India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that the last decade was an era of "epochal change" in all spheres -- economic, cultural and political -- in the country. Singh painted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a visionary who could tap into the disenchantment that was so pervasive in the country in 2014 and transform it into positive thinking.

The minister was delivering the inaugural address at the Manorama News Conclave 2024, themed 'Changemakers', at O by Tamara in Thiruvananthapuram.

Though his speech dwelt at length on the changes brought about in the country after Narendra Modi came to power, Singh began his speech by remembering the Wayanad tragedy. "At the outset, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in the tragic landslides in Wayanad. It was a massive tragedy and I pray that those affected may recover from this grief and sense of loss," he said.

The minister then listed how the Modi-induced changes transformed the country, right from ending open defecation to self-reliance in defence. He said Narendra Modi took over the country's reins at a critical juncture. "Before 2014, there was a feeling of despair and disenchantment among the people of India. Something new and good seemed like a distant dream," Singh said. "He (Modi) was able to see and understand this feeling of despair and disenchantment. And without wasting time, he started working to bring positive changes in the lives of Indians," he said.

Modi began from giving attention to what looked like small insignificant things, Singh said. He said Modi first spoke about cleanliness during his first Independence Day speech as Prime Minister. "Many were surprised that why he was talking about cleanliness on such a special occasion," he said.

Singh said Modi led by example. "He picked up the broom and started the revolution. The entire country followed him and the path shown by him," he said. "It was also in the same speech he first spoke of open defecation, a revolution he said that eventually empowered women. Today there is hardly any house in the country which does not have access to a toilet," Singh said.

He said Jan Dhan accounts took the banks to the poorest. The result, he said, was the opening of a phenomenal 53 crore Jan Dhan accounts in the past 10 years.

He said the biggest change in the past 10 years was in governance. He said Modi's governance was underpinned by stability, consistency, and continuity. "Every policy and programme of our government is founded on these principles to ensure good governance," Singh said.

He said this was especially effective during the COVID pandemic. "Our government ensured that life saving resources and medicines were timely and promptly available," the minister said.

The net result of all this was that India, which before was considered among the "fragile five", is now seen among the "fabulous five". "In the past ten years, India has become the fifth largest economy in the word, up from 11th, according to Morgan Stanley estimates," he said, adding: "India is poised to become the third largest economy in the world by 2027." Further, he said that India is the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world and every 10th unicorn of the world is in India.

The speed of governance is also dazzling, Singh said. He cited the stupendous improvement in 'ease of doing business'. "More than 40,000 compliances have either been scrapped or simplified. Whereas earlier it used to take 600 days to get environmental clearances, it now takes less than 75 days," he said.

Singh said Modi had replaced "incremental targets" with unbelievable ambitious targets. "The work done in the past 10 years is considerably more than what the country had done in the previous 70 years," Singh said.

An example he cited was the defence sector. There was a time when about 65-70% of defence equipment was being imported in the country. "Today, this has changed. Now only 35% of defence equipment is being imported. The remaining 65% of the equipment is being manufactured in India by Indians," the Defence Minister said.

These achievements, he said, had made Modi the most respected world leader. He said former PMs never got the respect behoving of a country like India. He said Russia stopped bombing Ukraine when Modi was visiting the enemy country. Now with Russia bestowing its highest civilian honour on Modi, it has become the 16th country in the world to do so. "These countries also include Muslim countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Maldives and Bahrain," he said.
"Some call him Boss, others call him Great Leader," he said.