Want to turn India into a manufacturing hub: PM Modi at SCO Summit

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said that the government wants to transform India into a manufacturing hub.

While addressing global leaders, PM Modi said that the world is still overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic and recovering from several disruptions that occurred in the global supply chain because of the pandemic and the Ukraine crisis.

He said that India’s economy is expected to grow at the rate of 7.5 per cent this year. "I'm glad that ours is one of the fastest growing economies among the largest economies of the world," Modi said.

"We are focussing on people-centric development model. We are supporting innovation in every sector. Today there are more than 70,000 start-ups and over 100 unicorns in our country," the prime minister said.

PM Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders of the SCO on Friday deliberated on the regional security situation and ways to enhance trade and connectivity at the annual summit of the grouping.

It is for the first time Modi and Xi came face-to-face at the summit in this historic Uzbek city since the start of the border standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh around 28 months back. There is no clarity yet on whether there will be a bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the summit.

The summit is also being attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and leaders of several central Asian countries.