Prime Minister Modi's Historic Address to the US Congress | Full Speech

 Strengthening Democracy: Prime Minister Modi's Inspiring Address to the US Congress

Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you His Excellency Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India.Thank you, Mr. Speaker.Madam Vice President, distinguished members of the US.Congress, ladies and gentlemen, namaskar, it is always a great honor to address the United States Congress.It is an exceptional privilege to do so twice.For this honor, I extend my deepest gratitude on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India.I see that nearly half of you were here in 2016.I feel you're warm as old friends.I can also see the enthusiasm of new friends in the other half.I remember Senator Harry Reed, Senator John McKen, Senator Orin Hatch, Elijah Cummings, Elsie Hastings, and others who I met here in 2016 and who are, sadly no longer with us. Mr.Speaker, standing here seven Junes ago that is the June when Hamilton swept all the awards I said that the hesitations of history were behind us.Now, when our era is a cross is at a crossroads.I am here to speak about our calling for this century.Through the long and widening road that we have traveled, we have made the test of friendship.A lot has changed since I came here seven summers ago, but a lot has remained the same.Like our commitment to deepen the friendship between India and the United States in the past few years, there have been many advances in AI.Artificial intelligence.At the same time, there has been even more momentous development in another AI.America and India. Mr.Speaker and distinguished members, the beauty of democracy are the constant connection with the people to listen to them and fill their pulse.And I know this takes a lot of time, energy, effort, and travel.It is a Thursday, Thursday afternoon.A fly out there for some of you.So I am grateful for your time.I also know how busy you have been this last month.Being a citizen of a vibrant democracy myself, I can admit one thing, Mr.Speaker.You have a tough job.I can relate to the battles of patience, persuasion, and policy.I can understand the debate of ideas and ideology.But I am delighted to see you come together today to celebrate the bond between the world's great democracies India and the United States.I am happy to help out.I'm happy to help out.Whenever you need a strong bipartisan consensus, there will be and there must be a contest of ideas at home.But we must also come together as one when we speak for our nation.And you have shown that you can do it.Congratulations, Mr.Speaker.The foundation of America was inspired by the vision of a nation of equal people.Throughout your history, you embrace people from around the world and you have made them equal partners in the American dream.There are millions here who have roots in India some of them sit proudly in this chamber.And there is one behind me.I'm told that the Samosa Caucus is now the flavor of the House.I hope it grows and brings the full diversity of Indian cuisine here.Over two centuries, we have inspired each other through the lives of great Americans and Indians.We pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.We also remember many others who work for liberty, equality, and justice.Today, I also wish to pay heartfelt tribute to one of them, Congressman John Lewis. Mr.Speaker, democracy is one of our sacred and shared values.It has evolved over a long time and taken various forms of systems throughout history.However, one thing has been clear democracy is the spirit that supports equality and dignity.Democracy is the idea that welcomes debate and discourse.Democracy is a culture that gives things thought and expression.India is blessed to have had such values from time immemorial in the evolution of the democratic spirit.India is the mother of democracy.Millennia ago, our oldest scripture saysa comes up vipra bahuda vadanti.It means that truth is born, but the wise express it in different ways.Now the US is the oldest and India the largest democracy.Our partnership august well for the future of democracy.Together we shall give a better future to the world and a better world to the future.Last year India celebrated 75 years of its independence.Every milestone is important, but this one was special.We celebrated a remarkable journey of over 75 years of freedom after thousand years of foreign rule in one form or another.This was not just a celebration of democracy, but also of diversity.Not just of the constitution, but also of its spirit, of our social empowerment.Not just of our competitiveness and cooperative federalism, but also of our essential unity and integrity.We have over 2500 political parties.Yes, you heard that right.2500.About 20 different parties govern various states of India.We have 22 official languages and thousands of dialects.And yet we speak in one voice.It is every hundred miles.Our cuzin changes from Dosa toAluparata and from Sikhan to Sundays.We enjoy all of this.We are home to all faiths in the world and we celebrate all of them.In India, diversity is a natural way of life.Today, the world wants to know more and more about India.

