India on right track to be a world power: General VK Singh

Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh on Thursday said India is on the right track to become a world power, while adding the country has become friendlier with the outside world ever since the BJP led NDA government came to power at the Centre in 2014.

"At present, India is in a position where it has made more friends and has required technological base which can be exploited for our betterment. Not only that! We now also have an environment where friendship with a large number of countries is possible," said General Singh while speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on Thursday.

"Thus, we have all the ingredients to emerge as a leading world power in the coming years. India is a country which is expected to have 7 per cent growth in next five years which in turn results in a certain amount of economic strength where our country will also be able to influence others," he said.

When asked if the absence of any large scale bureaucratic and military reform is going to create obstructions for India to move forward on the path of development, General Singh said: "If we want to move on a path which is progressive, then reforms are needed."

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"India has a very youthful profile in terms of its demography. If this demography is not utilised properly, then there will be hurdles. We now have to find ways and means to utilise the young population in such a manner so that our country can achieve the goals."

"If one looks closely, in the past four and a half years, our government first identified various aspirational districts. Then we sent our officers there to find out the reasons for making the progress slow in these regions. Within a span of few months, these aspirational districts have shown tremendous development with the new policy and measures," added General Singh.

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January last year, the 'Transformation of Aspirational Districts' programme aims at quickly and effectively transforming these 115 districts, which are backward in terms of overall development. 

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