India’s biggest enemy is its dependence on other nations; self-reliance only remedy: PM Modi

Prime Minister PM Narendra Modi on Saturday said that Indiarsquos main adversary is its dependence on other nations as he made a strong pitch for lsquoAatmanirbharta selfreliancersquo and called for indigenous production of everything from semiconductor chips to ships news agency PTI reportedSpeaking at the lsquoSamudra se Samruddhirsquo event where he inaugurated and laid foundation stones of projects worth Rs 34200 crore PM Modi said all the problems of India have only one solution and that is selfrelianceldquoIndia is moving forward with the spirit of global brotherhood and India has no major enemy in the world today but in true terms Indiarsquos biggest adversary is dependence on other nationsrdquo the PM stated emphasising that this dependence must be collectively defeatedHe asserted that greater foreign dependence leads to greater national failure reported PTIldquoFor global peace stability and prosperity the worldrsquos most populous country must become selfreliantrdquo PM Modi said cautioning that reliance on others compromises national selfrespectldquoThe future of 140 crore Indians cannot be left to external forces nor can the resolve for national development be based on foreign dependence The future of the coming generations cannot be left to others If the country with a population of 140 crore is dependent on others it compromises national selfrespectrdquo he addedDrawing an analogy the PM remarked ldquoAs per a popular saying pain of 100 kinds has only one remedy similarly all problems of India have one solution and that is aatmanirbharta selfreliancerdquoHe also took a jibe at Congress and said that the talent of young people was suppressed after Independence by the then ruling party which brought in the ldquolicense rajrdquoldquoAs a result of consistently ignoring inherent strengths of India the country couldnrsquot achieve the success it truly deserved even after six to seven decades of freedomrdquo Modi said He blamed ldquoprolonged entanglement in the licensequota regime and isolation from global marketsrdquo as the main factors reported PTIPM Modi said when the era of globalisation began the then governments focused solely on imports which led to scams worth thousands of crores of rupeesCiting Indiarsquos shipping sector as an example of the damage caused by flawed policies the PM said the country once had a very vibrant shipbuilding industryldquoShips built in Indiarsquos coastal states once powered domestic and global trade Even fifty years ago India used domestically built ships with over 40 percent of its importexport conducted through them Till 50 years ago our trade was carried out by 40 per cent ships made in India but this has now come down to just 5 per centrdquo he pointed outPM Modi also stated that India pays a staggering USD 75 billion or Rs 6 lakh crore every year to foreign shipping companies for their servicesldquoCan people imagine how much money has been paid in freight to other countries over the past seven decades This outflow of funds has created millions of jobs abroad If even a small portion of this expenditure had been invested by earlier governments in the domestic shipping industry the world would have been using Indian ships today and India would have been earning lakh of crores in shipping servicesrdquo said ModildquoChips semiconductor chips or ships we must make them in Indiardquo he declared adding that domestic ports are the backbone of Indiarsquos rise as a global maritime powerhouseThe PM stated that Indiarsquos maritime sector is now moving towards nextgeneration reforms and announced that from now all the major ports in the country will be freed from multiple documents and fragmented processesldquoThe implementation of One Nation One Document and One Nation One Port process will simplify trade and commercerdquo he saidModi also asserted that a series of reforms have been initiated in the maritime sector with five maritime laws being introduced in a new form A historic decision has been taken to strengthen the sector with large ships now accorded infrastructure status he addedldquoShipbuilding companies will now find it easier to secure loans from banks and will benefit from reduced interest rates All benefits associated with infrastructure financing will now be extended to these shipbuilding enterprisesrdquo said ModiAccording to the PM his government is working on three major schemes to make India a major maritime powerldquoThese initiatives will ease financial support for the shipbuilding sector help shipyards adopt modern technology and improve design and quality standards Over Rs 70000 crore will be invested in the coming yearsrdquo he saidDuring Saturdayrsquos event Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for maritime development projects worth more than Rs 7870 crore He also unveiled and laid the foundation stone for multiple projects of the Central and state governments worth more than Rs 26354 crore across various sectors in GujaratLater the PM conducted an aerial survey of Dholera Special Investment Region a greenfield industrial hub located around 100 km south of Ahmedabad He also reviewed the progress of the underconstruction National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal in Ahmedabad district which seeks to showcase Indiarsquos maritime legacyEarlier in the morning Modi participated in a roadshow upon his arrival in BhavnagarWith PTI inputs