Last Updated on February 6, 2026 12:03 am by INDIAN AWAAZ
Staff Reporter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed confidence that India is fully geared to compete at the global stage and is marching towards becoming the third-largest economy with confidence and decisive policy reforms.
He said, the government is going ahead with the vision of Reform, Perform and Transform, and the country has boarded the Reform Express. He was replying to a discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha today.
On the trade deals signed with several countries, including the European Union and the United States of America, Mr Modi said, the country has finalised trade deals with 9 countries and recently concluded the Mother of all deals with the 27 countries of the European Union. He said the country has built a robust manufacturing ecosystem and supports its entrepreneurs. He said, the world is looking with hope towards India as the country possesses a young talent pool. He said the world is rapidly progressing toward a new global order, and India has emerged as a trusted partner for many countries. He highlighted that after the trade deal with the US, the world became even more confident, which is a positive sign for the world. Prime Minister Modi said that India is a trusted partner of several nations as it is playing a role towards the welfare of the world, and it has emerged as a strong voice of the Global South on global platforms. The Prime Minister stressed that big countries are eager to have trade relations with India.
The Prime Minister said, during her address to the joint sitting of Parliament, President Droupadi Murmu highlighted the rapid progress made over the past year in India’s journey towards a Viksit Bharat. He said the country’s growth among the major economies is very high, and inflation is lower, which shows the robustness of the Indian economy. Taking a dig at the previous UPA government, the Prime Minister said that earlier the economy was in the fragile five category before 2014, and now the country is moving ahead to become the third largest. He said Congress lacked vision and determination during its tenure. The Prime Minister also hit out at the Congress party for its unruly behaviour during the proceedings of the House in the Lok Sabha yesterday.
He said, this amounts to an insult to the office of the President, the tribal community and the Constitution. Mr Modi also criticized Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for using derogatory remarks against Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu at the Parliament House premises. He termed these derogatory remarks as an insult of Sikh community, saying that such behaviour is unfortunate. The Prime Minister also accused the TMC-led West Bengal government of protecting the infiltrators and putting pressure on courts. He said, infiltrators are snatching the rights of the country’s youth.
Speaking about the achievements of several welfare schemes, Prime Minister Modi said that more than 30 lakh crore rupees in collateral-free loans have been provided to the youth of the country under the MUDRA scheme. He said that a significant proportion of these loans was availed by women. He said, in addition to expanding women’s Self-Help Groups, the government has directly provided financial assistance to 10 crore women, which helped them in becoming Lakhpati Didis. In his address, the Prime Minister said, Non-Performing Assets (NPAs), which were at their highest level during the UPA era, have now dropped to their lowest level. He said, currently, NPAs are below one percent which reflects the healthy condition of the banks. The Prime Minister said that, under the PRAGATI platform, projects worth 85 thousand crore rupees were reviewed, and the work was expedited.
The Opposition staged a walkout during the Prime Minister’s speech.
President Droupadi Murmu had addressed the joint sitting of both the Houses on the 28th of January. Earlier, participating in the discussion, BJP MP Maya Naroliya said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is steadily moving towards the goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047. She said that today the healthcare services have reached up to the villages across the country through more than one lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandir. Emphasising that farmers are a top priority for the government, Mrs Naroliya noted that around four lakh crore rupees have been directly transferred into farmers’ bank accounts under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. She further stated that India’s foodgrain production has crossed 330 million tonnes and the country has become the world’s largest producer of rice.
Sandeep Kumar Pathak of the Aam Aadmi Party alleged that every institution is being misused. K R Suresh of TDP said that the reforms brought in by GST are commendable. Mr Suresh said, lifting more than 24 crore citizens out of poverty and providing tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission is commendable.
After the speech of the Prime Minister, the Rajya Sabha adopted the motion of thanks on the President’s address with a voice vote. The Lok Sabha also adopted the motion of thanks earlier today. Later, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day.