New York : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India has given the world “budh and not yudh (war)” and his government’s work in the past five years in areas such as sanitation, health and banking has given an inspiring message to the world.
Without naming Pakistan, PM Modi referred to India facing terrorism and said it’s cautioning the world against the menace reflects both “seriousness and anger” and the entire humanity needs to get united on the issue.
In his much-awaited address to the United Nations General Assembly, Modi spoke of the need to give new direction and new power to multilateralism and the UN.
Modi, who received applause during his speech, said India has made the biggest sacrifices in United Nations peacekeeping and being divided on terror undermines principles on which the United Nations was created.
“We belong to a country which has given the world Lord Budha and not war, given a message of peace and hence our voice to alert the world against terrorism has seriousness and anger. A world divided on terror damages the basis on which the UN was created. And hence I consider it essential for the world to be united against terrorism,” he said.
The Prime Minister spoke of how a developing country like India was seeking to transform the lives of its people, saying that its efforts will benefit the entire humanity.
Modi said he was re-elected with greater mandate in the world’s biggest election in the world’s biggest democracy.
“When a developing country successfully completes the world’s biggest sanitation programme and 11 crore toilets are built in five years, all the systems attached with it give an inspiring message to the world,” Modi said.
“When a developing country successfully runs the world’s biggest health insurance scheme and provides the facility of free treatment of Rs 5 lakh to 50 crore people, then the caring systems created to give a new direction to the world.
“When a developing country runs the biggest financial inclusion programme and opens 37 crore accounts of the poorest, it creates confidence among the poor throughout the world,” he said.
Referring to the slogan against the use of single-use plastic on a wall of the UN, the prime minister said the country has started a big campaign against single-use plastic.
“We belong to a country which has given the world Lord Budha and not war, given a message of peace and hence our voice to alert the world against terrorism has seriousness and anger. The world divided on terror damages the basis on which the UN was created. And hence I consider it essential for the world to be united against terrorism,” he said
Modi said India was an old and rich civilisation which has living traditions and which reflects the dreams of the world.
“Our traditions, our culture sees jeev me Shiv (Lord Shiva in every human being),” he said.
He asserted that India believes in public welfare through public participation and that’s why India’s inspiration was “sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas (taking everyone along, development of all and trust of everyone),” adding that the slogan was not limited to the boundaries of India.
“The hard work is not pity, or showmanship, it is inspired by sense of duty,” he said.
Modi said the efforts are being made with focus on 130 citizens of India but the dreams they reflect are of entire humanity, all societies.
“The efforts are ours but the results are for all, for the entire world,” he said.
He said India has over the past five years strengthened the feeling of global bonding and this was also the aim of United Nations.
Modi said India has very less per capita emissions but was in the forefront of steps to tackle global warming.
The Prime Minister said when India will celebrate 75th year of its independence, two crore houses will be built for the poor.
Modi said when Swami Vivekananda addressed the World Parliament of Religions he stressed on harmony and peace and not dissension. (ANI)
