PM Modi on Friday said India’s expanding global stature and economic confidence have prompted developed nations to actively pursue trade agreements with the country, calling it a sign of an “Aatmanirbhar and Aatmavishwaasi Bharat”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India’s expanding global stature and economic confidence have prompted developed nations to actively pursue trade agreements with the country, calling it a sign of an “Aatmanirbhar and Aatmavishwaasi Bharat”.
Addressing the News18 Rising Bharat Summit, PM Modi said that over the past 11 years, India has “rediscovered its strength” and moved away from what he described as a long-standing colonial mindset.
“In the last 11 years, energy has flowed into the consciousness of the country. India has understood its strength and wants to recognise its capabilities,” the Prime Minister said.
Drawing a sharp contrast with the past, PM Modi said India’s potential was long “ignored” and the country remained reliant on foreign models.
“There was a time when we used to copy foreign technology. Even after Independence, India could not come out of the mentality of slavery. We are suffering the consequences of that till date,” he said.
Highlighting India’s growing trade presence, the prime minister said leading global economies are now keen to partner with the country.
“India is now so capable that developed countries of the world are themselves coming forward to make trade deals with India,” he said. “Some people are not able to believe how India managed to do trade deals with developed countries.”
The PM said the transformation embodies what he called an “Aatmavishwaasi Bharat” — a self-assured India that engages with the world from a position of strength.
He said India’s macroeconomic stability has bolstered its global credibility.
“We have made our banking system strong. We have controlled inflation which was once in double digits. We have made India the world’s growth engine,” he said, asserting that investors and governments now see India as a dependable economic partner.
PM Modi also cited advances in technology and digital governance as key drivers of rising global interest. “There was a time when India was just a consumer of technology. Today, India is not only using technology at scale but also becoming a leader in it,” he said, pointing to international recognition of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure.
Referring to the JAM trinity — Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile — he said their integration has enabled transparent governance and direct benefit transfers worth Rs 24 lakh crore, reducing leakages once seen as unavoidable.
“In a country where even ATMs arrived much later compared to developed nations, how did India achieve global leadership in digital payments?” he asked, adding that the world is “amazed” by India’s digital infrastructure.
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