HTLS 2025: PM Modi sets 10-year deadline to ‘get rid of colonial mindset’ | Highlights

On the contribution of ‘nari shakti’ in the development of India, PM Modi said, “Our daughters are making their mark in every field... transforming both the thinking and capabilities of the society... When obstacles are removed, new wings are also added to fly in the sky.”

Adding to the above, PM Modi said one example of it is India's space sector, adding that it was under government control earlier, but was opened for private sector under his leadership.

The results, he said, entire country can see.

Listing the milestones of the government in 2025, PM Modi called the direct tax system “a big reform”.

“Zero tax on incomes up to ₹12 lakh - a reform which could not even be imagined a decade ago,” PM Modi said.

HTLS 2025: Adding more on his aspect of freeing India from the mindset of slavery due to its colonial past, PM Modi on Saturday set a 10-year deadline.

“We have to make the country rid of the colonial mindset from every corner. I want to take the citizens forward with the vision for the next 10 years,” he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

“We are completing 200 years of colonialism in 2035, and we have ten years to get there. And in these 10 years, we have to rid the country of this colonial mindset,” the PM added further.

In his speech, Modi referred to 2035 as the target year to overcome the "mindset of slavery" from the colonial era. This reference cites the 200th anniversary of Macaulay's education policy.

Macaulay's Minute on Indian Education was established in 1835 during the British Raj by Thomas Babington Macaulay. In this policy, the Englishman advocated for English as the sole medium of instruction in India, promoting Western science and literature, and creating a class of Indians “loyal to British interests."

Speaking at HTLS 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the citizen's trust in the government is its “biggest aspect.”

“Today, in the country's banks, Rs78,000 crore of our citizens own money is lying unclaimed. We don't know who this money belongs to, it is just there. Insurance companies have Rs14,000 crore, Dividend has ₹9,000 crore. And all this money is unclaimed; there's no owner,” said PM Modi.

He added that this money belongs to the poor and middle-class people and his government is “trying to find who this money belongs to, because we want to find the rightful owner of this money.”

“Till now, camps have been held in around 500 districts to identify the owners of this money and we have given back several thousands of the cash back to them. This is not just about the return of asset, this is about trust,” the PM added.

HTLS 2025: Speaking on some of the reforms brought forth by the Modi government, the prime minister took a jibe at previous government and stated that the earlier systems “did not have faith in their own citizens”.

He recalled how earlier citizens had to get their own documents attested from government officials.

“Our government broke that way of working. A citizen's self-attested document is enough to prove its authenticity,” the PM said while speaking at the 23rd edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit

HTLS 2025: Speaking at the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday slammed the linking of the Hindu faith with the rate of growth in the country.

Stating that the entire country was given the tag of being “unproductive”, PM Modi said - “The term Hindu rate of growth was used when India was struggling for 2-3% of growth. The entire society was given the tag of unproductivity, poverty. There were attempts to prove that the reason for the slow progress of India is Hindu sabhyata, Hindu culture.”

"Was communalism not seen then? PM Modi said while slamming slave mentality due to India's colonial past.

Speaking at the HT Leadership Summit 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that even after 79 years of independence, India is still working towards freedom from the mindset of colonialism.

“India's self-confidence had been shaken by the 'mentality of colonialism'. We are now moving ahead of it,” said PM Modi.

Speaking at the HT leadership Summit 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the current reforms made in India are made by national goals.

“It is important to discuss another change that India has brought on. Reforms used to be reactionary in India - they would be brought on to score political points or manage a crisis. But now, reform is a given - in every sector, we are growing at a constant pace. Our intent is nation first,” said PM Modi.

Speaking at HTLS 2025, the prime minister highlighted the technological advancement across India and its various corners.

“Today our villages, and smaller cities are also getting the latest technological advancements. Smaller cities have now become hubs of MSMEs. Farmers in villagers are now connecting to a global hub,” he said, adding that Indian women are also “establishing their might globally”.

HTLS 2025: Citing the theme of HT Leadership Summit ‘Transforming Tomorrow’, PM Modi said on Saturday that India's growth is not limited to figures, but also reflects in the change in mentality, resillence and more.

“It's not just about figures, this is a fundamental change that India has brought about in the last decade. This is a change of resilience, it is a change of building a mentality to find solutions, it is a change of aspirations. India is not only transforming today, but is also transforming the tomorrow that is about to come,” said PM Modi during the summit.

HTLS 2025: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that India in 2025 has shown a strong macroeconomic signal, helping the country become the growth driver of global economy.

“When global growth is at 3 per cent, the economies of G7 countries are somewhere near 1.5 per cent. India is the model of high growth and low inflation,” the prime minister said at HTLS 2025.

As per Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is moving towards a path of self-confidence which has allowed the country to emerge as a pillar of trust.

“We are at a juncture, where 1/th of the 21st century has passed and the world has seen many ups and downs - financial crisis, global pandemic tc... these situations in some way or the other challenged the world... today the world is full of uncertainties, but amid this our India is appearing in a different league.. India is full of self confidence,” said PM Modi speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025.

