Source HT
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a rousing keynote address at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS) 2025 on Saturday, declaring that India stands in a “different league,” brimming with confidence and writing “stories of growth” even as the world grapples with a crisis of uncertainties.
Speaking at the 23rd edition of the summit, themed “Transforming Tomorrow,” the Prime Minister highlighted India’s resilience amid global challenges, pointing to the economic turbulence, the financial crisis, and the global pandemic that have marked the first quarter of the 21st century.
📈 Economic Momentum and Global Confidence
PM Modi underscored India’s sustained economic momentum as the root of its self-assurance.
High Growth, Low Inflation: He cited India’s Quarter 2 GDP growth rate of 8.2\% as evidence of strengthening fundamentals. “When global growth is around 3\% and the G7 economies are growing at an average of about 1.5\%, India has become a model of high growth and low inflation,” the Prime Minister stated.
A Pillar of Trust: The PM contrasted India’s position with the prevailing global mood. “When the world talks about slowdown, India continues to script a story of growth… when the world faces a trust crisis, India becomes a pillar of trust,” he asserted.
🚀 Unleashing Untapped Potential
The Prime Minister emphasized that current reforms are driven by a ‘nation first’ policy and are unlocking potential across sectors that had long remained underutilised.
Proactive Reforms: He noted that reforms, such as the direct tax system overhaul resulting in zero tax on incomes up to ₹12 lakh, are no longer “reactionary” responses to a crisis but are proactively driven by a national vision.
New Growth Engines: PM Modi pointed to the rapid advancements in the Space sector, the empowerment of ‘Nari Shakti’ (women power), and the technological advancement in Tier 2, Tier 3 cities, and villages as critical components of the national transformation. He noted that India has also emerged as one of the world’s largest defence exporters.
🎯 Call to Shed ‘Colonial Mindset’
A central theme of the address was the need to overcome the lingering effects of the colonial past. PM Modi set a ten-year deadline for the nation to eradicate the “colonial mindset.”
“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, citing the year 2035—the 200th anniversary of Macaulay’s education policy—as the target to fully overcome the “mindset of slavery.”
The Prime Minister’s impactful address concluded the three-day summit, which also saw participation from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and other national and international dignitaries.
