Have plans, prepared to slog to make India $5 trillion economy: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that his government has plans to make India a US dollar 5 trillion economy and was fully prepared to slog for it.

Addressing the Indian community at Bahrain National Stadium here, Modi said the government has already started working to achieve the target and has laid a strong foundation for it in the past five years.

He expressed happiness that people in Bahrain will be able to use RuPay card for transactions as a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed.

Modi said the government has set a target to make India free of single-use plastic by 2022, the 75th anniversary of India's independence.

Modi said that he was fortunate enough to be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the Gulf nation.

"I realise that it took quite a long time for an Indian Prime Minister to visit Bahrain. However, I have been fortunate enough to be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Bahrain," he added.

Wishing the community on the occasion of Janmashtami, Modi said he will visit Shrinathji Temple tomorrow and will pray for peace and prosperity Bahrain."It is also a matter of happiness that renovation of this temple will also officially begin tomorrow," he said.

He said the target to make India a US dollar 5 trillion economy in five years was not to register a statistical achievement as it will lead to an increase in purchasing power of people and raising their incomes.

"For this we have potential, we have a plan and are fully prepared to slog for it," he said.

Modi said the BJP-led government has taken several steps to increase India's global competitiveness and improve ease of business rankings.

He hoped that friends in Bahrain will be eager to avail the investment opportunities provided by India.

The Prime Minister said the government has embarked on a major programme to expand roadways, railways and other infrastructure with a planned investment of Rs 100 lakh crores.

He said the country had taken a lot of strides in digital connectivity, broadband was being taken to villages and there was a movement towards 5G connectivity.

"We have a huge mine of data and India's digital model is being talked about in the world," he said.

Modi said steps such as Bhim App, UPI and Jan Dhan accounts had helped people and card-transactions were growing.

He urged people to encourage their friends in Bahrain to use RuPay card.

"Some time back, rupee could be used here. After some time, it will be possible to use RuPay card," he said.

He said steps such as 'one nation one grid' and 'one nation, one tax' were aimed at making life of people easy.

Modi said India was working seriously in the direction of "local solution for global application" and people of the country had shown their talent as also the Indians staying abroad.

The Prime Minister referred to Chandrayaan 2 making a soft landing on the moon on September 7 and said the whole world was talking of India's space mission.

He said producing results in a limited budget on the basis of efficiency and hard work was India's strength.

"Big things are not achieved due to budget but due to determination. A country is not made by borders alone but by people with heads held high," he said.

Modi said his government has tried in the past five years that Indians always hold their heads high.

He said the government has stood by Indians staying abroad in the past five years and will do so in the future.

He urged Indians in Bahrain to encourage their friends to visit India.

Referring to 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year, he said there was no better country to connect with him than India.

He urged Indians to take part in work being done in Bahrain for cleaning the seas.