India's Remarkable Progress: Prime Minister Modi Highlights Development, Democracy, and Inclusion in Address to US Congress

I see that curiosity in this house too.We were honored to receive over 100 members of the US Congress in India over the last decade.Everyone wants to understand India'sdevelopment, democracy, and diversity.Everyone wants to know what India is doing right and how among close friends, I am happy to share the same. Mr. Speaker.When I first visited the US as a Prime Minister, India was the 10th largest economy in the world.10th.Today, India is the fifth largest economy.You, India, will be the third largest economy soon.We are not only growing bigger, but we are also growing faster.When India grows, the whole world grows.After all, we are one 6th of the world's population.In the last century, when India won its freedom, it inspired many other countries to free themselves from colonial rule.In this century, when India sets the benchmark in growth, it will inspire many other countries to do the same.Our vision is sabkasas sabkavikas sabkaviswas subkapras it means together for everyone's growth, with everyone's trust and everyone's efforts.Let me share with you how this vision is translating into action with speed and scale.We are focusing on infrastructure development.We have given nearly 40 million homes to provide shelter to over 150,000,000 people.That is nearly six times the population of Australia.We run a national health insurance program that ensures free medical treatment for about 500 million people.500 million people?That is greater than the population of South America.We took banking to the Unbanked with the world's largest financial inclusion drive.Nearly 500 million people benefited.This is close to the population of North America.We have worked on building digital India.Today, there are more than 850,000,000 smartphones and internet users in the country.This is more than the population of Europe.We protected our people with 2.2 billion doses of made-in-India COVID back sin.And that too free cost.I may be running out of the continent soon, so I will stop here.Distinguished members.The Vedas are one of the world's oldest scriptures.They are a great treasure of humanity composed thousands of years ago.Back then, women's sages composed many verses in these Vedas.And today, in modern India, women are leading us to a better future.India's vision is not just of development that benefits women.It is of women-laid development where women lead the journey of progress.A woman has risen from a humble tribal background to be our head of state.Nearly 1.5 million and 1.5 million elected women leaders at various levels.And that is of local government.Today, women serve our country in the Army, navy, and Air Force.India also had the highest percentage of women airline pilots in the world.And they have also put us on Mars.By leading our Mars mission.I believe that investigating a girl child lifts up the entire family.Empowering women to transform the nation. Mr.Speaker, India is an ancient nation with a youthful population.India is known for its traditions.But the younger generation is also making a hub of technology.Be it creative reels on install or real-time payments, coding or quantum computing, machine learning or mobile apps, fintech or data science.The youth of India is a great example of how a society can embrace the latest technology.In India, technology is not about innovation, but also about inclusion.Today, digital performances are empowering the rights and dignity of people while protecting privacy.In the last nine years, or a billion people got a unique digital biometric identity connected to their bank accounts and mobile phones.This digital public infrastructure helps us reach citizens within seconds.With financial assistance, 850,000,000 people received direct benefit financial transfers into their accounts three times a year.Over 100 million farmers received assistance in their bank accounts at the click of a button.The value of such a transfer has crossed $320,000,000,000 and we have saved over $25 billion in the process.If you visit India, you will see everyone is using phones for payments, including street vendors.Last year, out of every hundred real-time digital payments in the world 46 happened in India.Nearly 400,000 miles of political fiber optical fiber-optical fiber cables and cheap data have assured a revolution of opportunities farmers check weather updates, the elderly get Social Security payments, students access scholarships, doctors deliver telemedicine, fishermen check fishing grounds and small businesses get launched with just a tap on their phones. Mr.Speaker a spirit of democracy, inclusion, and sustainability defines us.It also shapes our outlook on the world.India grows while being responsible for our planet.We believe mata Bomihi putra aham Pruthviyah this means the Earth is our mother and we are her children.Indian culture deeply respects the environment and our planet.While becoming the fastest-growing economy we grew our solar capacity by 2300%.Yes, you have heard right 2300%.We became the only G-20 country to meet its Paris commitment.We made renewables account for over 40% of our energy sources nine years ahead of the target of 2030.But we did not stop there.At the Glasgow Summit.

Prime Minister Modi's Vision for Global Cooperation: From Sustainability to Security in Address to the US Congress