“When world talks about slowdown, India writes stories of growth.. when faces trust crisis, India becomes a pillar of trust,” he added further.

Speaking at the 23rd edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday recalled the legacy of Hindustan Times as the newspaper marks 100 years of publication.

Citing the the theme of the Summit, transforming tomorrow, PM Modi said “I believe if a newspaper in this country - which has a history of 101 years - is talking about transforming tomorrow, it is a testimony of the transforming thinking and direction ongoing in India."

Top foreign policy analyst Michael Kugelman said on Saturday that the “onus is on the United States” to repair its relationship with India and “win back its goodwill”, after Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policy.

The Trump administration "squandered a huge amount of trust” with India by imposing massive trade tariffs, said Kugelman, Senior Fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council, Washington DC. He was speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025 in New Delhi. Read more here

HTLS 2025: 'It was Yamuna water': Delhi CM breaks silence on 'clean' Vasudev Ghat Chhath enclosure row

Speaking at the 23rd edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Gupta, responding to a question on the pond controversy at Vasudev Ghat, said, "The Opposition just wants to create a story. Eleven years they governed the city, stopped celebrations of Chhath and did not recognise that the faith of thousands of people is attached to it."

CM Gupta said that the pool, which was made as a result, carried the water of the Yamuna River. Unlike the opposition's claim of the enclosure having clean water, it was Yamuna water. Read more here

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that the stay in India of ousted former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity last month in her country, depends on the 'certain circumstance' under which she came to New Delhi in August last year.

Speaking at the 23rd Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Jaishankar responded to a question on whether Hasina could stay in the country for as long as she wants, and said, "That's a different issue, isn't it?"

"And, you know, I think that circumstance clearly sort of is a factor in what happens to her. But again, that is something which she has to make up her mind," Jaishankar added.

HTLS 2025: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to deliver the keynote address at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

In a post on X, he said, “At around 6:30 PM this evening, will speak at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. The theme of this year’s Summit is #TransformingTomorrow. #HTLS2025”

HTLS 2025: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday that the government's next focus of reforms includes an overhaul of the custom duty system.

“We made sure that income tax is no longer a tiresome exercise,” she cited as an example, recalling that the I-T regime was often earlier termed “tax terrorism”.

“The commentary used to be that income tax rates are not the problem — ‘yes, we want lower and lower rates’ — but it is the tax administration which causes the problem,” the senior BJP leader said.

Sitharaman was speaking at the 23rd Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi on Saturday. Click here to read more.

HTLS 2025: As we near the end of the 23rd edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, the last speaker of the day will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

HTLS' Day 3 was lined up with prominent speakers ranging from actor Aamir Khan to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

In the session, Aamir answered a question posed by his fans about his film with Lokesh Kanagaraj. “Lokesh and I are supposed to meet up. There will be a narration. That is, as of now, on the cards,” he shared.

The actor also touched upon his selective nature while doing films. He explained, “My intention is to do one film a year. But woh hoti hi nahi hai (It just does not happen). I don't know what to do. I'll try. I can't do a film if I don't like it. But I'll try.”

Aamir, who is in a relationship with Gauri Spratt, talked about finding love again in his late 50s. “I didn't think I would get into a relationship. I thought I would never find someone who could be my partner,” he said, while talking about Gauri.

When asked what she brings to his life, Aamir reflected on his relationship as well as his marriages to Reena Dutta and Kiran Rao. “I am lucky to have met her (Gauri). I feel fortunate that our marriages may not have worked, but I am lucky to have met Reena, Kiran, and now Gauri. These are women who have had a deep impact on me,” he said.

Aamir recalled how he was unhappy with the work he was doing immediately after the release and success of his debut, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. “I was very unhappy with the work I was doing in the first 2-3 years of my career. My sensibility did not match with the people I was working with,” he said.

Aamir recalled how he had signed 8-9 films at the time, and he realised they were not up to the mark. “The films released and they started bombing. I was labelled one film wonder by the media, and rightly so,” he recalled.

Contemplating on that low phase of his career, Aamir said, “I thought I was sunk, my career will go down the drain. I was so unhappy that I would come home and cry. I swore to myself I would never compromise with my work. Until the director, script, and producer are good, I would not sign another film.”

Aamir Khan spoke about how the industry needs to create a window for pay-per-view after theatrical release, and before OTT release. “I was doing it alone, not as an industry move. It would be nice if the industry tries to create a window for pay-per-view. It will benefit everyone,” he said.

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is the next guest at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. One of the most popular and successful film stars of his generation, Aamir has been dubbed 'Mr Perfectionist' by fans for his adherence to the method and perfection. He has starred in some of the most acclaimed as well as highest-grossing Hindi films of all time in a 37-year career.

Aamir is in conversation with Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor - Entertainment and Lifestyle, Hindustan Times.

On being asked for a timeline for improvement in the pollution levels across Delhi, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the government is working with dedication to end the pollution crisis.

Adding to this, while speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025, the CM said an exact timeline cannot be given.