Rising Bharat Summit 2024 Highlights: Niyat sahi to kaam sahi, must proceed with intent of putting nation first, says PM Modi

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“India is that pilot that will take the global flight to new heights in the next 5 years. The next 5 years would be the years of unprecedented growth and prosperity. That is Modi’s guarantee,” says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While discussing the work done by his government in the past ten years with regard to the real estate sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Our government arranged Rs 25,000 crore for the completion of stuck projects.”

“We brought RERA for real estate projects regulation. Today more than 1.25 lakh projects are registered with RERA.”

“We gave land tiles to crore of people. The work of drone mapping of properties is also going on in villages.”

-- For the middle class, the education of their children is very important, our government has done the work of opening many educational institutions.

-- In the last 10 years, two new colleges were opened every day in India

-- We have created IITs, IIMs at a record pace

-- Be it startups, space sector or drones, we have opened all sectors for the youth

-- We are working to attract foreign universities to setup their campuses in India

-- The current government has improved the lives of the middle class with new tax brackets, says PM Modi

-- The middle class in the country faced many challenges earlier. In the last 10 years, we have uplifted the middle class from their difficulties, he adds.

-- Middle-class families would spend crores of rupees to teach their children in foreign institutions. Now, foreign institutions are setting up campuses in India, the PM further said.

-- It was our government that brought a scheme for houses for middle class people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed his government’s contributions toward alleviating poverty and said, “The poor bless me, and the opposition abuses me… The country has made up her mind -- phir ek baar Modi Sarkaar.”

He added, “From the very first day, all flagship schemes of our government have been focused on solving issues of the poor. Around 30 lakh crores given to poor youth through Mudra Yojana.”

The PM further said, “The poor people in India believe in Modi's guarantee. Modi's guarantee is for those who never got any guarantees. This is why the poor believes in Modi ka guarantee.”

PM Modi begins keynote address. Says, “Everyone has experienced Rising Bharat. The new India does not tolerate terrorism. The country also teaches lessons to those who threaten with terrorism…. The world can see India's response against those who wounded us with terrorism.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at summit

Watch PM Modi’s keynote address at the summit live here

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers say that India is now in its "amrit kaal" (golden age) and on course to becoming a developed nation by 2047 - the 100th year of its independence. They also underscore India's economic transformation from "Fragile 5" under Congress-led UPA to top 5 under BJP-led NDA. But do the numbers concur?

Seven charts will tell you about India's growth story vis-a-vis key economic indicators since 2014. Full story here

The 2024 chapter of the Rising Bharat Summit will be concluded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s key address on ‘Rising Bharat: Leading for Global Good’.

“We achieve all this because of technology and co-creation with industry. Sebi has had a history of rich tradition of extensive discussion on policy making. We took a big step a year ago when we moved that co-creation into a standard setting. Industry-standard forum set down the standard for implementation... the kind of ease of compliance that has been brought about (is remarkable),” says Sebi Chairman Madhabi Puri Buch.

“The entire spirit of co-creation has been extended and democratised. The regulator does not have a monopoly on policymaking and also does not have a monopoly on standard making,” she adds.

“We recently inaugurated the listing of five NGOs. Many people said it hasn’t worked anywhere else in the world. But we said we can because we have the technology and the ecosystem... therefore we had five NGOs listing on this (social stock exchange) ... to democratise issuers… even a non-profit can be an issuer.”

Buch says, “If a person got the news of a dear one passing away, there is grief. At a time like that, for us to give the investor the runaround and not give him access to assets of his parents, it is the most appalling thing possible.”

“Full credit to the entire market ecosystem (for finding a solution). Around 50 odd legal heads and arrived at a common set of documents they will all accept... now, if a person goes online and submits one set of transmission documents, across the entire market system (all MFs, all depositories, etc.) nobody will ask you for another document.”

“If the regulator cannot empathise with loss, we need to have our heads examined.”

Sebi Chairman Buch says, “With democratisation (of various segments) we can say that this market is contributing to capital formation for the real economy, that's where the driver of growth is going to come from and at the same time it is creating wealth for investors. That is all thanks to the democratisation of the capital markets.”

“In order to democratise REITs, we need higher levels of disclosure and compliance. Again, the cooperation we got from the industry (was unbelievable), they all agreed to (higher disclosure norms) .... as a result we could launched small and medium REITs.”

