Global leadership also convinced of PM Modi's return to office: Smriti Irani in Davos

Davos: The global leadership is convinced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return to office after this year's elections and is looking for the continuity of policy and social sector reforms put in place by him, Union Minister Smriti Irani said on Wednesday.

In an interview to PTI at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 here, the minister said that the fact that the global leadership, especially the global financial leadership is eagerly looking to welcome Prime Minister Modi back in Davos speaks volumes.

She said the world leaders present here are speaking about India as a resilient and reliable partner when there are many economies that are fractured and the overall geopolitical scenario is fragmented.

Modi had attended the WEF Annual Meeting here in 2018, while he also addressed this gathering of world leaders online in 2021 and 2022.

Irani, the minister for women and child development as well as minority affairs, is leading the Indian delegation at the ongoing 2024 annual meeting, being attended by nearly 3,000 global leaders from government, business, academia, art and culture and civil society.

Asked about her interactions with global leaders, Irani said they are convinced about the India growth story and its further potentials and they are also assured of policy and political stability in the country.

She said even the World Economic Forum President (Borge Brende) said publicly in an interview that he hopes to invite Prime Minister Modi back to Davos in 2025.

"That means the global community is rest assured that Prime Minister Modi will come back to office," she said.

"Prime Minister Modi has stood steadfast not only on policy reforms but also in ensuring that social sector is not ignored in our growth story," Irani said.

The minister said India's contribution to an inclusive growth agenda the world over is being celebrated at Davos.

"Apart from our digital potential in the IT field, the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown to the world how a digital democracy delivers that is also one of the buzzwords here at Davos," she said.

Irani said the world is now seeing and wants to emulate how a social revolution was undertaken in India as part of Prime Minister Modi's governance agenda.

"He put women at the centre of good governance. We not only helped build 110 million toilets, that story has often been spoken of domestically, several aspects of India's achievements are now being talked about the world over and that is resonating here at Davos," she said.

The contribution of Indian leadership with the humaneness that India showed during Covid-19 pandemic on health infrastructure and our support to over 160 countries under the aegis of Vaccine Maitri has got India laurels not only in healthcare but also proved that when the world needs it is India and Indians who have stepped up responsibly to deliver solutions, Irani said.

The minister said another aspect that has become a buzzword at Davos is the depth and expanse of our digital engagement.

"Like last year itself we recorded 100 billion transactions through UPI, new landmarks reached by our stock markets, over 500 million bank accounts are thriving for the poorest of the poor, over 24 crore Indian taken out of multi-dimensional poverty in India in the past 9 years, all of that has generated a lot of interest here," she said citing her interactions here.

"From industry perspective, there are 2-3 aspects which thought leaders and innovators are speaking about, including India's leadership in artificial intelligence to create a consciousness about responsible behaviour in that sphere.

"People are also talking about India's contribution to ensure that education needs of our communities are met digitally and at times phygitally," she said.

The minister said India has 41 million youngsters in higher education institutions today and is now hoping to create 35 million more opportunities in higher education.

There are also 265 million children in K-12 system that exhibits to the world that we are the largest skilled force in the world, she noted.

"So, I think there are many areas for us to celebrate, there are many areas where we have provided exceptional service to the world and the world needed a partner that was dependable," she said.

On AI-driven misinformation and disinformation being talked about a key risk before the world, Irani said India has created a robust system for engaging and ensuring people that they are well informed about the menace of fake news and both the government and the media are partnering to bust any misinformation and disinformation.