PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi on Friday said India has political stability and continuity in its policies, and the world sees it as a “bright spot of growth and hope”.
Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2026, the PM said India has always moved forward with the spirit of a shared future at a time when resources are being weaponised and an environment of mistrust is creating new challenges for the world.
“This atmosphere of distrust is bringing numerous new challenges for the world. Even in such times, the world is seeing India as a bright spot of growth and hope,” he said.
Seeking to underline India’s growth journey, the importance of next-generation reforms and the transformation underway across key sectors such as manufacturing, technology, infrastructure and governance, PM Modi said India today is moving forward with political stability, policy continuity and a strong reform mindset.
“We are moving from ‘prohibited unless permitted’ to ‘permitted unless prohibited’. Through Jan Vishwas, decriminalisation, removal of many obsolete laws, we are reducing the burden on citizens and enterprises,” he said.
At the core of India’s “reform journey” he said, is a change in the “philosophy of governance” and a “completely different” approach that incentivised production, encouraged ambition and “trusted our entrepreneurs”. India, he said, has moved “from controlling enterprises to enabling them”.
“Our approach is rooted in trust, ease of living, ease of doing business and creating greater opportunities for the people. In the times to come, the reform express will continue to move with greater speed and determination,” the PM said.
“Nothing is possible in isolation, so this theme of Shared Future has become even more relevant. India has always moved forward with this very spirit. That is why, during India’s G20 Presidency, the mantra was ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” he said.
Referencing his speech from the Red Fort on August 15, Modi reiterated his ‘Sapta Dhara framework for Viksit Bharat’ — manufacturing, agro-food production and food processing, technology and innovation, logistics, defence, green and blue economy, and soft power.
“India today is undertaking next-generation reforms at the policy level so that our future is secure. It is reforming governance and ease of living. Reform is not a compulsion for us, it is our commitment, it is our conviction,” he said. The IMF forecast for India says it will remain the world’s fastest growing major economy, he said, adding that the country was taking steps that were giving momentum to the development.
“Today’s young generation will be surprised to hear that there was a time in our country when if a company exceeded the fixed production limit, it would be punished. This was the PLP (Production Linked Punishment) model of the previous licence raj governments,” he said. “There have also been instances where if a factory produced more due to higher demand, it would receive a notice. Those who mock Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat today had ancestors with the same mindset,” he said.
“The foundation of the relationship between the government and the citizens should not be on suspicion, but trust… We are taking this reform-mindset forward in the government-enterprise relationship “ the PM said.
