Text of Vice-President's speech at NDTV 'Indian of the Year 2024' Awards

Good evening all of you.

Friends, It is a delighted to be the part of NDTV's Indian of the Year event.

Warmest Greetings and Wishes to all for a joyous and colourful Holi.This is going to be very different because we never imagined at least me and Mr Tyagi in 1989 to 1991 we had to suffer the pain to sustain our financial credibility physical gold of this country had to be airlifted to be placed to two Swiss bank and now I am told their maybe a week where foreign exchange adition may be more than 6 billion and it is now over 600 billion in total.

Congratulations to the distinguished awardees. I can tell you all of them have earned it. They well deserved of it, and when you have award like this then awardees become source of inspiration and motivation for many others. It carries stamp of credibility.

Something that happened with respect to our civilian awards Padma awards, if an award is driven by patronage, if iconic status is generated by event management then it doesn't have acceptability.I congratulate the jury for having chosen people who have really contributed to the growth, rise of this country.

This award will inspire many to join our marathon March for a Viksit Bharat@2027.

The reverberation of Viksit Bharat is palpable in every corner of our great nation today. It is more than just a call to leapfrog into the future; it is a definite promise it is a firm promise that in 2047 we will be a developed nation, none will be left behind. The development of this country in last decade has been plateau not pyramidical. The benefit has accrued to one and all and in every no can corner of this country.

Recent years have been a testament to India's journey from fragile five economies in the world. We had the good fortune to be in the big five leaving behind Canada, UK and France. It is matter of time and I can say less than 2 years, the country will be in big 3 economies in the world ahead of Germany and Japan. So our Amrit Kaal which from every consideration is our Gaurav Kaal in a sense laying foundation for a developed nation in 2047.

National mood in the country is one of hope and possibility. We have seen unprecedented rise, those who claim to know economy and who thought and put it in public domain that rise will not be more than 5.5% did not respond when the rise was over 7.5%. We exponential infrastructural growth, that is envied by the world. Bharat Mandapam, Yashobhoomi, New building of Parliament, Our expressways just imagine where we are, even from a global benchmark we are in the big league.

Well spread out digital penetration the benefit is available in the village in tier- II cities people are reaching to a level where they never imagined, they are reaping dividends of it and then upsurge and emergence of new vistas of opportunities.

Our young people today have an ecosystem where they can exploit their energy and talent their potential and realize their aspirations and dreams. Affirmative governance has made it possible.