New Delhi, July 07: Excellent work of Indians across various fields and enthusiasm to make India a developed nation is the country’s biggest strength, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.
In a written message to the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) on the seventh foundation day of its incubation innovation fund, Modi said that the kind of optimism and trust being seen worldwide for India is a reflection of the country’s strength.
“India is a nation of immense possibilities. The participation of our countrymen doing excellent work in various fields and their enthusiasm to develop the country is our biggest strength,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister has set a target to make India a developed nation by 2047 with a focus on the use of technology.
According to the letter shared by organisers of the 7th foundation day of JITO Incubation and Innovation Fund (JIIF), the Prime Minister lauded the values of the Jain community for their work and efforts made in the field of education, health and other areas through JITO.
He said that reducing dependence on foreign products and promoting local products is one of their notable achievements.
“Today’s optimism and unwavering belief in our capabilities extend to all areas, including space science, defence, and business. Organisations like JITO have played a significant role in these achievements over the past decade, contributing to the vision of a self-reliant India,” Modi said.
The JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation (JIIF) hosted its annual Innovation Conclave on July 6-7 with the theme ‘Ideas to Impact: Cultivating Innovation and Entrepreneurship’.
The two-day event featured leading minds from various sectors, including Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm), Aadit Palicha (Zepto), and Sanjeev Bikhchandani (Infoedge). It brought together over 300 angel investors, 100 startups, 30 unicorns, and numerous international investors, providing unparalleled networking opportunities.
JIIF, a subsidiary of Jain International Trade Organization (JITO) has invested over Rs 200 crore in 80 companies and incubated over 25 Jain entrepreneurs.
Meanwhile, ahead of his visit to Austria, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday the shared values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law form the bedrock upon which the two countries will build an ever-closer partnership.
Modi’s remark came a day after Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer posted on ‘X’, “I very much look forward to welcoming Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, the world’s largest democracy, next week in Vienna.”
“This visit is a special honour as it marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in over 40 years and a significant milestone as we celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with India,” he said.
“We will have the opportunity to talk about further deepening our bilateral relationship and closer cooperation on the many geopolitical challenges,” the Austrian chancellor said.
Responding to Nehammer, Modi said, “Thank you, Chancellor Karl Nehammer. It is indeed an honour to visit Austria to mark this historic occasion. I look forward to our discussions on strengthening the bonds between our nations and exploring new avenues of cooperation.”
“The shared values of democracy, freedom and rule of law form the bedrock upon which we will build an ever closer partnership,” he said.
Modi will be travelling to Austria for his first visit on July 9 and 10, after his Moscow visit on July 8 and 9 at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin to hold the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.
Also, Russia is expecting a “very important and full-fledged visit” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Moscow for summit-level talks with President Vladimir Putin, with the Kremlin saying the West was watching the trip with “jealousy”.
Prime Minister Modi will be in Moscow from July 8 to 9 at the invitation of President Putin for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. It will be Modi’s first visit to Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The two leaders will review the entire range of multifaceted relations between the two countries and exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi on Thursday while announcing the high-level visit starting on Monday.
The programme of Prime Minister Modi in Moscow will be extensive and the two leaders will be able to have informal talks, Peskov said in an interview with Russia’s state-run VGTRK television channel on Saturday.
“Obviously, the agenda will be extensive, if not to say overbusy. It will be an official visit, and we hope that the heads will be able to talk in an informal way as well,” he said.
Peskov said that Russian-Indian relations are at the level of strategic partnership. He said that there would be both one-on-one talks in the Kremlin and those involving delegations.
“We are expecting a very important and full-fledged visit, which is so crucial for Russian-Indian relations,” he was quoted as saying by the official Tass news agency.
Peskov also emphasised that the West is closely and jealously watching Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming visit to Russia.
“They are jealous — that means they are closely monitoring it. Their close monitoring means they attach great importance to it. And they are not mistaken, there is something to attach great importance to,” Peskov said in response to a question about the jealous attitude of Western politicians towards Modi’s visit to Russia, the Tass report said.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Modi has held several telephonic conversations with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stressing the importance of ending the war that has impacted the global economy.
In reflection of its strong friendship with Russia, India has not yet condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the conflict must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
India’s import of discounted Russian crude oil has also gone up significantly notwithstanding the G7 price cap and increasing disquiet over the procurement in many Western capitals.
It will be Modi’s first visit to Russia in nearly five years. His last visit to Russia was in 2019 when he attended an economic conclave in the Far East city of Vladivostok.
The annual summit between the prime minister of India and the president of Russia is the highest institutional dialogue mechanism in the strategic partnership between the two countries.
So far, 21 annual summits have taken place alternately in India and Russia.
The last annual summit was held on December 6, 2021 in New Delhi when Putin visited India.
