Chandigarh (Punjab) [India]/Melbourne [Australia], August 8 (ANI/PRNewswire): India has been undergoing a historic change under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has tried to touch the life of common man, and is tirelessly working to ensure that every Indian gets all the basic elements for their well-being and welfare, said Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture.
She was speaking at the 'Vishwa Sadbhavana' event organised by the NID Foundation at Melbourne in Australia, where she internationally unveiled two books Heartfelt-The Legacy of Faith and Modi@20 depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unique and hugely successful governance, and his love and affection for humanity in general and Indians in particular, irrespective of region or religion.
Celebrating the spirit of Global Goodwill and the virtues of brotherhood, harmony, integration, and collective progress that it encompasses, 'Vishwa Sadbhavana' event was hosted by the NID Foundation organised to celebrate the exceptional progress achieved by Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi for the welfare and well-being of Indian diaspora spread across the globe, as well as his good governance model.
Eminent people from Australia and the Indian Diaspora including Thought Leaders, Entrepreneurs, members of the Australian Parliament and Senate, Corporate leaders, educationists, Spiritual Leaders including Julian Hill, Member of Australian Parliament; Manpreet Vohra, Indian High Commissioner to Australia; S. Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chief Patron, NID Foundation and Chancellor, Chandigarh University; Prof Himani Sood, Founder NID Foundation; Mr Joseph Haweil, Councillor for Aitken Ward, Hume City; Josh Gilligan, Councillor for Chaffey Ward, Wyndham; Naim Kurt, Councillor at Hume City Council and Matthew Hilakari, Labor candidate for Point Cook and former senior policy advisor, were present on the occasion.
First to be organised in Australia, the Vishwa Sadbhavana was the latest in the series of such events organised by the NID foundation and picks up from the legacy of the last event held at the City of Chicago, USA in June this year.
Brought out by NID Foundation, the book 'Heartfelt-The Legacy of Faith' documents Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji's belief in the Sikh Guru's and their teachings, and his earnest efforts for enabling justice and prosperity and delivering upon the long-overdue mainstays of the Sikh community. The other book, 'Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery' by famed Oncologist in America Dr Bharat Barai, is a compilation of chapters by intellectual and domain experts, providing with an expansive exploration into the fundamental transformation of Gujarat and India over the last 20 year due to his unique kind of Governance.
Noting that India is a great country unaffected by tides of time, Smt Meenakshi Lekhi said that the nation has got Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its leader to take it to the top of the world, a place it always deserved.
"Every once in a while India needs change and if you analyse history, you will know that someone great comes along and brings the needed change. After Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Maratha Queen Ahilya Bai Holkar, if someone is capable of bringing that massive change, it is our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and he is proving that right," said Smt Lekhi, who was the chief guest on the occasion.
"India has been undergoing a historic change under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has tried to touch the life of common man through various policies and schemes launched during the last 8 years in office," she said.
"A righteous man like the Prime Minister is not afraid of doing the right thing. It was due to this that he was able to bring the change this country required. Unlike previous governments, it didn't take him 70 years to figure that common citizens of this country required toilets. As many as 20 Crore toilets were constructed in a record time. India has had economists as Prime Ministers, but it was only Narendra Modi who enrolled the poor of this country into the formal economy, opening 38 crore bank accounts within 4 months, as opposed to 12 Crore opened in the last 70 years. This not only ensured the common man's inclusive participation in nation building but also ensured Direct Bank Transfers, thus eliminating corruption," she said.
Speaking of PM Modi's love for the minorities, especially the Sikhs, Smt Lekhi said that the Prime Minister has been very close to Sikhs and Punjab from his early days as a politician, serving as the BJP general secretary for Punjab.
"Ever since coming into power, PM Modi has undertaken many projects for resurrection, revamping and reconstruction of various Gurudwaras under the PRASAD scheme which includes announcement of Sikh tourist circuits connecting the 5 holy Takhts, renovation of heritage at Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib or work done at National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala in Punjab, the cremation site of Indian freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru", she said.
She said that the Prime Minister has taught the Indians to be proud of their culture and roots, but at the same time be on one table with the world. "His believes in becoming self-reliant and then only can we help others. During the testing times of Covid-19, the world has seen how capable India was," she added.
In his address, Manpreet Vohra, Indian High Commissioner to Australia said that not only the Indian diaspora in Australia has grown in number, but the peer-to-peer relationship between the two communities has also grown stronger than ever.
