You Excellency Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha Ladies and Gentlemen
It is a great pleasure to welcome you to India.
Your visit is a high point in our top-level political exchanges.
You come from a land that is very familiar to us.
From the Legend of Rama to the Wisdom of Buddha our ties are founded
on a shared cultural heritage. Our historical people-to-people ties
provide a strong basis to our partnership.
Thailand is a trusted and valued friend, and one of our closest partners in Southeast Asia.
Friends,
Today, Prime Minister and I reviewed the full range of our bilateral engagement:
From culture to commerce;
From closer contacts between our peoples to deeper connectivity; and From counter-terrorism to defence and security.
We are both aware that rapid spread of terrorism and radical ideology poses a common challenge to both our societies.
And, we also recognize that our close security partnership would help us to secure our peoples from these threats.
In our shared objective to combat these challenges, India is
particularly grateful to Thailand for its assistance and cooperation.
Beyond terrorism, we have agreed to further deepen our security
engagement in the fields of cyber security, narcotics, transnational
economic offenses and human trafficking.
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Friends,
The land frontiers of our two countries are not far apart.
And, we are also maritime neighbours.
So, Prime Minister and I have agreed to forge a closer partnership in the fields of defence and maritime cooperation.
A partnership to meet our bilateral interests ; and to respond to our shared regional goals.
And a partnership, which will be shaped by:
Sharing of expertise and experiences;
Greater staff exchanges and more exercises;
Cooperation on counter-piracy on seas;
Deeper engagement in naval patrolling; and Building linkages in the field of defence R&D and production.
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Friends,
Trade and commerce flows are an important lifeline of the interdependent world today.
Excellency and I agree that a more diversified commercial engagement
between us would not only benefit both our economies. It would also
enable greater regional economic prosperity.
In this context, we welcome the first meeting of the India-Thailand
Joint Business Forum to be held later today. We encourage them, and the
other business-sector stakeholders, to take lead in tapping the emerging
business opportunities in both our countries.
Alongside trade, there are also ample avenues for greater manufacturing and investment linkages.
We see a particular synergy between Thai strengths in infrastructure,
particularly tourism infrastructure, and India's priorities in this
field.
Information Technology, pharmaceuticals, auto-components, and machinery are some other areas of promising collaboration.
We also see early conclusion of a balanced Comprehensive Economic and Partnership Agreement as our shared priority.
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Friends,
Prime Minister and I are fully aware that smooth flow of goods,
services, capital and human resources between our economies needs a
strong network of air, land and sea links.
We have, therefore, prioritized completion of India-Myanmar-Thailand
Trilateral highway; and early signing of the Motor Vehicles Agreement
between our three countries.
Connectivity is also an area of priority for India’s development.
Improving access to Southeast Asia from our Northeastern States benefits both our peoples.
Friends,
Stronger connectivity is essential not just for expanding bilateral
trade ties. It also brings our people closer and facilitates enhanced
science, education, culture and tourism cooperation.
Next year, to commemorate the seventy years of establishment of our
diplomatic relations, we will celebrate Festival of India in Thailand,
and Festival of Thailand in India.
This year, India is also celebrating one hundred and twenty-fifth
birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of Indian
Constitution.
I am delighted that the Indian Constitution will soon be translated into Thai language.
I am also happy to announce that to welcome more tourists from
Thailand to India, and to help them enjoy their visits to Buddhist sites
in India, we will soon facilitate double entry e-tourist visas for
citizens of Thailand.
Excellency,
India has always deeply appreciated the warmth and affection of the Royal Family of Thailand for India.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has been a frequent and very welcome visitor to India.
We look forward to welcoming her in India again later this year.
We also look forward to the honour of receiving His Royal Highness
Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn in India at his earliest convenience.
In conclusion, let me say that the convergence of Thailand's 'Look
West', and India's 'Act East' policy lights the path to a bright future
of our partnership.
Excellency, let me once again welcome you and your delegation to India.
