PM pitches ‘Grow more, Achieve more’ in Melbourne
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asserted that India is firmly on course to become a developed nation, driven by the mantra “Grow More, Achieve More” and powered by its people.
Addressing a packed stadium at the ‘Melbourne Meets Modi’ event, also attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Modi highlighted the deepening partnership between India and Australia in education, skills development and innovation. “India of the 21st century is working towards the goal of becoming a developed nation… This is an India that believes in ‘Grow More, Achieve More’,” Modi said, drawing loud cheers from the audience. The Prime Minister emphasised that the foundation of India’s ambitious dreams lies in its citizens. “The foundation of India’s big dreams and great aspirations is its people… We, the People,” he said, adding that the Government’s policies are centred on citizen welfare under the guiding principle of “Nagrik Devo Bhava” (Citizen is God). Modi spotlighted India’s expanding manufacturing prowess, saying the country is building a comprehensive ecosystem “from chips to ships” while simultaneously advancing in frontier technologies such as 6G.
He drew attention to ‘Operation Sindoor’, under which Indian defence platforms demonstrated their precision and effectiveness. “You must have seen the demo during ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Explosions were taking place at the terrorists’ hideouts, and the echo was reverberating across the world,” he remarked, eliciting enthusiastic applause. The Prime Minister noted that India now has more than 200,000 registered startups, with over 4,000 new ones being added every month. Hundreds of these are working in critical sectors like defence and space, which were opened to private participation only a few years ago.
“India’s first private space startup is set to launch a satellite on its own rocket very soon,” he informed the gathering. Recalling the historic Chandrayaan-3 landing on the Moon’s south pole — a feat no other country has achieved — Modi said India is not resting on its laurels. “As we say, ‘Grow more. Achieve More.’ Now India will send Gaganyaan, and we are working towards the goal of building our own space station,” he added. Modi recalled India’s swift response to the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, launching a relief and rescue operation without delay. “We didn’t look at how far the distance was. India considered Venezuela’s pain as its own pain. When India helps, it doesn’t look at passports… That’s why the world places immense trust in India,” he said. The PM, who arrived in Australia on the second leg of his three-nation tour, described the visit as his third in the last 12 years — a “hat-trick” that reflects the strengthening of India-Australia ties. “The most important role in this has been played not by me, but by all of you, the Indian diaspora,” he said, acknowledging the community’s contribution to bilateral relations. The event saw warm exchanges between the two prime ministers and reinforced the growing people-to-people and strategic connect between India and Australia.
