Whole world attracted to India: Modi

With the enhancement of India's image globally, the whole world is attracted to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Sunday.

"Today the whole world is attracted to India, is curious about India," Modi said while addressing an Indian community reception here on the second and concluding day of his two-day visit to Qatar.

"Even you must have felt the change underway in India," he said after arriving to a rousing welcome to the reception.

"India's image has been enhanced globally," he said as members of the gathering chanted "Modi, Modi".

Modi said that people of India living in Qatar were never away from India even for a minute.

"They are reliving India on the soil of Qatar," he said.

At around 630,000, Indians comprise the largest expatriate population in this Gulf nation.

Modi said that the change in India has not happened due to Narendra Modi, but due to India's 1.25 billion people.

"Global agencies are in agreement that is there is a fastest growing economy, it is India. Our growth rate is high," the prime minister said, while pointing out that the world economy too was not doing well at the moment.

"While global purchasing power has gone down and adversely affected our exports, despite that we have clocked this high growth rate," he said.

"The quarterly figures, even as India has faced two consecutive droughts, reflect a praiseworthy 7.9 percent growth."

Stating that corruption has troubled India for long, Modi said that "we are determined to eliminate it".

"We have introduced several schemes for combating corruption, for fiscal discipline and economic reforms," he said.

The Prime Minister concluded by saying that when the leaders of other nations he visits praise the achievements of the Indian diaspora, "my hear fills with pride and joy".

Modi, who arrived here on Saturday afternoon from Afghanistan, visited a health camp for Indian workers soon after his arrival.

On Sunday, India and Qatar signed seven agreements following delegation level talks led by Modi and Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.

Modi also met with top business leaders of Qatar and invited them to invest in India.

Later on Sunday, he will leave for Switzerland on the third leg of his foreign tour that will also take him to the US and Mexico.

--IANS

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