'I Am Positive': Key Highlights of PM Modi's Interview on G20 Summit and More

Here are the main points of what PM Modi said when he sat down with PTI.

"Corruption, casteism and communalism will have no place in our national life," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a rare interview with news agency PTI, just days ahead of the much-talked about G20 Summit being hosted by India in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan.

The interview reportedly took place last week at the prime minister's residence at Lok Kalyan Marg.

Speaking to PTI, PM Modi said that India will be one among the developed countries before 2047 – when the country marks 100 years of Independence. "I am positive that we will be in the top three economies in the near future," he added.

Besides commenting on what lies ahead, Modi responded to several questions on a range of issues such as India's G20 presidency, his message to Russian President Putin, fighting climate change, and the democratisation of technology.

Here are the key highlights of what PM Modi said when he sat down with PTI.

G20 Summit

"I would like to draw your attention to the theme of our G20 Presidency – ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future’. It is not just a slogan but a comprehensive philosophy that is derived from our cultural ethos," Modi said.

Elaborating on what it means for India to be playing host for the G20 Summit, the prime minister said, "Each such global scale assignment has pushed capacity building in several domains such as management of logistics, hospitality, tourism, soft skills, and execution of projects, among others. This has been a big boost to the self-confidence of the people of each region. Now, they know they can deliver something world-class."

"Unfortunately, in the past, there used to be an attitude of getting things done right here in Delhi, in and around Vigyan Bhavan. Perhaps because it was an easy way out. Or perhaps because those in power lacked confidence in the people of different parts of the country to successfully execute plans of such scale."

PM Modi in a jibe at the Opposition

"Africa is a top priority for us even within the G20. One of the first things we did during our G20 Presidency was to hold the Voice of the Global South summit, which had enthusiastic participation from Africa," Modi said on making the African Union a permanent member of the G20.

When asked about India's neighbouring countries taking issue with G20 meetings being hosted in regions like Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh, Modi said, "I am surprised that PTI is asking such a question. Such a question would be valid if we had refrained from conducting meetings in those venues."

"Ours is such a vast, beautiful and diverse nation. When G20 meetings are happening, isn’t it natural that meetings will be held in every part of our country?" he added.

Climate Change

"There have been many climate meetings over the decades. These discussions, despite the best intentions, would end up revolving around who is to blame," Modi said.

"But we took a positive and affirmative approach with a ‘can do’ spirit. We set up the International Solar Alliance and took the initiative to bring countries together under the vision of ‘One World One Sun One Grid’," he remarked on what India is doing about climate change at the global-level.

"Similarly, we started the Coalition for Disaster Resilience so that countries across the world, especially developing countries, learn from each other and build infrastructure that is resilient even during disasters [...] We have also worked with small island nations of the world to further their interests, including under the Forum of India and Pacific Island Countries.," Modi continued.

When asked about the possibility of a bio-fuel alliance, PM Modi responded by saying," Such alternatives can enhance energy security, create opportunities for domestic industry, and create green jobs – all crucial elements in ensuring a transition that leaves no one behind."

On the government's climate-centric initiatives back home, Modi said:

• "India ramped up its solar energy capacity 20-fold in just a few years."

• "India is among the top four nations in the world in terms of wind energy."

• "In the electric vehicle revolution, India is playing an important role in both innovation and adoption."

• "We are perhaps the first among the G20 countries to have achieved our climate targets 9 years ahead of the scheduled date."

• "Our action against single-use plastic has been recognized across the world. We have also made great strides in safe sanitation and cleanliness."

However, Modi emphasised that there was "no one-size-fits-all solutions" against the threat of climate change. "Given the different pathways countries are on, our pathways for energy transition will be different," he said in response to a question about European countries going back to fossil fuels amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Global Economy

When asked about India's assistance to debt-trapped countries in the Global South like Sri Lanka, Modi said, "Our G20 Presidency has placed a significant emphasis on addressing the global challenges posed by debt vulnerabilities, especially for nations in the Global South. G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors have acknowledged the good progress in debt treatment of Common Framework countries and beyond the Common Framework too."