“This is important because the product was always there in the market but it was not getting used. The exchanges were focused on equity and did not have the management bandwidth to eat, dream, drink, and breathe the bond market. So, we created a whole new institution (Corporate bond repo clearing corporation). We were told it would be very difficult and it was done with the collaboration of the industry.”

“We have a vibrant bond market. The secondary market in the bond market is not very vibrant and we are working on it. If we look at the primary market... for every Rs 100 that the banking system gives to corporate India, the bond market gives Rs 60. We are expecting the bond market to grow much more,” says Sebi chairman Buch

“One of the things that worried people about the bond market concerned liquidity drying up. Something absolutely sparkling that this government has done and has gone unnoticed is that it has put in place a backstop facility (Rs 30,000 crore) when there is a stress in the market and the mutual funds get stuck. This is a very very important step the government took,” says Sebi chair Buch

Madhabi Puri Buch says that REITs, InvITs and Municipal Bond market will be as big as India's equity market. 1x of the country's GDP. One of my favourite products for the future - REITs, says Buch. Mutual fund is our favourite product for financial inclusion, she adds

“We have to make it easy for an investor (a smaller investor). Now if he just puts in his PAN number, our system speaks to the KRA and pulls out his details. Simplifying the registration of a complaint and linking it to taking it to online dispute resolution mechanism is something that has been digitised. The objective is to democratise dispute resolution for investors, without this it is just lip service,” says Sebi Chair Madhabi Puri Buch

We are going to launch SCORES 2.0 in early April, in which the way to handle investor complaints is completely automated, says Sebi Chair Madhabi Puri Buch

We are looking to do sachetisation of financial products. The entire industry is coming forward to support this, says Sebi Chair Buch.

“We are working with MF industry to identify the costs involved that makes Rs 250 SIP unviable. Hopefully we will soon have MF sachets with Rs 250 top ups,” she adds.

Zerodha Co-founder Nikhil Kamath has household help and he wanted them participate in the growth of the country, market and really create wealth for families. He said I will make the investment on their behalf but when I am not there and they need to exit, who will be there to serve them. They will be lost in this world, says Madhabi Puri Buch.

“One day, Sebi showed him a demo of MF Central... the global forum IOSCO cannot believe that an entire industry has come together to say that investors will be served from a single window. MF Central is a single window to be served for your entire cycle of holding that. It is not just that technology enables it, it is about that the entire industry came together to collaborate. That is what creates the democratisation,” she adds.

SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch speaks at Rising Bharat Summit 2024. She says, “What is democratisation of capital markets: Online share trading gives equal right to all traders to buy and sell shares. (Through a conversation with a small trader) I learnt the importance of access to sell as well.”

Mike Pompeo says, “I’m hopeful American people will elect President and we will begin to build America’s place leadership in the world. In the same way we did and the American economy will continue to accelerate in the way that it was before Covid unleashed…”

Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't take an inch of Ukraine on our watch, says Mike Pompeo

He adds, “Putin took a fifth of Ukraine when Obama was US President and then he stopped and went back at it again just a few months after we left.”

-- Trump built peace and prosperity. His administration helped build the Abraham Accords, recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

-- Afghanistan did not fall under President Donald Trump

-- Russia's Putin had a fundamentally different perception of America when Trump was the President of the US

-- We did not want terrorists under the thumbprint of Iran to upset the opportunity for prosperity in the Middle East

-- World would be fundamentally more prosperous and secure if Trump is re-elected

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says, “I am hopelessly biased. I think People are radically better off with a Trump administration than with a second term under Biden. So, I am hopeful the American people will elect Donald Trump as president.”

"The world should be thrilled if Trump is reelected. There were zero wars under Trump administration," he adds.

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says, “When I see the work India and US did during first Trump administration in the economic space, national security and global stage, I would suspect a potential second Trump regime would not be too different from that.”

He adds, “The idea of deepening bilateral trade relations with India was central to Trump administration efforts and I suspect if President Trump were to be re-elected that will continue to be the case.”

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says, “These two countries -- India and Pakistan have taken different steps and it is clear if you see the economic trajectory of the two.”

Former United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says, “India has built an amazing economy in the last 20 years.”

He then goes on to say that it now “proven that policies of the Trump administration were more likely to reduce Chinese influence and extremism on Pakistan”.

