Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Saturday that India cannot afford to remain stagnant at this time and that it must become self-sufficient. He urged people to buy only locally made items. He claimed that if consumers buy local items for the next 25 years, the country will not experience unemployment. On the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, Mr. Modi spoke after unveiling a 108-foot tall monument of Lord Hanuman through a video link in Gujarat’s Morbi.
“India can no longer afford to be stagnant. We can’t stay in the same place, whether we’re awake or asleep. The global crisis has prompted everyone to consider how to become ‘aatmanirbhar’ (self-sufficient) “Mr. Modi stated the following. “I’d like to ask the country’s saints to teach people to only buy local products. ‘Vocal for local’ is all the rage these days. We should only use products manufactured by our people in our homes. Consider the large number of people who will gain jobs as a result of this “he stated.
India must go with Local products
“We may prefer foreign-made goods, but these things lack the feel of our people’s hard work, the aroma of our Mother Earth,” Modi remarked, adding, “In the next 25 years, if we only consume local products, our people will not be unemployed.”
The statue of Lord Hanuman was unveiled by the Prime Minister at the Ashram of ‘Param Pujya Keshvanand ji’ in Morbi, Saurashtra. As part of the Hanumanji Char Dham project, the second of four sculptures will be erected in each of the four directions around the country.
In 2010, the first statue in the series was unveiled in Shimla, and work on the statue in Rameswaram, in the south, has begun. Lord Hanuman, Modi added, is an inspiration to all and the one who ensured the right to respect for all forest-dwelling species and tribals.
He claimed that the spirit of Ram Katha — Lord Ram’s narrative, in which Lord Hanuman plays a key role — unifies everyone through devotion to God. He stated, “This is the strength of Indian faith, spirituality, culture, and tradition.” Mr. Modi claimed that in pre-independence India, the same spirit united people from all walks of life and helped the country decide to achieve independence.
He added that India’s faith and culture arise from harmony, equanimity, and inclusivity, and that Lord Ram provided an example of ‘Sabka Saath, sabka vishwas’ (together, with everyone’s trust) by enlisting the help of everybody to complete a task, despite his own ability to do so.
Mr. Modi also recalled his previous connection to Khokhra Hanuman Dham, where the statue was discovered and described it as a source of inspiration. He added that the lessons learned from the 1979 Machhu Dam tragedy in the region helped him deal with the 2001 Bhuj earthquake.
Morbi has profited from the growth of tourism in Kutch, he claimed, citing other tourist attractions such as the Girnar ropeway, which he claims has helped people reach the hilltop shrine. “India’s inherent strength is that tourism can be expanded without much effort,” he said, underlining the importance of keeping pilgrimage sites clean to encourage others to do the same.
Modi claimed that India’s spiritual gurus gave the country fresh power by causing a spiritual awakening among the people before the country’s war for independence began in 1857. “India will be powerful because of Hanumanji’s teachings of selfless service and devotion,” he concluded.