New Delhi, Jun 7 (IANS): In his first comments after staking a claim to form the government at the Centre for the third consecutive time, PM Narendra Modi said on Friday that the time has come to reap the benefits of all the hard work done in the last 10 years to raise India's profile on the global stage.

"A distinct global image has been built in the last 10 years as India has emerged as a 'Vishwa Bandhu'. Its maximum advantage will begin now. I am confident that the next five years will be extremely useful for the country as far as the global environment is concerned," said PM Modi while speaking outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan after meeting President Droupadi Murmu.

Having been unanimously elected as the Leader of the Lok Sabha, BJP, and the NDA Parliamentary Party earlier in the day, PM Modi admitted that he was too new to the system when he took over as the country's Prime Minister for the first time in 2014.

"Now, after having worked for so long, I have gained a lot of experience. This will be highly beneficial as it will be quite easy for us to take the work forward at a great pace straightaway," he said.

With the world going through times of conflict currently, PM Modi asserted that India has not only been able to protect its interests but also carve out a new identity for itself in the last 10 years.

"The world is passing through a difficult time with several tensions and a number of calamities. After a long time, we are witnessing such a serious situation. Every country is trying to save itself from the crisis and also grow at the same time while consistently facing new challenges.

"We Indians are fortunate that despite such turmoil, we have emerged as the fastest-growing economy in the world. Not only that, the world is also praising us for the (GDP) growth rate. Now, after getting a stable government, leadership, and system, the world will turn towards India at an enormous speed," he said.

"I am confident that all the states of the country will benefit from this. The young generation will also benefit massively with this as we scale new peaks in the coming five years," he concluded.