India has stepped out of colonial mentality and is not aping the West anymore, said lyricist and adman Prasoon Joshi at the CNN-News18 Rising Bharat Summit. He said it during a session titled ‘Incredible India: Destination Bharat’.

Addressing the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir, Amit Shah said that they should not help foster dynasty politics even if BJP does not come to power in the union territory. He said, “It does not matter whether the BJP gets a mandate, but the three ‘parivarvadi parties’ – the Congress, National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – who did not let democracy flourish in the region should be wiped out.”

“The people of Kashmir should be brave. They should “punish” those who kept them deprived of democracy and constitutional rights for 75 years,” he added.

Speaking at the Rising Bharat Summit, AB de Villiers said, “We are still cricket players. I still feel like I just played the other day so that’s the way we commentate as well. We like to give the fans and the audience a bit of insight of what it feels like to go. Through this moment. The pressure moments what it feels like in the training room, what it feels like to lose and also to win and I think that’s that’s what makes really special.”

“My dream is to create jobs for a million people. We create clothes that are extremely slow. The Zendaya saree and the Zuckerberg shirt (for instance) involved 15 people and took 15 days to be made,” says fashion designer Rahul Mishra said.

Union home minister Amit Shah said that the last 10 years of Narendra Modi-led government will be inscribed in "golden letters" and asserted that India will become the third largest economy in the world under Modi 3.0.

The Union home minister, who was speaking at the 'News18 Rising Bharat Summit’ in New Delhi, underscored the various decisions taken by the Modi government over the last 10 years - from revoking Article 370 to abolishing triple talaq. Read the entire coverage here

According to Harsh Jain, the CEO of Dream11, the company is benefiting from several positive developments, including the Jio effect, which has made internet access more widely available and increased internet speeds to 30-40mbps, even in moving cars. Jain also notes that AI is an important topic of discussion and that the growth of internet access in remote areas is a significant tailwind. Additionally, he praises the Indian government's efforts to promote semiconductor development and states that 75% of Dream11's users are located outside of Tier 1 and 2 cities.

Jain notes that the company underestimated the power of Bharath and the internet revolution happening in tier 1 and 2 cities. Disruptors will disrupt the industry in every country, and it is a common occurrence. Additionally, Jain points out that gaming has reached a point where 40 crore people are gaming. Regulations may cause short-term pain, but there will also be growing pains, which are okay. There has been an 80% YoY growth in women playing on their platform, with RCB women leading the way.

Upasana Taku, the co-founder and CFO of Mobikwik, believes that the Government and the RBI in India have played a significant role in fostering innovation in the fintech industry. Despite having been a part of the industry for 14 years and having 800 million Indian users today, the fintech space has only reached about 400 million users. Taku believes that the fintech industry still has a lot of growth potential, and the number of users is expected to double in the next 3-4 years. Products like QR and soundboxes have a long way to go in terms of growth. The regulations in India have been crucial in shaping the fintech ecosystem into what it is today. Taku also believes that financial innovation is strong in India.

Harsh Jain, the CEO of Dream11, believes that the perception of youth towards entrepreneurship and working in a startup has completely changed. In the past, they had to call potential employees' parents to convince them to join. However, today, it is easier to attract young talent due to the startup ecosystem that the Indian government has created and the ease of doing business here.

Ritesh Agarwal, the CEO of Oyo Rooms, thinks that before India becomes one of the top three economies in the world, it will also have the second-largest startup ecosystem. He believes that young entrepreneurs, even 19-year-olds, are building successful startups today.

During a panel discussion, Virendra Gupta, Founder of DailyHunt, shared his experience of starting the company. When he began, many people questioned whether India needed the internet. Despite the doubts and naysayers, Gupta persevered and today India is one of the world's fastest growing GDP economies. Gupta also noted that every engineering college in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities have entrepreneurship cells, which is a testament to the great energy and aspiration in India. Therefore, Gupta believes that India is the perfect place to be for entrepreneurs and investors alike.

Amit Shah mentioned that those who have denied democracy and welfare to Kashmir for 75 years should be punished. He also mentioned that the Supreme Court has ordered elections in Kashmir to be conducted by September.

Amit Shah also spoke about the Ram Mandir issue, stating that he waited for the court's order to construct it, which showcased India's democratic principles.

Regarding the Lok Sabha performance, Amit Shah believes that the BJP party will give its best performance to date in Uttar Pradesh and will get more seats than in the 2014 polls. He also stated that India will defeat the 'parivaar-waad' parties.

