Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India’s preparations to deal with global uncertainties had helped ensure the availability of essential commodities, including gas, petrol and fertilisers, amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day, PM Modi said India had not anticipated that such a crisis would emerge, but the preparations made by the country proved useful when the situation arose.
“We had not imagined that such a crisis would arise. But during this crisis, all these preparations proved useful. And today, the country has gas, petrol, and urea. We are standing and moving forward on the strength of our own capabilities,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi said global
crises had affected countries across the world, with India also facing their impact. However, he said the government was ensuring that farmers did not have to bear the full burden of rising global fertiliser prices.
“My dear countrymen, these global crises have affected everyone, and we have not remained untouched either. The price of a bag of urea has reached Rs 3,000 in the world. Even today, we are not forcing our farmers to bear that burden. The government is carrying that burden on its own shoulders,” he said.
He said a bag of urea that costs ₹3,000 in the global market is being provided to Indian farmers for ₹300. “A bag of urea that we get from the world at ₹3,000 is being provided to our farmers for just ₹300,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the difference in global and domestic prices of DAP fertiliser. “Not only this, the price of DAP has reached ₹5,000 in the global market. But to ensure that our farmers do not face difficulties, we are providing DAP at ₹1,350,” he said.
PM Modi’s remarks came against the backdrop of global uncertainties arising from the West Asia crisis and its potential impact on energy and commodity supplies. He said India’s ability to maintain supplies underscored the importance of strengthening domestic capabilities amid global disruptions.
Need For Self-Reliance
PM Modi said that when he first spoke about the need for self-reliance, he faced questions from those who argued that such an approach could undermine globalisation.
He said the global discourse has changed over the past decade, with discussions about globalisation seemingly diminishing. “There was a time when I spoke about self-reliance, and some people sitting in air-conditioned chambers would tell us, ‘What will happen to globalisation?’” PM Modi said, adding, “The voices that once spoke about globalisation are no longer being heard.”
‘Fearmongers Spread Fake News During Crisis’
PM Modi also fired a veiled dig at the opposition over the COVID-19 pandemic and West Asia crisis, saying some people “took pleasure” in frightening the country and spreading fake news.
“The global pandemic had put the entire world in a state of concern. All systems had been disrupted. We came out of COVID, and then news of the devastation caused by wars began to emerge—somewhere in Ukraine, somewhere in West Asia. There was an atmosphere of tension everywhere”, PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister said that “some people” sought to spread fake news and create fear among the public during times of crisis.
Recalling the predictions made during the COVID-19 pandemic and the West Asia crisis, he said, “And who knows what all predictions were made by the so-called forecasters. Some people seemed to take pleasure in frightening the country, keeping the country fearful and anxious. ‘There will be no vaccines, people will not survive COVID, nothing will happen.’ When the West Asia crisis came, they said, ‘There will be no petrol at petrol pumps, no gas, no diesel, no fertiliser,” he said.
