Modi says youth are at the heart of the government's reforms

New Delhi, June 6, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the youth of the country were kept at the heart of the reforms the government had undertaken in the last eight years, helping them to realise their potential.

“Our youth can easily open the company they want, they can start their enterprises easily, and they can run them easily," he said after inaugurating the "Iconic Week" celebrations of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and launching the national portal for Credit Linked Government schemes - Jan Samarth Portal.

The week is being celebrated as part of the "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" (AKAM) (75th Year of Indpenence) from June 6-11.

Modi said that, by reducing more than 30 thousand compliances, abolishing more than 1500 laws, and decriminalizing several provisions of the Companies Act, the government had ensured that Indian companies could not only move ahead but also achieve new heights.

He said that, in reforms, the government is focused on simplification. He said the Goods & Service Tax (GST) had now replaced the web of many taxes at the Centre and in the states.

"The country is also seeing the result of this simplification. Now it has become normal for GST collection to cross one lakh crore rupees every month," he said.

He said that the GeM portal has brought in new ease for procurement in government and made selling to the government very easy. Purchase figure for the portal has crossed 1 lakh crore, he said.

He also talked of portals that are bringing ease of doing business. He talked about the Invest India Portal for information regarding investment opportunities, Single window clearance portal for business formalities. "In this series, this Jan Samarth Portal is going to help the nation's youth and startup ecosystem," he said.

“Today when we move with the power of reform, simplification and ease, we attain a new level of convenience … We have shown in the last eight years that if India collectively decides to do something then India becomes a new hope for the world. Today the world is looking at us not just as a big consumer market but looking at us with hope and confidence as a capable, game-changing, creative, innovative ecosystem," he said.

The Prime Minister said a large part of the world expects India to solve problems. "This is possible because in the last eight years we have trusted the wisdom of the common Indian. We encouraged the public as intelligent participants in growth. We have always found that whatever technology is deployed for good governance is not only adopted by people but also appreciated by them,” he said, referring to the achievement of UPI.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated a digital exhibition which traces the journey of the two Ministries over the past eight years. He also released a special series of Re 1, Rs 2, Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 20 coins. These coins will have the theme of the logo of AKAM and will also be easily identifiable to visually impaired persons.

At the outset in his address, Modi said each person who took part in the long struggle for India's independence had added a different dimension to the movement and augmented its energy.

"Some adopted the path of satyagraha, some chose the path of weapons, some faith and spirituality, and some intellectually helped to keep the flame of freedom burning bright, today is the day when we acknowledge all of them.

"Today when we are celebrating 75 years of independence, it is the duty of every countryman to make a special contribution to the development of the nation at their own level. This is a moment to infuse the dreams of our freedom fighters with new energy and dedicate ourselves to new pledges," he said.

The Prime Minister noted that India has also worked on different dimensions in the last eight years.

"The public participation that increased in the country during this period has given impetus to the development of the country and empowered the poorest of the country's citizens. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan gave an opportunity to the poor to live with dignity. Facilities like pucca houses, electricity, gas, water and free treatment increased the dignity of the poor and improved facilities. The scheme of free rations during the Corona period freed more than 80 crore countrymen from the fear of hunger. We are witnessing a new confidence among the citizens to come out of the mentality of deprivation and dream big," he said.

The Prime Minister said the country has borne the brunt of government-centric governance in the past. But today 21st century India is moving ahead with the approach of people-centric governance.

He said earlier it was the responsibility of the people to go to the government for availing benefit of the schemes. Now emphasis is on taking governance to people and free them from the rigamarole of doing rounds of different ministries and websites.

"Launch of National Portal for Credit Linked Government schemes - Jan Samarth Portal is a major step in this direction. This portal will improve the lives of students, farmers, businessmen, MSME entrepreneurs and will help them in realizing their dreams," he said.

The Prime Minister said that in any reform, if its objectives and goals are clear and there is seriousness in its implementation, good results are assured.

NNN