Amit Shah states that the people of Bengal do not question the ED (Enforcement Directorate) on corruption, instead, they question Mamata Banerjee. He believes that Mamata Banerjee has been exposed in front of the people of the state with the Sandeshkhali incident. Shah is urging the women of Bengal to demonstrate the power of shakti to Mamata Banerjee.

"We will win more than 41 seats in Maharashtra. BJP will be the largest party in the state," said Shah. He also confirmed that negotiations are ongoing with Akali Dal in Punjab and that things will be clearer in the next 2-3 days.

When asked about Shiv Sena, Shah stated that the reason for the breakup was that Eknath Shinde was not given due respect. Similarly, Ajit Pawar was not given respect by NCP. Shah clarified that BJP wants to fight with its alliances but they need to get their legitimate share. Therefore, the BJP should not be blamed for the breakup.

Amit Shah shares his views on the upcoming elections. He states that the focus should not be on the North or South regions but on winning over 370 total seats. Shah believes that there is potential for BJP to gain more seats in states like Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, and Punjab. He assured that the people's affection is in favor of BJP and Modi, and it will convert into votes and seats. Furthermore, Shah adds that BJP's strength will significantly increase in Odisha.

When it comes to seat sharing, he clarified that no decision has been made on an alliance in Odisha with BJD. However, he expressed confidence that BJP will strengthen significantly in the state. Shah stated that alliances are created based on need, and many political parties have supported BJP on issues that further national interest in the Parliament. He believes that BJP will win Bihar with a good margin.

Amit Shah has stated that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) does not contain anything related to the National Register of Citizens (NRC). He also emphasized that the CAA cannot revoke anyone's citizenship. Additionally, the BJP has been advocating for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for a long time. The UCC aims to establish a single law for all Indian citizens, irrespective of their religion. According to Amit Shah, everyone should live under one civil law, which would have no impact on religious freedom. In India, everyone is treated equally under criminal law. Amit Shah criticized the Congress party for rejecting the UCC, stating that it is an appeasement policy.

Amit Shah states that although there are many issues and subjects to debate, it is not necessary to resort to using abusive language. He also mentioned that the more people abuse Prime Minister Modi, the stronger the lotus (BJP's symbol) blooms.

Shah then went on to criticize the opposition and combined the terms ED, Shakti, and OBC. He pointed out that PM Modi has 27 OBCs in his cabinet and Modi himself is OBC. He spoke about the Women reservation bill, which he believes shows respect for "shakti" (women). He also added that the women of the country have pledged to introduce Rahul Gandhi to the power of "Shakti".

Additionally, Amit Shah spoke about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). He says that there was a misunderstanding around CAA, and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. "The opposition is spreading misinformation about CAA," says Shah while assuring that CAA will not snatch citizenship, and Indian Muslims do not need to fear it. He made it clear that CAA will not take away anyone's citizenship.

Amit Shah suggests that political parties should receive funding in cash to make the process more anonymous. He also commented on the opposition, stating that the INDIA Alliance will not be able to show their faces when their list of donors is revealed. Shah believes that transparency will be achieved through the release of a list of donors and their donations to parties. He added that, since Modi became Prime Minister, the ED has taken action against black money. Shah stated, "In 2014, 81% of the donations that BJP received were in cash, given anonymously in amounts of around Rs 20,000. However, by 2017 this had reduced to 17%, and by 2023 it had reduced to just 3%." He also warned that the ED will take strict action against anyone found to be corrupt.

Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Amit Shah, states that India has become more secure within the last decade. The government has responded to terrorism with surgical strikes, while leftist violence has been reduced under Modi's leadership.

Regarding the electoral bond issue, Shah acknowledges the decisions of India's Supreme Court. However, he expresses concern that the Court's decision may bring back black money into election funding. The use of electoral bonds has helped reduce the amount of black money involved in election funding.

According to the Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Amit Shah, the 10-year tenure of the Modi government will be remembered as a golden era in Indian history. He further stated that all Indians are now being respected and the government has provided them with benefits such as gas, electricity, water, and healthcare. He also mentioned that the mood was in favor of the BJP even before the Balakot incident. Additionally, Amit Shah pointed out that in the last ten years, India has become the fifth largest economy under the leadership of Modi further adding that in the next term under Modi, India will become the third largest economy in the world.

