Prime Minister Narendra Modi has responded to US President Donald Trump’s recent remark calling India a “dead economy,” firmly stating that India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world. Speaking at the International Institute of Information Technology Auditorium in Bengaluru after inaugurating the Metro Phase-3 project, Modi credited this growth to a strategy of “reform, perform, and transform,” backed by integrity and dedication.
Highlighting India’s economic ascent, Modi noted that in the past 11 years the country has advanced from the 10th to the 5th largest economy, with ambitions to claim the 3rd spot soon. He underlined the nation’s export surge — from $480 billion before 2014 to $850 billion today. In electronics, exports rose from $6 billion to $38 billion, while automobile exports doubled from $16 billion to over $32 billion, positioning India as the fourth-largest automobile exporter. Bengaluru, he said, plays a crucial role in these achievements.
Modi stressed that India’s transformation is deeply linked to the Digital India initiative. The country is progressing towards global leadership in artificial intelligence and expanding its footprint in the semiconductor sector, with plans for a domestically made chip. India, he added, has become a benchmark for cost-effective, high-tech space missions and continues to invest in emerging technologies such as AI-powered theft detection.
Digitalization, Modi emphasized, has reached rural areas, with over half of the world’s real-time digital transactions happening in India through UPI. Citizens can now access 2,200 government services via mobile devices, and the ‘Umang’ app enables them to complete tasks from home, bridging the gap between citizens and governance.
Calling on India’s tech companies to shift their focus from primarily serving global markets to addressing domestic needs, Modi championed the concept of “Tech Atmanirbhar Bharat.” He urged companies to innovate in manufacturing and software tailored for India, stressing the importance of “zero defects, zero effect” — producing flawless products with no environmental harm.
He expressed confidence that Bengaluru and Karnataka’s talent pool will lead the nation’s push for self-reliance in technology and manufacturing, ensuring that emerging industries place India at the forefront of global innovation.