"We have also been greatly sensitive to the needs of our valued neighbour, Sri Lanka, during their tough times," he added.

"To accelerate global debt restructuring efforts, the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable, a joint initiative of the IMF, World Bank and the G20 Presidency was launched earlier this year. This will strengthen communication among key stakeholders and facilitate effective debt treatment."

PM Modi told PTI

At the SCO Summit in Samarkhand last year, Modi had told Russian President Vladimir Putin that "now is not an era of war," according to a report by The Hindu.

When questioned by PTI about his message to other global leaders on the Russia-Ukraine war, Modi reiterated that it needs to be "resolved through dialogue and diplomacy." "This is our stand on any conflict anywhere. Whether as G20 president or not, we will support every effort to ensure peace across the world," he added.

Digital India

Modi claimed that India has global credibility when it comes to the democratisation of technology. He went on to highlight the steps taken by the central government pertaining to the tech ecosystem:

CoWIN: "The world’s largest vaccine drive was also the most inclusive. We provided over 200 crore doses free. It was based on a tech platform CoWIN. Further, this platform was even made open source so that other countries too could adopt and benefit," Modi said.

In June this year, there were reports that CoWIN had allegedly suffered a major data breach after a Telegram bot was found to be leaking the personal details of vaccinated Indians.

UPI: "Today, digital transactions are empowering every section of our business life, from street vendors to big banks," Modi told PTI.

DPI: "Our Digital Public Infrastructure was an object of wonder for many people globally, especially the way it was used for public service delivery during the pandemic. Many countries across the world had announced welfare packages but some of them found it difficult to deliver it to the people. But in India, the Jan Dhan-Aadhar-Mobile (JAM) Trinity ensured financial inclusion, authentication and transfer of benefits directly to the beneficiaries with one click," Modi said.

ONDC: "Further, our ONDC is an initiative that is being welcomed by citizens and experts as an important evolution point in democratizing and creating a level playing field on digital platforms," the prime minister remarked

Health digitisation: "It is well known that technology can have a great impact on healthcare service delivery. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has been making an important contribution to this space in India. Due to our mantra of ‘One Earth One Health’, our concern for people’s health does not end with our borders," he said.

In the interview, PM Modi also discussed digital public infrastructure and cybersecurity issues in the context of the recently held G20 conferences.

"The G20, in the Digital Economy Ministers meeting, was able to adopt a framework to develop, deploy and govern digital public infrastructure. They have successfully adopted principles to keep the digital economy safe and secure while laying the foundations for the One Future Alliance to synergise global efforts for a DPI ecosystem," he said.

On concerns of cyber crimes and prevention strategies, Modi stressed the need for global cooperation and coordination. "Emphasis was placed [at the G20 conference on Crime and Security in the age of NFTs, Artificial Intelligence and Metaverse] on the need to achieve a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of ICTs for criminal purposes," the prime minister said.

"There may be many domains in which global cooperation is desirable. But in the domain of cyber security, global cooperation is not only desirable but is inevitable. Because the threat dynamics are distributed – handlers are somewhere, assets are somewhere else, they are speaking through servers hosted in a third place, and their funding could come from a completely different region. Unless all the nations in the chain cooperate, very little is possible."

PM Modi told PTI

Health and COVID-19

"We believe in the vision of ‘One Earth, One Health’. This is manifesting itself in different ways [...] India’s ancient systems of Yoga and Ayurveda are helping the world bring a paradigm shift in the focus towards health and wellness," Modi said.

"During COVID-19, our approach was not that of isolation but of integration. Despite our constraints, we assisted nearly 150 countries of the world with medicines and vaccines. Many of these countries were from the Global South," he added.

The prime minister also highlighted future steps, saying, "During our G20 Presidency, the Health Ministers of the grouping have successfully built consensus on the Global Digital Health Initiative which will help implement the WHO Global Digital Health Strategy."