“We should come out of colonial mentality. We handled COVID situation way better than other developed countries. International Media assumed that crores of people would die in India, but our government handled the situation. We gave vaccine, and free food in the difficult times,” said Anurag Thakur.

‘We have vision till 2047. We will definitely win more than 400 seats and will come back,” I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said while speaking at News18’s Rising Bharat Summit 2024.

Jaishankar shared that Vajpayee, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of India, was one of his inspirations. According to him, Vajpayee was always willing to challenge the status quo and think outside the box. Jaishankar also emphasized that people often start thinking about their legacy when they are nearing the end of their career, but he still has a lot of passion and energy left to continue making a difference. In his own words, "I have enough gas in my tank not to think of parking in the garage."

EAM Jaishankar talks about how political opinion in southern states of India is changing. He pointed out that the response Prime Minister Narendra Modi is getting in these states is quite positive. Jaishankar believes that people in southern states have seen the benefits of good governance by the BJP government, including free food schemes and the jal jeevan mission.

Furthermore, he mentions that the nation's sense of itself is also changing. He thinks that people are taking more interest in foreign policy because there is a stronger sense of nation and the South of India is an integral part of it. According to him, there is greater confidence in the electoral aspect about the South of India.

Foreign Minister Jaishankar has said that it is important for younger generations to understand historical situations where certain decisions were made and others were not. He believes that we need to move away from the idea that everything was great in 1946 and that Nehru's foreign policy was flawless. Jaishankar suggests that not only should companies be audited, but government policies as well. He also notes that in the past, there was a Nehruvian ideological bubble where Nehru advocated for being against the US and friendly with China, which many people followed. Jaishankar thinks that the remnants of this ideology still exist today.

According to Jaishankar, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is a corrective measure for a past mistake. He clarified that he is not suggesting that we should dwell on the past, but rather that we should question certain decisions that were taken by Nehru at that time. He also pointed out that in the 1950s, India was alienating the US on behalf of China, which was another questionable decision.

S Jaishankar commented on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, stating that it is an issue of correcting a historical situation. He believes that it is important to be just and fair towards those who were affected by the partition. Jaishankar added that these are stateless people who are not at fault for their statelessness.

S Jaishankar has clarified that the guarantee given by Prime Minister Modi also entails keeping petrol prices reasonable by not succumbing to political pressure. "In addition, we aim to prevent terrorism in a way that it does not occur again. While we may have differences regarding Ukraine with the Western powers, the ultimate objective of our foreign policy is to safeguard India's interests and not necessarily to concur with other nations and protect their interests. It's imperative to ask whether the opposition would want the government to align with other nations and increase petrol prices," he says.

Jaishankar states that India's G20 presidency was successful due to its unique approach. According to him, the Indian presidency had a flair, and people did not expect India to succeed. In contrast, during the Indonesian presidency, every meeting was blocked due to a defensive strategy. Jaishankar believes that one of the biggest issues affecting the world today is the impact of Covid-19 on sustainable development, and the G20 brought the focus back to this issue. He also added, "When I go out and explain foreign policy, I would say that Modi ki guarantee works outside of India as much as it works back home."

The Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, spoke candidly at the Rising Bharat Summit where he discussed the increasing sense of pride in India. He mentioned that people now have confidence that basic needs like water, electricity, and healthcare will be provided. He also spoke about how the country owned the G20, which was initially a concern. Speaking about India's efforts to combat COVID on a global level, he mentioned that although the virus came from outside, India was able to send vaccines to other countries.

Amitabh Kant believes that Bharat is taking a leap. He says, "At G20, consensus was achieved in green development, women-led development. India showed that we can bring Russia, and China together. We can build consensus on every issue. It was a win of soft power. We are number one in growth, infrastructure, and digitisation. World's 20% growth is coming from India."

Poet, writer, lyricist, screenwriter, communication specialist and marketer, Prasoon Joshi while speaking at the Rising Bharat Sumit said that our ancient ethos differentiates India, and inclusivity and diversity were being practised in Indian civilisation. Democracy is not a newfound thought, it was being practised in India.

Amitabh Kant stated that India has made significant progress in digitization, climate change, and infrastructure development. He emphasized that there is a huge sense of national pride in the accomplishments made. He added that India is no longer copying the West and that vestiges of colonialism are gone. India is now going back to its roots and wants to be a modern, progressive nation based on its own civilization. Kant added that the word "Bharat" gives a sense of belonging and that now is the time for India to be aspirational.

