Reform-Perform-Transform', India has made great efforts to bring about transformation in the lives of millions of its citizens,” he said.

He said, India has brought over 40 crore people into the formal financial sector in just four to five years of time span. He said, “This was not an easy task. But India has proved that it can be done.”

Similarly, India made around 60 crore people free from open defecation in the same period of time and around 50 crore people were provided with the free healthcare services in just two to three years, he said. PM Modi said, “This was not an easy task. But India has achieved it.”

The Indian government is committed towards battling the coronavirus pandemic and mitigating its impact on the economy. PM Modi said that India recently announced a Rs 20 lakhs crore financial package named as ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ Abhiyaan to enhance the domestic production and capacity to produce within the country and decrease the dependence on exports.

He said that India is also working towards bringing around 66 lakh villages to the mainstream by connecting them through optical fibre.

He said that focuses on extending schemes and benefits to all the people of the country without any discrimination. In fact, India is a leading country in terms of promoting women entrepreneurship and leadership.

“Large scale efforts are being made in India to promote women entrepreneurship and leadership. Indian women, today, are the biggest beneficiaries of the largest microfinancing scheme of the world,” PM Modi said.

He said that India is among those countries where women are provided paid maternity leave of 26 weeks.