From hailing budget to Aatmanirbhar push: PM Modi’s top quotes from Niti Aayog address

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the sixth meeting of the Governing Council of Niti Aayog on Saturday, where he hailed the budget presented by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier this month. 

“The kind of positive response that has come on this year's budget, it has expressed what the mood of the nation is. The country has made up its mind. The country wants to move fast, the country does not want to waste time now,” he said at the meeting. 

Modi renewed his pitch for a self-reliant nation that not fulfils its own needs but also caters to the requirements of the people across the world. “Self-reliant India campaign is the way to build an India that produces not only for its needs but also for the world, and these products also meet the test of world superiority,” he said at the virtual meet attended by chief ministers of states and Union territories (UTs), Union ministers, vice chairperson Rajiv Kumar, member and CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant, and other senior government officials.

Here are top quotes from the Prime Minister’s address:

* We have seen during the “corona period” that when the state and the central government worked together, the country succeeded.

* The private sector of the country is coming forward with more enthusiasm in the development journey of the country. As a government, we have to respect this enthusiasm, the energy of the private sector and give it equal opportunity in the self-reliant India campaign.

* The central government has introduced production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes for various sectors. This is an excellent opportunity to increase manufacturing in the country. States should also take full advantage of this scheme and attract maximum investment in themselves. 

* A holistic approach has been adopted over the years, from agriculture to animal husbandry and fisheries. As a result of this, in the era of corona, the country's agricultural exports have increased significantly. We have a lot of untapped potential in this sector. Wastage of our products should be as less as possible and we must thus concentrate on storage and processing.

*For India's businesses, we must try and better ease of doing business. It will help us grab global opportunities. For India's citizens, we must try and better ease of living. It will help us in achieving the aspirations of Indians and make their lives better.