मेरी दृष्टि से यह एक ऐतिहासिक अवसर है। शायद दुनिया में बहुत कम ऐसे
अवसर आते होंगे कि आधुनिक विज्ञान के माध्यम से दो देश के प्रधानमंत्री एक
मुख्यमंत्री के साथ मिल करके किसी योजना का लोकार्पण करते हो| इस दृष्टि
से यह एक बड़ा यह महत्वपूर्ण मैं अवसर मानता हूं। प्रधानमंत्री जी ने अपने
अभिभाषण के माध्यम से उन्होंने इस बात को आगे बढ़ाया, हौसला बढ़ाया मैं
इसके लिए आपका बहुत-बहुत धन्यवाद करता हूं।बंगबंधु शेख मुजिबुर रहमान जी
का भारत के साथ नाता बड़ा अटूट रहा। आपने भी उन संकट के दिनों में मानवता
के उस काम में भारत किस प्रकार से आपके दुख दर्द का भागीदार बना इसको हमेशा
याद किया है और भारत के प्रति आभार भी व्यक्त किया है। आज भी उस भावनाओं
को उसी तीव्रता के साथ आप प्रकट कर रही है।
वो दिन थे जब दुख, दर्द और पीड़ा से भरा बंगलादेश था। आज बंगलादेश
ऊंचाईयों की ओर जा रहा है। तब भी हम कंधे से कंधा मिला करके आपके साथ चल
रहे हैं, आप हमारे साथ चल रहे हैं। हम दोनों मिल करके दुनिया के सामने एक
मिसाल रख रहे हैं कि पड़ोसियों के साथ संबंध किस प्रकार के हो सकते हैं।
Inter dependent world को साकार करने के उत्तम से उत्तम मार्ग कौन से हो
सकते हैं और मैं देख रहा हूं कि एक के बाद एक सहयात्रा के सहयोग के हमारे
प्रयास बहुत ही उत्तम प्रकार के परिणाम देने का सामर्थ्य रखते हैं। और
मैं इस अवसर को उस रूप में देखता हूं और मुझे विश्वास है कि ग्लोबल
community एक छोटे से कमरों में वीडियो कैमरा के द्वारा हो रहे इस
कार्यक्रम को एक वैश्विक स्तर पर भी इस घटना को देखेगी, ऐसा मुझे पूरा
विश्वास है।
आज की घटना- बिजली भारत से बंगलादेश जा रही है। एक नई उर्जा, विकास की
उर्जा का यह अवसर है। दूसरी तरफ हमारे पास एक ऐसा गेटवे खुल रहा है।
क्योंकि अब तक हमारा डिजिटल वर्ल्ड में एंट्री के जो दो हमारे गेटवे थे,
वो एक पश्चिम में था एक दक्षिण में था। लेकिन हमारा पूरब अछूता था। और मैं
Act East पॉलिसी को ले करके चल रहा हूं तब मेरे लिए यह पूरब का गेटवे बहुत
महत्वपूर्ण है। और बंगलादेश के साथ मिल करके डिजिटल वर्ल्ड का पूरब का
गेटवे खुलना यह अपने आप में, भारत के पूर्वी इलाके में और विशेषकर असम,
नॉर्थ ईस्ट including त्रिपुरा और सिक्किम यह हमारा जो अष्ट लक्ष्मी का
प्रदेश है। वहां के नौजवानों के लिए यह एक नई चेतना जगाने वाला अवसर बनने
वाला है। और आज की दुनिया communication की ताकत पर चलती है। communication
की ताकत को बढ़ावा देने का यह अवसर है। और इसलिए आपने हमें जो सहयोग दिया,
जो सुविधा दी उसके लिए मैं आपका आभार व्यकत करता हूं।
आने वाले दिनों में बिजली के संबंध में भी जो transmission लाइनें डाली
जा रही है हमने पहले से ही उसकी capacity ज्यादा रखी है ताकि आने वाले
दिनों में जैसी उसकी आवश्यकता पड़े और हम जितना ज्यादा आपके साथ मिलकर के
ऊर्जा के क्षेत्र में काम कर सकें। हमारा निरंतर प्रयास रहेगा और मैं आज के
इस अवसर पर, मैं इसको बड़ा महत्वपूर्ण मानता हूं और कुछ दिन पहले हमने
Road connectivity का सफल प्रयास आगे बढ़ाया बांग्लादेश, नेपाल, भारत और
भूटान। आज हम बिजली के माध्यम से एक नई ऊर्जा दे रहे हैं और हम 21 वीं सदी
की महत्वपूर्ण connectivity वो digital connectivity को जोड़ रहे हैं। यानि
जल हो, थल हो, नभ हो। अब बांग्लादेश और भारत जुड़ते ही चले जा रहे हैं और
कंधे से कंधा मिलाकर के आगे चले जा रहे हैं और जैसा मैंने आकर के कहा था।
अब हमें Space में भी आगे साथ-साथ बढ़ना है। बंग-बंधु Satellite, भारत
की दिली इच्छा है कि बंग-बंधु Satellite में भी जैसे Road में भी हम आपके
साथ जुड़े हैं, जैसे जल में हम आपके साथ जुड़े हैं, जैसे Digital दुनिया
में हम आपके साथ जुड़े हैं, Space में भी आपके साथ जुड़कर के आगे बढ़ना
चाहते हैं। मैं फिर एक बार आपको बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं देता हूं और विशेष
