1 bn hungry bellies to 2 bn skilled hands, says PM...

New Delhi: A week before he hosts world leaders at the G20 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that the 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' model can be the guiding principle for the welfare of a world shifting from a “GDP-centric approach” to a “human-centric one”.

“For a long time, India was perceived as a nation of over one billion hungry stomachs. But now, India is being seen as a nation of over one billion aspirational minds, more than two billion skilled hands, and hundreds of millions of young people,” Modi said in a PTI interview.

“The period till 2047 is a huge opportunity. Indians who are living in this era have a great chance to lay a foundation for growth that will be remembered for the next 1,000 years!” he added.

“By 2047, I am sure that our country will be among the developed countries. Our poor people will comprehensively win the battle against poverty. Health, education and social sector outcomes will be among the best in the world. Corruption, casteism and communalism will have no place in our national life,” he said.

“Irrespective of the size of the GDP, every voice matters,” Modi stressed.

G20 accounts for 85 per cent of the global GDP, 75 per cent of international trade and 65 per cent of the world population. India took over the G-20's presidency from Indonesia last November, and will hand over to Brazil in December.

Modi also spoke about India's economic progress, its growing stature on the world stage, cyber-security, debt trap, bio-fuel policy, UN reforms, climate change and his vision of what India will be like. (PTI)