In his remarks, the Prime Minister thanked President Putin for the opportunity to be present at SPIEF, in the beautiful city of St. Petersburg. Touching upon India-Russia relations, the Prime Minister said they are moving forward with good momentum. He said there are very few relations between, where the basis of the relationship is mutual trust. He said the India-Russia relationship of the last 70 years, has been based on trust, and deepened, even in a changing world.
The Prime Minister said he is at SPIEF as a representative of 1.25 billion people. He said the world is focused on Asia, and therefore, naturally to India. He said that over the last three years as Prime Minister, the Union Government is making progressive decisions on all fronts. We have today an annual GDP growth rate of 7 per cent, he added.
“Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” and “Red carpet instead of Red tape” have been the basis of governance reforms in India, Prime Minister Modi said. He said that political will and clear vision are necessary for reforms. Bureaucracy too has to be vibrant and in tune with leadership, he added.
Noting that diversity is India’s strength, the Prime Minister said that the Goods and Services Tax will be implemented from July 1st, and this will herald a uniform tax system across the country.
Agreeing with President Putin, who spoke before him, the Prime Minister said technology is going to play a key role, and mentioned the Digital India initiative.
The Prime Minister said that with the vision of “New India” skill development is a top priority for India’s 800 million strong talented youth. In this context he mentioned the success of India’s Mars Mission in the first attempt. He said the New India would have youth that are not job seekers but job creators; and can fulfil the global requirements of skilled human resource.
In the services sector, the Prime Minister said the tourism and hospitality sector will receive high priority.
Stressing that one of the four Vedas- the Atharvaveda – encapsulates dedication to nature 5,000 years ago, the Prime Minister said India’s economic growth was based not on exploitation of nature – which is a crime- but on its use and preservation and on respecting it.
List of MoUs/Agreements signed on the sidelines of the 18th India-Russia Annual Summit (June 02, 2017)
| Sl.No. | Title of MoUs/Agreements |
| 1. | Protocol No.2 to the Agreement dated December 5, 2008 between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Russian Federation |
| 2. | Agreement between Heavy Engineering Corporation Limited and Joint Stock Company “Cascade – Technologies” for setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle for railways |
| 3. | Memorandum of Understanding between SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited and State Corporation ‘Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank)’ on Russian export support and participation in the development of India-Russia capital goods financing/leasing business |
| 4. | Agreement on Cooperation between ‘JITF Urban Infrastructure Services Limited’ (Republic of India), ‘Jindal Rail Infrastructure Limited’ (Republic of India), Joint Stock Company ‘Russian Export Centre’ (Russian Federation), and Limited Liability Company Management Company ‘RailTransHolding’ (Russian Federation) |
| 5. | Memorandum of Understanding between National Investment Promotion Agency ‘Invest India’ and the Business Council for Cooperation with India concerning the promotion of investment in India and Russia |
| 6. | Cooperation Agreement between National Investment Promotion Agency ‘Invest India’ and the Roscongress Foundation |
| 7. | Memorandum of Understanding between ‘Sun Group Private Limited’ and Joint Stock Company ‘Pribor’ |
