Huge difference in pre-2014 and post-2014 India: Modi to Indian diaspora in Indonesia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that there is a huge difference between pre-2014 and post-2014 India, saying the country is now moving ahead at an "unprecedented speed and scale" as he underlined that it is now the fastest-growing large economy and ranked first in several sectors.

Addressing the Indian diaspora in Indonesia at an event here, Modi said India is a ray of hope for the world in the 21st century.

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Modi said that there is a huge difference between India before and after 2014, the year when his government came into power. The Modi-led BJP government was voted to power in 2014. The ruling BJP again swept back to power in the 2019 general elections.

"Today, India is the fastest-growing large economy in the world," Modi said amid a huge round of applause.

The prime minister said that India is number 1 today in digital transactions, global fintech, IT outsourcing, smartphone data consumption and vaccine manufacturing. And this has become possible because "today's India doesn't think small. Today India is going ahead at unprecedented scale and speed", he said.

"We don't dream small anymore. Since 2014, we have opened more than 320 million bank accounts. More than the population of the USA," he said.

Modi said Indonesia was fortunate to attain independence two years before India and there is a lot that India can learn from Indonesia. However, at the same time, he said, in its 75-year-old long development journey, there is a lot that India can also give to Indonesia.

"The talent, technology, innovation and industry of India have made an identity for themselves in the world. Several big companies of the world today have an Indian-origin CEO," Modi said.

Modi is here to attend the G20 Summit at the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. India is currently part of the G20 Troika (current, previous, and incoming G20 Presidencies) comprising Indonesia, Italy, and India.