Harvard, MA: February 14, 2016: Ravi Shankar Prasad, India’s Communications and Information Technology Minister, has said at the annual India 2016 conference at Harvard University that one of the biggest achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Government has been the transformation of the country from politics of want to politics of hope. “That is the first achievement of the Modi-government, and the second is that the country moved from politics of assurance to politics of aspirations thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
That is what I see India in today. The parliamentary elections through which we came to power, was in many ways a vindication of hope, and after 30 years one party got absolute majority,” the minister said as he gave his perspective on the theme of the student-organized conference – Vision of Emerging India on February 6, 2016.
Prasad told the audience at the sold out conference that the mobile manufacturing scene is looking up, attracting as many as 15 new plants in the last 10 months. “Today, we are involved in some transformational initiatives to change India. Our mobile connectivity today is billion plus and India is the world’s second-fastest growing smart phone market.
The Q&A at the end of the speech was moderated by Professor Ashutosh Varshney, Sol Goldman Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs at Brown University and Director of the Brown-India Initiative. Prasad said that the first idea of India emerging today is that of good governance, and transparent and good decision making which is important.
The Conference was organized by the Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government and was addressed, among others, by former Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, former minister from the Congress party Government Shashi Tharoor, Ambassador Dnyneswar Mulay, Consul General of India in New York and a number of CEOS from India, and academics from Harvard, Brookings and other institutions, besides Prasad who headlined the conference along with Rao who spoke on India’s foreign policy.
Prasad visited New Jersey to address a meeting at Royal Albert’s Palace in Fords, on February 7th, organized by the friends and supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party in honor of the visiting minister. Addressing the gathering Prasad said that the fact that India Day is being celebrated across several universities in the U.S. shows the power of India and Indians in the U.S. “The government under Narendra Modi is working hard not only for the people of India but also for the NRI’s who have left India and settled elsewhere. Our consulates are making sure the NRI’s are supported well and we request NRI’s to actively get involved in nation building by interacting with government and by sending their feedback,” Prasad said.
Jayesh Patel, former president of OFBJP, welcomed the gathering. After the traditional lighting of the lamp and rendition of American and Indian national anthems, Prasad was introduced to the attendees as a visionary, thinker, writer and an eminent lawyer who has fought against corruption.