Indian bureaucrat and India's G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant says that usually G20 is held in one city, but PM wanted it in 60 cities to become people's G20. "It was used to spread culture, we made it pan India presidency," he adds.

"Scared of defeat in Amethi"

Smriti Irani took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said the destiny of a nation cannot be decided by a man who is scared of being defeated in Amethi.

The minister of women and child development, minority affairs made these remarks while speaking at the 'News18 Rising Bharat Summit’ in New Delhi.

Amethi used to be a Congress stronghold in Uttar Pradesh until 2019, when Rahul Gandhi lost to Smriti Irani by a margin of around 55,000 votes. In fact, Rae Bareli was the only seat won by the grand old party in the last general election, which has now been vacated by former Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

"India hasn't had an ambition like Viksit Bharat since independence movement"

India has not had a "national ambition" like Viksit Bharat by 2047 since the movement to gain independence from the British, Smriti Irani said.

"For too long and for too many years in our country we have seen people vote on the basis of emotion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and before him Atal Bihari Vajpaee, are two leaders who said 'judge us by our development performance'. What you see on the opposite side are people who are pliant and depending on negative rhetoric," Irani added.

"Bharat is breath"

Grammy 2024 winners singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan, percussionist V Selvaganesh and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia attended the event. Chaurasia on the flute and the Breathless singer jammed together briefly to hold that note on stage.

It was evident that all the Grammy winners riffed off each other, musically and in stories.

When asked what Bharat meant to them, Ganesh Rajagopalan said, "Bharat is Shakti," further adding, "We are rising in all spheres. We see that Bharat is the next hope for humanity. Bharat is the Shakti of the world." While Rakesh Chaurasia said, "Bharat for me is breath, what I blow into my flute." Catch the conversation, here

"Growth of the great Indian middle class that has been the guiding factor in the bull run"

Damani expressed his optimistic view of the recent bull run seen in the Indian equity markets. He drew similarities between the bull run seen in India to that of Japan in the late 1960s, which saw the then third world nation transform into the one of the largest economies in the world.

According to Damani, it is the growth of the great Indian middle class that has been the guiding factor, which is fueling the advancement of the Indian economy, making it a long-term story. "People are looking at extra money to save and invest, you see it through the rise in demat accounts and through mutual fund inflows," Damani said.

"Conversation around green transformation needs to be changed"

Speaking at a panel in Network18’s Rising Bharat Summit on March 19, Solheim said, “Conversation around green transformation needs to change from young people to it benefitting farmers and workers as well."

He added that India has undertaken several green energy initiatives such as building the largest solar and wind plant in the world in Gujarat by the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative to install rooftop solar system in 1 crore households, which creates opportunities and jobs for people. It also ensures that India does not have to buy crude oil from Russia, Saudi Arabia and other countries, and utilise the saved money for people in the country.

"Not highways but e-rickshaws my biggest achievement"

Gadkari said enabling India's transition to electric rickshaws is his biggest achievement as a minister. Gadkari was speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit.

Gadkari added that electric rickshaws have put an end to the "inhuman" practice of one man carrying another man as bulk of cycle rikshaw pullers switch to driving electric vehicles.

"One crore people carried other people through rickshaw. After the e-rickshaw came, 90% of those one crore people are riding the e-rickshaw and earning about Rs 1,000 per day and it has put an end to the inhuman practice of a man carrying another man, " added Gadkari.

"Naveen Patnaik doesn't need alliance to retain power"

Odisha 5T Chairman VK Pandian said that Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik does not need an alliance to retain power in the state. Pandian, Patnaik's close aide, made similar remarks for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Naveen Patnaik does not need an alliance to come back to power. I would say the same thing about Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said Pandian, chairman 5T (Transformational Initiatives) and Nabin Odisha.

"Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik used to be a hockey goalkeeper"

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik used to be a hockey goalkeeper, VK Pandian, chairman of Odisha's 5T, revealed on Tuesday. The former bureaucrat, who now spearheads the Odisha government's 5T – teamwork, technology, transparency, transformation, and time limit – model is widely seen as Patnaik's successor. Speaking at News18's Rising Bharat Summit on March 19 in New Delhi, Pandian explained why the Odisha government has consistently supported hockey players. Read here

"1.44 crore opportunities created every year"

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has rejected accusations by Congress leader P Chidambaram of India's growth story being 'jobless', saying data showed that nearly 1.5 crore job opportunities were being created every year. According to Vaishnaw, this is double what was being created a few years ago. "I challenge P Chidambaram," Vaishnaw said.

