On foreign direct investment, Modi more-or-less reiterated what his party manifesto says.
“We still have to think fully about foreign direct investment in retail. We have to protect India's manufacturing sector too. We have to think about small players. If we are loaded with foreign goods our youth will remain jobless,” he said.
“We should have a holistic approach to it,” he said, adding that foreign equity in any sector must encourage domestic manufacturing, bring in niche technology and create assets - all of which are necessary to create jobs.
Modi also laid a lot of emphasis on infrastructure, especially railways.
“Railways is an important pillar in our country. It is now only a means of transport for passengers. But it has the potential to become India's growth engine. It can become a link between the central and the state governments to drive its growth,” he said.
“We have separated the railways from the federal structure and the states. Tweaking fares and adding coaches won't help. It needs holistic restructuring, technology upgrade. If we use technology for railways can you imagine what we can show to the world,” he said.
