Doha, Jun 5 (PTI) : Vowing to root out corruption in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he has "faced problems" by depriving the "sweets of many" and saved over Rs 36,000 crore annually by stopping leakage and theft in government schemes.
Addressing the Indian diaspora at the end of his two-day visit to Qatar, Modi said, "We have only cleaned up the surface (on corruption) and a detailed clean-up remains."
"We have stopped the sweets of many and in doing so, I have also faced problems. But I get the strength to face these problems from the love received from 125 crore Indians," he said, likening criticism of the government's action to a child getting angry on being deprived of a sweet by his mother.
Modi, who was repeatedly cheered by the Indian community members, said efforts to ensure financial transparency, discipline and efficiency have started yielding good results. "Can you imagine? We have saved Rs 36,000 crore per year by stopping leakage and theft in various government schemes," he said.
Modi said 1.62 crore fake ration cards have been detected and saved crores through subsidised wheat, rice, kerosene and LPG. "Corruption has made our country hollow, eating into its vitals like termite," he said.
In a veiled attack on the earlier Congress regimes, Modi said: "Today across the world, India's image has been enhanced and the country is being viewed respectably. Everyone is being attracted to India. You would have noticed the change when people from other countries meet Indians."
The Prime Minister said that despite India facing drought for two consecutive years, it has achieved 7.9 per cent GDP in the last quarter of the fiscal gone by. "World's economy is in doldrums and the best of the countries are also facing an economic downturn.
"(But) India is moving ahead at a fast pace despite a lot of difficulties," he said, adding that all the credit rating agencies, World Bank and the IMF were unanimous in recognising India as the world's fastest growing economy.
"Despite the problems, the 7.9 per cent growth is testimony to the fact that the country is moving fast," he said. Modi added: "Even when you go to faraway Mongolia, an Indian there also feels that times have changed (in India)."
Noting that India-Qatar relations were growing, with the Indians settled here contributing significantly, he said: "When rulers of any country praise Indians, you can imagine how my chest swells with pride."
After the 14th Finance Commission, the situation was reversed with 65 per cent of the country's revenue going to states and the Centre having to do with only 35 per cent, he said.
In his 25-minute speech, the Prime Minister also made a reference to the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for the retired defence personnel which had been pending for over four decades.
"The economic burden may have been big but this cannot be less than the prestige of soldiers dying for the country," he said.
Earlier news
Grab investment opportunities in India: PM Modi to Qatari firms
Doha, Jun 5 (PTI) : Highlighting India's "investment- friendly policies", Prime Minister Narendra Modi today invited Qatar's companies to "grab" the vast opportunities for business, especially in the infrastructure sector, while promising to remove "bottlenecks" identified by them.
On the second day of his visit to the oil-rich Gulf nation, he held an hour-long closed-door interaction with top business leaders of Qatar, telling them about the work done by his government over the last two years to facilitate the ease of doing business.
Qatar's business community had some questions related to rules and and clearances, to which Modi said his government had changed rules and norms to enable easier Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in a number of sectors, sources said.
He specifically mentioned sectors like railways, defence, manufacturing and food processing. He also spoke about the big opportunity existing in the tourism sector.
The Prime Minister told them that his government will continue to work for easing the norms and rules further to make it more easier to do business in India.
Inviting investments from Qatar's companies, he said that India is a "land of opportunities and they should grab it". In this context, he underlined the fact that India and Qatar have close ties and physically too the two countries are located close to each other.
"India is a land of opportunity. I have come to personally invite you to take advantage of this opportunity," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted, quoting Modi.
"All of you recognise the potential of India. I will address the bottlenecks you have identified," Modi told the business leaders.
Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister said, "there is a vast potential for Qatar investment authority to increase its investment in India, keeping in view India's huge investment needs and investment-friendly policies."
He said Qatar's Sovereign Wealth Fund and other state- owned entities are keenly looking at attractive investment options in infrastructure in India.
"At the round-table with businesspersons from Qatar, discussed ways to enhance India-Qatar economic cooperation," Modi tweeted later.
"Also talked about the investment opportunities in India and why the world must come and @makeinindia," he added.
He also noted that in the last two years, "there has been a substantial growth in India's exports to Qatar".
The major items of exports include machinery, textiles, electronics, construction material, chemical, spices and cereals.
Among the 10 business leaders were Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani, Chairman of QBA & CEO of Al Faisal Holding, Sheikh Fahad M J Al-Thani, Chairman of Doha Bank and Rashid Ali Al-Mansoori, CEO of Qatar Stock Exchange.
While inviting Qatar's business community, the Prime Minister said, "India's 800 million youth are its biggest strength. Infrastructure expansion & upgradation & manufacturing are my other priorities," the MEA spokesman tweeted.
"Our projects for Smart Cities, metros, urban waste management etc are geared towards upgrading quality of life of people," Modi added.
The Prime Minister identified agro processing, railways & solar energy as very promising areas for Qatari investment.
He praised the role of Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Thani in promoting business ties between the two countries.
The bilateral trade for the financial year 2014-15 stood at USD 15.67 billion, of which India's exports accounted for nearly USD 1 billion.
The balance of trade is heavily in favour of Qatar.
India is the third largest export destination for Qatar after Japan and South Korea, with LNG being the major item of trade. India is also a major buyer of ethylene, propylene, ammonia, urea and polyethylene from Qatar.
Modi, who is on a five-nation visit, landed in Qatar yesterday from Afghanistan.
Modi will also visit Switzerland, the US and Mexico as part of the tour.