"Anyone who is employed with an organisation is registered with the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and a portion of their salary is deducted and the employer also makes a contribution. This data is accepted by everyone. And as per EPFO data, the number of new jobs minus those who have left their jobs plus those who have returned to employment - this net number is the total job opportunity. This is straightforward math," he added.

"Seat-sharing talks on in Maharashtra"

Gadkari, addressing the audience at CNN-News18's 'Rising Bharat' 2024 leadership conclave on March 19, reaffirmed his allegiance to the BJP, stating that he is a dedicated worker of the party and intends to remain so. He emphasised the principle of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" as articulated by Prime Minister Modi, underscoring his commitment to inclusive development. Gadkari also expressed his deep connection with the people of his parliamentary constituency, considering them as his own family. Read the complete Q&A here

"I am a BJP worker, and will always stick with the party"

Reiterating that he is a BJP worker, Gadkari said he will always stick to the party. "I am a worker of the BJP. My thinking and ideology are aligned with the BJP. I will stay in this party and will always stick to it, " he said.

Gadkari, who will contest from the Nagpur seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, said he will "do house-to-house and man-to-man campaign".

"PM Modi depoliticised railways, focus on capacity expansion after 2014"

Vaishnaw has said Prime Minister Narendra depoliticised Indian Railways, with a focus on increasing the capacity expansion.

Previous governments milked the railways for political gains but after 2014, when the BJP came to power, the emphasis was on infrastructure and technical development, the minister said at Network 18's Rising Bharat Summit on March 19.

The Modi government created the foundation for the growth of the Indian Railways in its 10 years of rule. "The past governments were using the Indian Railways as a political tool," the minister said.

"First bullet train service will be launched by 2026"

Vaishnaw has announced that the country's first bullet train service will be launched by 2026 between Ahmedabad- Mumbai. “India’s first bullet train will be ready in 2026, and will run in one section from Surat,” Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project will prove to be a corridor of economic prosperity, transforming towns and cities along the route and becoming a learning experience for future initiatives.

"First made in India chip by December 2024"

Vaishnaw highlighted the transformative vision for India's railways in the next two decades. He noted that over the past decade, significant strides have been made, with the electrification of railways across all states being a notable achievement. Vaishnav emphasised that during the tenure of the Modi government, 40,000 kilometres of railway tracks were electrified, a substantial increase compared to the 20,000 kilometres accomplished in the previous six decades.

Gahdkari on March 19 said he always ensured that no project was executed without e-tendering. He was speaking at New 18's Rising Bharat Summit.

"I won't comment on an issue that is subjudice in the SC," he said while speaking on the electoral bonds case.

"In 10 years, I have got works done worth Rs 50 lakh crore. Not a single project has been done without e-tendering. Every project was executed in a transparent & non-corrupt process," he said.

"CAA good law that has been weaponised for political gains"

American sociologist Salvatore Babones has praised the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as a "good law" that has been misused for political gains. The CAA, which was recently introduced by the Indian government, aims to grant citizenship to religious minorities from neighboring countries who seek refuge in India. While Babones appreciated the government's initiative to introduce the law, he criticized the way it has been politicized by certain groups, indirectly referring to the opposition protests against the CAA. According to Babones, "It's a good law, but there is a problem in using the plight of refugees for political advantage". Babones is also an associate professor at the University of Sydney.

The Day 2 of the summit will cover a broad spectrum of subjects like nation-building, technology, manufacturing, trade, sustainability, sports, entertainment and others, Rising Bharat Summit will deep dive into India's multifaceted global influence and its role in shaping a more equitable and sustainable future for all with its mantra — ‘Leading for Global Good’. The summit will see participation from the country’s policymakers including Union Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S Jaishankar, Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs and Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant and BJP leader K. Annamalai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address at the Summit.

Good morning and welcome to Moneycontrol's Rising Bharat Summit LIVE blog. Get ready to witness history unfold at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2024, where visionary leaders chart Bharat's path to global prominence. Stay tuned for transformative insights, collective empowerment & a vision for a brighter tomorrow. Don't miss this pivotal moment!