I propose a mission lifestyle for the environment. This is a way to make sustainable sustainability true for people's moment, leaving it to be the job of governments alone. By being mindful in making choices, every individual can make a positive impact. Making sustainability a mass movement helps the world reach the net-zero target faster. Our vision is pro-planet progress, prosperity, and people. Mr. Speaker, we live by the motive of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or the World is One Family. Our engagement with the world is for everyone's benefit. The One Sun, One World, One Grid seeks to join us all in connecting the world with clean energy and is a vision for global action to bring quality healthcare to everyone, including animals and plants. The same spirit is also seen in the theme when we chair the G21 Earth, One Family, One Future, advancing the spirit of unity through Yoga as well. Just yesterday, the whole world came together to celebrate the International Day of Yoga. Just last week, all nations joined our proposal at the UN to build a memorial wall to honor the peacekeepers. And this year, the whole world is celebrating the International Year of Millets to promote sustainable agriculture and nutrition alike. During COVID, we delivered vaccines and medicines to over 150 countries. We reached out to others, being disaster first responders, as we do for our own. We share our modest resources with those who need them the most. We build capabilities, not dependencies. Mr. Speaker, when I speak about India's approach to the world, the United States occupies a special place. I know our relations are of great importance to all of you. Every member of this Congress has a deep interest in it. When defense and aerospace industries in India grow, it benefits states like Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. When American companies establish their research and development centers in India, it fosters opportunities in both countries. When India and the US work together on semiconductors and critical minerals, it helps make supply chains more diverse, resilient, and reliable. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, we were strangers in defense cooperation at the turn of the century. Now the United States has become one of our most important defense partners. India and the US are working together in space and in the seas, in science and in semiconductors, in startups and sustainability, in tech and in trade, in farming and finance, in art and artificial intelligence, in energy and education, in healthcare and humanitarian efforts. I can go on and on. But to sum it up, I would say the scope of our cooperation is endless. The potential of our synergies is limitless, and the chemistry in our relations is effortless. In all this, Indian Americans have played a big role. They are brilliant in every field, not just in spelling, but with their hearts and minds, talent and skills, and their love for America and India. They have connected us, unlocked doors, and show the potential of our partnership. Mr. Speaker, distinguished members, every Indian Prime Minister and American President of the past has taken our relationship further, but our generation has the honor of taking it to greater heights. I agree with President Biden that this is a defining partnership of this country because it serves a larger purpose: democracy, demography, and destiny. Give us the purpose. One consequence of globalization has been to cover the disaster over-concentration of supply chains. We will work together to diversify, decentralize, and democratize supply chains. Technology will determine the security, prosperity, and leadership in the 21st century. That is why our two countries established a new initiative for critical and emerging technologies. Our knowledge partnership will serve humanity and seek solutions to the global challenges of climate change,

Shaping the Destiny of Nations: The Vision of a Free, Inclusive, and Cooperative Indo-Pacific

We share a vision of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific, connected by secure seas, defined by international law, free from domination, and anchored in ASEAN Centrality. It is a region where all nations, small and large, are free and fearless in their choices, where progress is not suffocated by an impossible burden of debt, where connectivity is not leveraged for strategic purposes, and where all nations are lifted by the high tide of shared prosperity. Our vision does not seek to consent or exclude, but to build a cooperative region of peace and prosperity. We work through regional institutions and with our partners from within the region and beyond to ensure that this core concept emerges as a major force for good in the region.

Mr. Speaker, more than two decades after 9/11 and more than a decade after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, radicalism and terrorism still remain pressing dangers for the whole world. These ideologies keep taking on new identities and forms, but their intentions remain the same. Terrorism is an enemy of humanity, and there can be no ifs and buts in dealing with it. We must overcome all such forces, sponsoring and exporting terror.

Mr. Speaker, COVID-19's biggest impact was the human loss and suffering it caused. I wish to remember Congressman Ron Wright and the staff members who lost their lives to COVID. As we emerge from the pandemic, we must give shape to a new world order. Consideration, care, and concern are the need of the hour. Giving a voice to the global south is the way forward. That is why I firmly believe that the African Union should be given full membership in the G20. We must revive multilateralism and reform multilateral institutions with better resources and representation. This applies to all our global institutions of governance, especially the United Nations. When the world has changed, our institutions too must change or risk being replaced by a world of rivalries without rules. In working towards a new world order based on international law, our two countries will be at the forefront as partners.

Mr. Speaker and distinguished members, today we stand at a new dawn in our relationship that will not only shape the destiny of our two nations but also that of the world. As the young American poet Amanda Gorman has expressed, "When the day comes, we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid. The new dawn blooms as we free it, for there is always light if only we are brave enough to see it." Our trusted trade partnership is like the sun in this new dawn, spreading light all around.

I am reminded of a poem that I once wrote:

"Asman meh sriyuthar, ghana bhadaloko chirkar, Roshnikasankal palay, abhito suraj ugai, Abito suraj ugai, k safn chalakar, Dr. Nishai k saath chalakar, ham ustilko parker, Gore and hereko mitane, abhito surajuga."

If I were to say it in English, it would be:

"The sun had just risen, armed with a deep resolve, Overcoming all odds to dispel the forces of darkness. The sun had just season, Mr. Speaker and distinguished members, We come from different circumstances and history, but we are united by a common vision and a common destiny. When our partnership progresses, economic resilience increases, innovation grows, science flourishes, knowledge advances, and humanity benefits, our seas and skies are safer, democracy will shine brighter, and the world will be a better place. That is the mission of our partnership. That is our calling for this century.

Mr. Speaker and distinguished members, even by the high