"Indian diaspora here has risen to achieve great success despite coming from humble backgrounds. Their contribution to Australia, socially, economically or even culturally is greatly acknowledged, and has contributed significantly in taking India-Australia relationships to a new level," he said.
"I might be your high commissioner here, but each one of you is an ambassador of India in Australia," he said and congratulated the attendance ahead of the 75th Independence Day of India, which will also mark 75 years of India-Australia diplomatic relationship.
Congratulating the NID Foundation for organising this historic event, Mr Julian Hill, Member of Australian Parliament said that the two books launched tonight were significant, in the sense that they not only highlight and celebrate Narendra Modi's life, but also India and all of its people.
Recalling his time spent in Gujarat, Mr Hill said, "India is the world's biggest multi-cultural and multi-faith democracy. This is a great incident that today's event coincides with the 75th independence day celebration of India. In the 75 years, India has truly shown what they are capable of and the entire world acknowledges that."
"It is impossible to imagine multicultural Australia without the contribution of the Indian community living here. There are almost 700,000 Indians living in Australia, a huge number as per Australian standards. In the last 2 years, Australia saw hard times in the shape of bushfires and covid-19. The way temples and gurudwaras opened up their hearts and doors for those affected in these times have really got the Indian diaspora here to gain national acclaim, building India's reputation here in Australia," he said.
"Unlike past, India and Australia today share more than just Commonwealth and Cricket. Our ties fuelled by shared challenges and opportunities have been on rise for a long time now, and the Indian diaspora here is the largest driving force behind this," he added.
Hailing Prime Minister Modi as an illustrious leader and highly experienced strategist but even better humanist, S. Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chief Patron, NID Foundation expressed his gratitude for the pro-people decisions taken by the current dispensation under his rule, including several decisions in the interests of Sikh community and the NRIs.
"The role of Indian diaspora remains at the core of India's pursuit of becoming a 'Vishwa Guru' (World Leader) and Modi has made sure that they remain at the heart of it. It is only a leader of unparalleled political and humane acumen like Prime Minister, who could have understood this and done this. On every trip of any country, the Prime Minister takes out time to meet the Indian community there, to talk to them, interact with them and take stock of any problem or issues they might be facing," he said.
"The spirit of Vishwa Sadhbhavana stems from this very love and respect that the Prime Minister has for the people and humanity at the Global level. In the 8 years of being in power, Prime Minister has shown all the traits of being a true global leader, in his efforts to bring the entire world together. This very spirit is the spirit of Sadhbhavana," he added.
Detailing about the book 'Heartfelt-The Legacy Of Faith' by the NID Foundation, Sandhu said that it was an honest attempt at documenting the facts of the history of the Sikh community and the teachings and philosophies of the Sikh Gurus.
"It captures the virtues of Sikhism that are Satt, Santokh, Daya, Nimrata and Pyar, and goes on to show that the values and ethos of the country are not forgotten, rather they are being implemented in our governance model because of their universal and timeless relevance. Taking the five essential virtues of Sikh living as the central theme, the book connects the various initiatives taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the cause and welfare of the Sikhs and Punjab with the Sikh way of living, thereby highlighting the Prime Minister's embodiment of upholding truthful values, compassion, humility, contentment, and love for all mankind," he said.
It may be mentioned here that the NID Foundation has been working tirelessly for nation-building in various capacities. From implementing the new education policy to bringing Indian universities to the top positions at the international level, several decisive steps have been taken by the Foundation ever since its inception.
NID Foundation founded by Satnam Singh Sandhu is a social, economic, and political outreach & engagement organization that works with the community, government, industry, and civil society stakeholders to generate reform-oriented intelligence in areas of domestic and international issues, governance, education, and environmental reforms, thereby supporting leaders and policymakers in making informed decisions. Our vision uses global challenges as props and set cutting-edge experiential learning tools to trigger this adaptive capacity.
With active participation of thought leaders like Satnam Singh Sandhu, the NID Foundation is conceptualized and developed at the intersection of issues that are critical to building a New India and focuses on shared global responsibilities, ecological conservation, education, sustainability, and universal wellness. NID Foundation builds partnerships that bring together resources, expertise, and vision while working with the core actors of nation-building to identify issues, find solutions and drive change.
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