Ratan Tata, Other Leaders Of India Inc. Praise PM Modi's Leadership During Covid-19 Pandemic

PM Modi assured the India Inc. that with a pro-reform government, "you have full freedom" to realise new ambitions for the country.

Narendra Modi speaks at ASSOCHAM Foundation Week, via video link, in New Delhi. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: India's top industry leaders, including Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata on Saturday, appalled the leadership of Prime Minister Nardendra Modi for driving the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. PM Modi on Saturday assured the India Inc. that with a pro-reform government, "you have full freedom" to realise new ambitions for the country. He said the world is moving towards the fourth Industrial Revolution in which India must participate from the front. "For all years that I have been in business, I have valued and been respectful of our PM for the leadership that he has given us. This year is the worst year that the planet has ever seen due to the pandemic, drop in the economy level, and other calamities that have come. "Sir, you have been the carrier of leadership, you have not dithered, you have not escaped, you have turned them and frontally lead the country through this period for which I should say, we should all be most obliged," said Tata, who was conferred the 'ASSOCHAM Enterprise of the Century Award' award to uphold and take forward the House of Tatas' ethos and values. Expressing his deep appreciation for the PM, Tata said, "You wanted a lockdown, and you got a lockdown, you wanted the country to shut down lights for some time, you got that happen." "It is not cosmetic, and it is not showmanship. It is to put the country together, showing that we can stand up and marshal our efforts to do what you have set ourselves to do. It's our job in the industry to follow this to show the benefits of this leadership," Tata added. The 82-year old Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons further said, "As I see India in the last few years, we do tremendous things when we come to unite ourselves to do things together and don't disassociate ourselves in conflict. Thank you for leading the country through this difficult period." Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani, co-founder and managing director of Hiranandani Group believed that with the construction of bullet train starting in Gujarat, the bullet train of the Indian economy would also zoom ahead. "We as a nation have been infected by your mantra of self-belief – the clarion call of 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat'. This self-belief is most evident in the manufacturing sector, which is all set to leverage your PLI scheme to make India as a global factory in the next five years and achieve this 5 trillion dollar economy," said Hiranandani, President, ASSOCHAM. Praising PM efforts for calling a complete lockdown early, Balkrishan Goenka, Chairman, Welspun Group said, "When the whole world was still in a dilemma on how to deal with this pandemic… our Hon'ble Prime Minister was amongst the first few world leaders to announce complete lockdown… which played an important role in controlling the spread of COVID 19 in the country." This time he (PM) again demonstrated how a visionary leader can build a new dawn… with imagination, insight, and bold decisions to serve the nation and its people, said Goenka. TCI Group managing director, Vineet Agarwal, said, "We would continue to focus on strengthening the backbone of our economy – the MSME segment. ASSOCHAM has extensive experience at the grass-root level, which we would leverage to champion the cause of MSMEs so that they continue to prosper." Congratulating the PM for their quick actions to mitigate the exponential rise in the health crisis and supporting the vulnerable segments in these trying times, Deepak Sood, secretary-general, ASSOCHAM, said, "The clarion call of Atmanirbharta has enthused the industry with a promise of long-term growth. Our economy is recovering faster than expected, and these green shoots of recovery have helped boost business sentiments."