Mumbai, Jul 13 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the media’s natural role is to create discourse by discussing serious issues.
Speaking after inaugurating INS Towers, the Indian Newspaper Society’s secretariat in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex, Modi expressed confidence that India will soon become the third-largest economy and spoke about how the nation has become the leader in digital payments.
He also said the role of newspapers is crucial in the journey to Viksit Bharat in the next 25 years and appealed to Indian publications to enhance their global presence.
“Media makes people aware of their strength. Media’s natural role is to create discourse by discussing serious issues,” Modi said even as he emphasised the impact of government policies on the functioning of the media.
The role of newspapers is very important in the journey to Viksit Bharat in the next 25 years. The citizens of a country who gain confidence in their capabilities start achieving new heights of success. The same is happening in India today, Modi said.
He said the INS has not only witnessed the ups and downs of India’s journey but also lived it and communicated it to the people.
“A country’s global image directly affects its economy. Indian publications should enhance their global presence,” the prime minister said.
He said the media is not a mute spectator of the condition of the nations but it plays a major role in changing them.
Underlining the role of newspapers and magazines in the next 25-year journey to Viksit Bharat, Modi highlighted the media’s role in creating awareness about rights and the potential of the citizenry He also spoke on how India has become the leader in digital payments.
“There was a time when some politicians used to say that digital transactions were not for India. They had a preconceived notion that modern technology can’t work in this country,” he said.
Modi further said the world is witnessing the capabilities of Indians and today, the country is creating new records in digital transactions.
“Due to India’s UPI and modern digital public infrastructure, the ease of living of people has improved, and it has become easier for them to send money across countries,” Modi said.
The country will benefit from the effective work done by the Indian Newspaper Society, he added.
The PM said before 2014, most people were unaware of the word startup, but the media made it reach every home.
He also highlighted the success of digital transactions in India as an example of how confident citizens achieve great success.
The Prime Minister stated the example of financial inclusion and opening of bank accounts through the movement of Jan Dhan Yojna and the integration of about 50 crore people with the banking system and added that major nations are interested in India’s digital public infrastructure.
“This project was the biggest help in Digital India and initiatives to curb corruption,” he said.
Modi highlighted the government’s focus on environmental protection, which he said is a humanitarian issue rather than a political one.
He said the recently launched ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign is being discussed around the world and global leaders showed a keen interest in this program during the G7 Summit.
Modi lauded the media for making movements like Swachh Bharat or Startup India a part of national discourse, saying these initiatives were not impacted by vote bank politics.
He underlined the important role of the media in heightening the sense of duty and awareness of the citizens towards the Constitution considering the 75th-year celebrations of the Constitution of India.
The Prime Minister reiterated India’s march to become the third largest economy in the near future.
“It is the responsibility of the media to take India’s success to every corner of the globe. A country’s global image directly affects its economy”, he said.
Modi also spoke about the growing importance of the Indian diaspora with the rise in the stature of India and its growing ability to contribute to global progress.
The prime Minister wished for the expansion of Indian publications in all UN languages and said that websites, micro-sites or social media accounts of these publications could be in those languages. PTI IAS VT NSK
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