Lauding the improving bilateral relations between India and South Africa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that South Africa,with a total investment of $72 billion in the past five years, had been India's top priority since he assumed office in 2014.
Speaking at the 52nd annual general meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Gandhinagar, Modi said ties between the two countries had grown stronger over the decades. He also made assurances of India's continued support in achieving growth aims in areas like agriculture, infrastructure, power and industry.
"Over the decades, our ties have grown stronger. Trade between India and Africa has multiplied in the past 15 years, and doubled in the past five years to reach $72 billion in 2014-15. I am proud to say that there is no country in Africa that hasn't been visited by an Indian minister in the last three years. After assuming office in 2014, I have made Africa a top priority for India's foreign and economic policy," said Modi.
Highlighting similar challenges faced by India and Africa, Modi assured India's support in addressing issues including the upliftment of farmers, poverty, rural development and infrastructure. According to AfDB President Akinwumi A Adesina, Africa has been expecting India's co-operation in areas like solar power, food and agriculture and infrastructure.
PM Modi, on the other hand, talked about the success of skill development programmes that train African women to work on solar panels and circuits. Modi also spoke of programmes aimed at training illiterate and semi-literate women by imparting skills on basket-making, bee-keeping and gardening.
Talking about his government's initiatives in the past three years, Modi said that the government had launched an initiative to double farmers' income by 2022, even as it looked to bring electricity to all villages. "By next year, no village in India will be without electricity. Our Clean Ganga, Renewable Energy, Digital India, Smart Cities, Housing for All and Skill India missions are preparing us for a cleaner, more prosperous, faster growing and modern new India," Modi said.
The doubling of farmers' income would, however, require concerted steps including improved seeds and optimal inputs as well as reduced crop losses and better marketing infrastructure. added PM Modi.
Listing the government's steps and achievements in the past three years, Modi said that the fiscal deficit, balance of payments deficit, and inflation had come down even as the GDP growth rate, foreign exchange reserves and public capital investment had risen in the said period.
"We have made big strides in development by adopting bold reforms of less-cash economy, mobile banking, plugging the leaks in subsidy distribution through direct benefit transfer, universal banking scheme of Jan Dhan Yojana and the universal biometric identification Aadhaar system in the last three years," Modi enumerated.