रूप से आज भारत होली का उत्सव मना रहा है। होली हमारे यहां एक बड़ा पवित्र
त्योहार माना जाता है, बांग्लादेश में भी कुछ भू-भाग है जहां पर होली का
त्योहार मनाया जाता है और होली के इस पवित्र त्योहार पर ये अवसर अपने आप
में हमारे संबंधों को नए रंगों से भर देगा और एक नई ऊर्जा और नई
connectivity का कारण बनेगा।
आज
एक और भी महत्वपूर्ण अवसर है और आज वो महत्वपूर्ण अवसर है बांग्लादेश और
भारत T-20 का मैच आज है। मैं दोनों टीमों को बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं देता हूं
और भारत और बांग्लादेश जब खेलते हैं हमारे नौजवान तो sports का जय-पराजय
से ऊपर उठकर के संबंधों में sportsman spirit की ताकत पैदा होती है। जैसे
बिजली नई ताकत देती है, हमारी sportsman spirit भी नई ताकत देती है। आज उसी
sportsman spirit के साथ हमारी दोनों टीमें खेलें और दुनिया के अंदर
sportsman spirit का नजारा दिखाएं। मेरी दोनों टीमों को बहुत-बहुत शुभकामना
है। आपका भी बहुत-बहुत धन्यवाद करता हूं।
Madam Lagarde, My Cabinet colleague Shri Jaitley, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I warmly welcome you all to India and to Delhi. Delhi is a city with a rich heritage, and has several historical landmarks. I hope you will have time to see some of them.
I am very happy that the IMF has collaborated with us in organizing this conference. Madam Lagarde, this event is another example of your fondness for India and Asia. I congratulate you on being appointed as Managing Director for a second term. This reflects the confidence the world has in your understanding of the global economy, and your ability to lead this institution. Madam Lagarde, the long pending quota revisions agreed in 2010 have finally come into effect. The quotas of emerging countries will now better reflect their weight in the world economy. This will give them more say in collective decisions in the IMF. You have demonstrated exceptional leadership, in managing the tensions that emerged due to the delay. You played a major role in finally persuading all members to ratify the decisions taken in 2010.
I am sure, the IMF will be able to build on this success. Reform of global institutions has to be an on-going process. It must reflect changes in the global economy, and the rising share of emerging economies. Even now, IMF quotas do not reflect the global economic realities. Change in quotas is not an issue of increasing the ‘power’ of certain countries. It is an issue of fairness and legitimacy. The belief that quotas can be changed, is essential for the fairness of the system. For poor nations to respect the legitimacy of such institutions, they must be able to aspire and to hope. I am, therefore, very happy that the IMF has decided to finalize the next round of quota changes by October 2017.
India has always had great faith in multi-lateralism. We believe that as
the world becomes more complex, the role of multilateral institutions
will increase. Some of you may not be aware that India was represented
at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944, which gave birth to the IMF.
India’s delegate was Mr. R.K. Shanmukham Chetty, who later became
independent India’s first Finance Minister. Our ties, therefore, are
more than seventy years old. We are a Founding Member of the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank. We are
confident that these banks will play an important role in the
development of Asia.
