Auckland, July 11 (IANS). Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a sports and business-related event along with his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon in Auckland on Saturday. He said in his message that India is not just a market. India is a launch pad for global growth.”
Addressing prominent business and sports personalities, Prime Minister Modi said, “I am very happy to be among you all in Auckland. I express my special gratitude to Prime Minister Luxon for his deep commitment to India. Your presence is a symbol of New Zealand’s innovation, enterprise and future-oriented thinking. On behalf of India, I bring the message of aspiration and ambition of 140 crore people.”
Prime Minister Modi said, “This meeting is taking place at a time when relations between India and New Zealand are at a turning point. Today we are tying our relations to the thread of strategic partnership. This is not just a diplomatic milestone. This is a new resolve for our shared future. This year, a Free Trade Agreement has been signed between the two countries in a record time of 9 months. This will bring new opportunities for all of you in market access, investment, services, technology and talent mobility.”
He expressed confidence that both the countries will work with new zeal and enthusiasm to double bilateral trade by 2030. New Zealand has committed to invest $20 billion in India in the next 15 years. This is not just about investment, but also a commitment to become a partner in India’s development journey.
PM Modi said that today India is the fastest growing major economy in the world. Our growing middle class, large-scale adoption of digital technology and modern infrastructure make India a unique growth story. In India, we have made ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’ the basis of our governance.
In his address, PM Modi said, “Today India has policy stability, political stability and continuity of development. So our message to the world is that India is not just a market. India is a launch pad for global development.”
PM Modi, for example, said that to help businesses in India take advantage of these opportunities, we have launched the ‘Production Linked Incentive’ (PLI) scheme. Under this initiative, assistance worth US $ 20 billion is being provided in 14 sectors, ranging from food processing to textiles. He said, “I invite all of you to be a part of this campaign of manufacturing.”
He said that airports, regional connectivity, air cargo and tourism are growing rapidly in India. India is today the third largest domestic aviation market in the world. Together we can create cargo corridors, flight connectivity and joint tourism packages. PM Modi said, ‘Perishable cargo solutions can be developed for Kiwi, Apple, Honey and Sea Food.’
The Prime Minister said New Zealand has vast expertise in horticulture, dairy science and forestry. India has the strength of consumer market, food parks and agritech talent. Together we can create a ‘farm to market’ value chain and global export platform. Today India is a global leader in fintech. 50 percent of the world’s real time digital payments take place in India. Along with digital payments, we can also move forward in green bonds.
He further said, “We have opened up the space sector to private participation. Today there are more than 400 space startups in India. Companies from both the countries can work together with the Indian ecosystem in small satellites, remote sensing and ocean monitoring. More than 8 thousand projects are being worked on in 100 cities under the ‘Smart City’ mission in India. We can together work in areas like urban mobility, water management and waste management.”
–IANS
DCH/