India leading global climate action despite contributing marginally to climate change: Modi

New Delhi: India is leading the global movement against climate change despite contributing marginally to the problem, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, citing its plans for growth focused on “stability, sustainability and solutions.”

The greening of industries as well as green jobs are the future, Modi said, adding that green transition is the focus of India’s growth trajectory led by schemes related to electric vehicles, green hydrogen, ethanol blending and rooftop solar installations, among other things.

Modi said India’s push for electric vehicles, the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana and solar pump schemes for agriculture, ethanol blending, large wind energy farms, LED lights, solar-powered airports and biogas plants reflect a strong commitment to a green future and green jobs.

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Along with resolving domestic issues, India is also focused on addressing global concerns on climate change, the prime minister told the NDTV World Summit. 

He said that over the past decade, India has worked on numerous initiatives essential for tackling these challenges, including the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, the India-Middle East Economic Corridor, the Global Biofuel Alliance, as well as efforts in yoga, ayurveda, Mission Life and Mission Millets. “All these initiatives represent India’s commitment to finding solutions to the world’s pressing issues,” he said.

Modi also spoke about India’s growth in the technology sector, which led to democratization of services and financial inclusion in the country.

He praised the country’s digital public infrastructure, including platforms such as Aadhar, Digilocker, and ONDC, and hailed the success of the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) with over 500 million transactions daily.

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India has provided a new model to the world by democratizing technology and highlighted the JAM trinity—Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile—which provides a robust system for faster and leakage-free service delivery, he added.

He also said the PM Gati Shakti platform for infrastructure projects had helped reduce construction in silos and changed the logistics ecosystem. 

Modi mentioned the launch of India AI Mission this year and laid emphasis on increasing the use of AI across sectors like healthcare, education and startups. “India is committed to delivering world-class AI solutions, and through platforms like Quad, we are taking significant initiatives to drive this forward,” he said.

Modi said AI also stood for “Aspirational India,” adding that the middle class, general citizens, enhancing the quality of life, and empowering small businesses, MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), youth, and women are at the heart of the government’s policymaking process.

The prime minister pointed out the enthusiasm of experts like Mark Mobius, who advised global funds to invest at least 50% of their funds in India’s share market. “When such seasoned experts advocate for major investments in India, it sends a strong message about our potential.”

Noting the completion of 125 days of the third term of the government, Modi threw light on the work done in the country. He stated that 500,000 homes had installed rooftop solar plants under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which provides free electricity to households.

He said India’s forex chest had risen to $700 billion. 

“Our goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 is not just a vision of the government but reflects the aspirations of 140 crore Indians. It’s no longer just a campaign for public participation, but a movement of national confidence,” Modi said.

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On the topic of youth empowerment, Modi highlighted the government’s focus on education, skill development, research and employment. He said that the result of the efforts in the last 10 years are now visible and mentioned India’s highest improvement globally in research quality as reflected in the latest Times Higher Education ranking. 

He noted that the participation of Indian universities in international rankings has grown from 30 to over 100 in the past eight-nine years. The prime minister underlined that India’s presence in the QS World University Rankings has increased by more than 300% in the last 10 years while the number of patents and trademarks filed in India is also at an all-time high.