The Fund has built up an immense stock of economic expertise. All its
members should take advantage of this. All of us need to pursue policies
that provide a stable macro economy, enhance growth and further
inclusion. The Fund can be of great assistance in this.
Apart
from advice, the IMF can help in building capacity for policy making. I
am happy to announce a new partnership with Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and the IMF. We have agreed to set up
the South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Centre. The
centre will provide training to government and public sector employees.
It will enhance their skills and improve the quality of their policy
inputs. It will also provide technical assistance to governments and
public institutions.
Let me now turn to the theme of this
conference. I will touch on two issues: firstly, “Why Asia?” And
secondly, “How India”? Why is Asia so important, and how can India
contribute?
Many knowledgeable people have said that the twenty
first century is, and will be, the Asian Century. Three out of every
five people in the world live in Asia. Its share in global output and
trade is now close to one-third. Its share in global foreign direct
investment is about forty percent. It has also been one of the world’s
most dynamic regions. Although Asia has slowed down, it is still growing
at a rate three times greater than that of the advanced countries. It
is, therefore, the ray of hope for global economic recovery.
When we think about Asia, we must recognize that it is distinct in many ways.
For
example, the theme of this conference is ‘Investing for the Future’.
Asian Families tend naturally to save more than people in other parts of
the world. Thus they invest for the future. Economists have commented
on the savings ethic of Asian countries. Asians tend to save to buy a
house, rather than borrow to buy a house.
Many Asian countries
have relied more on developmental financial institutions and banks than
on capital markets. This provides an alternative model for the financial
sector.
Social stability built on strong family values is
another feature of Asia’s development. Asians tend to leave things
behind for the next generation.
Madam Lagarde, you are one of
the world’s top women leaders. You will be interested in another unique
feature of Asia which is rarely commented upon: which is, the large
number of women leaders. India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan,
Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Myanmar, and Philippines: All of these
countries have had women as national leaders. Asia has done so to a much
greater degree than other continents. Today, four large states of India
– West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan – are headed by
democratically elected women. The Speaker of the Lower House of
Parliament in India is also a woman.
India has a special place
in Asia. It has historically contributed to Asia in several ways.
Buddhism spread to China, Japan, and other parts of South East Asia from
India. It has had a lasting influence on the continent’s culture.
Kingdoms in the South and West of India have engaged in maritime trade
with other parts of Asia for over a thousand years. The Indian national
movement showed other Asian countries that freedom from colonial rule
could be achieved without violence. It also demonstrated clearly that
the sense of nationhood, could be broad and inclusive. It need not be
defined by narrow linguistic or religious identities. The Sanskrit
saying “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – the world is one family - refers to
this sense of the oneness of all identities.
India has dispelled
the myth that democracy and rapid economic growth cannot go together.
India’s growth rate of over seven per cent is being achieved in a
country that is also a vibrant democracy. It is sometimes assumed that
democracy is a colonial gift to India. But historians tell us that India
had produced forms of democratic self governance, many centuries ago,
when democracy was unknown in many parts of the world.
India has
also shown that a large, diverse country can be managed in a way that
can promote economic growth and maintain social stability. One way in
which we are doing this is through cooperative and competitive
federalism. The states and the Centre come together to pursue common
objectives. States which pursue good policies and deliver essential
services for the poor, induce others to follow.
Our rapid
economic growth is also very distinct in Asia. We have never tried to
gain in trade at the expense of our partners. We do not follow “beggar
thy neighbour” macro-economic policies. We have never undervalued our
exchange rate. We add to world and Asian demand by running current
account deficits. We are therefore good Asian and good global economic
citizens, and a source of demand to our trading partners.
We all
want Asia to succeed. I firmly believe that India can contribute to
Asian prosperity and development by being economically strong. Amid
global problems, I am happy to say that India is a haven of
macro-economic stability and a beacon of hope, dynamism and opportunity.
Madam Lagarde, you have referred to India as the “bright spot” in the
global economy. I view this as a great privilege and, at the same time, a
major responsibility. Let me outline our achievements in the last few
months and our priorities for the period ahead.
We have achieved
major gains in macro-economic stability. A durable reduction in
inflation, steady fiscal consolidation, a comfortable balance of
payments position and build-up of foreign exchange reserves are the
highlights.
