Amid Turkey, Azerbaijan boycott calls, PM Modi makes BIG statement, says...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged all countrymen to reduce dependence on foreign-made goods and use domestic products instead. He said this was crucial to achieve India's goal of becoming a developed nation and the world’s third-largest economy by 2047. He made the statement at an event in Gandhinagar during a two-day visit to his homestate Gujarat. 

"On 26th May 2014, I took the oath as the Prime Minister for the first time. At that time, India's economy was at the 11th position...Today, India has become the world's fourth-largest economy. It is a matter of pride for all of us that we have now surpassed Japan...I still remember the excitement across the country when we moved from sixth to fifth place, especially among the youth. The reason was that India had overtaken the United Kingdom, the very nation that ruled over us for 250 years," PM Modi said in his address.

He added, "The pressure of becoming the third (largest economy) is more than the happiness of becoming the fourth (largest economy). The country is not ready to wait. If someone asks to wait, the slogan is raised 'Modi hai toh mumkin hai'...Our goal is clear, by 2047, India must be a Viksit nation. No compromise. We will not mark 100 years of independence casually. We will celebrate it in such a manner that the flag of a Viksit Bharat will fly high across the world."

The PM further said that we must encourage traders to avoid selling foreign-made items. "Unfortunately, even Ganesh idols come from overseas, small-eyed Ganesh idols whose eyes don't even open properly. For Operation Sindoor, as a citizen, I have a task for you: go home and make a list of how many foreign products you use in 24 hours."

On Friday evening, addressing a press conference of the 10th NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting on 'Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat 2047', NITI Aayog CEO Subrahmanyam said that India had overtaken Japan to become the world's fourth-largest economy. Citing data from the International Monetary Fund, the CEO of India's apex think tank stated that India's economy had reached the USD 4 trillion mark.

(With inputs from news agency ANI).