"If you want to achieve big then think big," Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told NDTV, outlining how thinking ahead at this point of time might benefit India a thousand years from now. "This is Bharat's time, which should not be squandered," he added, while outlining how the blueprint for India 100 years after Independence can lay the foundation for the country.
As an example, he cited the need to rethink how the bureaucracy functions -- "promotion should not be the only target".
"Change is necessary in the recruitment and training of officers -- promotion should not be the only target... they should know what is the purpose of their lives," PM Modi told NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia in an exclusive interview.
That he intends to take together Virasat (heritage) and Vikas (development) was said first from the ramparts of Red Fort, he said.
"And I am saying this again today. There have been incidents which compelled us to live... in the last 1000 years," he said. "What's happening now will take India towards a brighter future for the coming 1000 years. In my mind, it is clear that this is our time. This is Bharat's time and we must not lose the opportunity," he added.
In the wide-ranging interview, PM Modi said in the life of a nation, as with people, there are turning points, "I thought we should utilise that".
Plan And Preparations
The government, he indicated, is already on the job – with the people's contribution, and the work on a blueprint is fairly advanced. "We have done a very big exercise, a mega brainstorming. I have been doing this exercise for so long that some officers who were a part of it have retired. We have taken suggestions from ministers, secretaries and experts," he said.
These plans, he added, have been broken up into achievable tranches. " I have segregated that too into 25 years, 5 years, 1 year and 100 days in a stage-wise manner. There'll be additions to it, we might have to drop a thing or two too, but we have a big picture with us," he told NDTV.
His visualisation of the country at the age of 100 started while planning for 75 years of Independence, he said.
"I was not thinking of 75 years. I was thinking of 100," he told NDTV. "So this is the question I asked wherever I went. I asked institutes, 'What will you do when the country turns 100? Where will your institution be… RBI (Reserve Bank of India) had a 90-year-plan. I said, 'Fine, what will you do when the country turns 100'?"
Channelizing The Energy Of Youth
The key to this, PM Modi said, is to think big.
"I don't think in pieces. I have a very comprehensive and integrated approach. Secondly, I don't have the habit of working for media attention.
Talking about the enthusiasm he has observed among the young people, he said he has even devised a plan to harness it. "In the coming days, I want to focus on how to connect the youth, how to instil a habit of dreaming big in them, and how to bring a change in their habit to make big dreams come true. I believe these efforts will bring results," he said.
PM Says Victory Ahead
Phase 5 of the Lok Sabha election due tomorrow and two more phases to go, PM Modi has told NDTV that the NDA will get a historic mandate with 400 seats already under its belt.
In the exclusive interview, he also said the Opposition claim that the NDA will change the Constitution once they have 400 seats, is completely off the mark.
Asked about the Opposition claims, PM Modi said, "Linking 400 seats and Constitution is stupidity. The issue is they don't want the House to function".
"First things first, there are already 400 seats, from 2019 to 2024, under the leadership of the BJP. NDA had won 360 seats and NDA-plus has consistently been above 400," he said.
The Lok Sabha elections started on April 19. The fifth phase of polling will take place on tomorrow. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
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