In a difficult external environment and despite a
second successive year of weak rainfall, we have increased our growth
rate to 7.6 per cent, the highest among major economies in the world.
We
have improved our economic governance. Corruption and interference in
the decisions of banks and regulators are now behind us.
We
undertook a highly successful financial inclusion programme, bringing
over two hundred million unbanked people into the banking system within a
span of a few months.
Thanks to our financial inclusion
programme, we now have the world’s largest and most successful programme
of direct benefit transfers, in cooking gas. We plan to extend it to
other sectors such as food, kerosene, and fertilizers. This has improved
targeting and the quality of public expenditure.
We have opened up nearly all sectors of our economy to FDI.
India achieved the highest ever rank in the World Bank Doing Business indicators in 2015.
India reached an all-time high in many physical indicators in 2015, including
the
production of coal, electricity, urea, fertilizer and motor vehicles;
cargo handled at major ports and the fastest turnaround time in ports; award of new highway kilometers; software export;
Entrepreneurship
is booming, following a series of steps we have taken. India is now
fourth in the world in the number of technical start-ups, after USA,
Britain and Israel. The Economist magazine has called India the new
frontier for E-Commerce.
We do not intend to rest on these
achievements because my agenda of “reform-to-transform” still needs to
be finished. Our recent budget provides a roadmap for our future plans
and ambitions. Our underlying philosophy is clear: To create the climate
for wealth generation and for that wealth to be spread to all Indians,
especially the poor, vulnerable, farmers, and disadvantaged communities.
We have increased investment in the
rural and agriculture sector, because that is where a majority of India
still lives. But our help to the farmers is not based on giving
hand-outs. We aim to double farmer incomes by:
• increasing irrigation,
• better water management,
• creating rural assets,
• boosting productivity,
• improving marketing,
• reducing margins of middlemen,
• and avoiding income shocks.
We are introducing reforms in agricultural marketing and have launched a major crop insurance programme.
In
addition to agriculture, we have increased public investment in roads
and railways. This will improve the productivity of the economy and the
connectivity of our people. Public investment is also essential at a
time when private investment remains weak.
We have also made
other reforms that will help create wealth and economic opportunity.
Given the enormous entrepreneurial potential in the country, my motto is
Start Up India and Stand Up India. The budget has provided a further
boost to the ecosystem for start-ups.
Ensuring employability of
the youth is essential for the success of our Make-in-India campaign.
The Government of India has an ambitious agenda for skilling our labour
force. Skill creation of the magnitude that we have envisaged, involves
institution building, which we have undertaken. Now, we have a skill
development programme that cuts across twenty-nine sectors and with a
nation-wide coverage.
India is a responsible global citizen in
protecting the planet. India played a positive role at the COP 21
Summit. Between now and 2030, we intend to re-write history by growing
rapidly and also reducing the emission intensity of our GDP by
thirty-three per cent. By then, forty per cent of our installed electric
power capacity will be from non-fossil fuel. We will build an
additional carbon sink of over 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalent by 2030, by creating additional forest and tree cover. These
initiatives are from a country with very low per capita land
availability and a low base of per capita emission. We have taken the
lead in launching an international solar alliance, involving 121
solar-resource rich countries falling between the Tropic of Cancer and
the Tropic of Capricorn. This will help many developing countries,
including those in Asia, to take advantage of developments in renewable
energy. India has moved from a regime of significant carbon subsidy to
one of carbon taxes. India is one of the few countries to have a carbon
tax in the form of a cess on coal. The Coal cess has been doubled in the
Budget of 2016-17.
India has a number of cooperative
initiatives in Asia. We are transforming the ‘Look East Policy’, into an
‘Act East Policy. Our approach to cooperation is based on flexible
geometry. We have integrated in different ways and at different speeds
with our neighbours in South Asia, our partners in ASEAN, and our
partners in Singapore, Japan, and Korea. We intend to continue doing so.
My dream is of a Transformed India. I lay this dream alongside
our common dream of an Advanced Asia – an Asia where more than half of
the global population can live with happiness and fulfillment. Our joint
heritage and mutual respect, our common goals and similar policies, can
and must create sustainable growth and shared prosperity.
Once again, I welcome you all to India. I wish the Conference all success.
