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In Rugby terms, India and New Zealand are ready to 'Front up' and step up together for a strong and successful partnership: PM Modi

Published By : Admin | March 17, 2025 | 13:05 IST

Your Excellency, Prime Minister Luxon,

Delegates from both the countries,

Friends from Media,

Namaskar!

Kia Ora!

I warmly welcome Prime Minister Luxon and his delegation to India. Prime Minister Luxon has had a long relationship with India. We all witnessed, how a few days ago, he celebrated the joyous festival of Holi in Auckland! Prime Minister Luxon's affection towards the people of Indian origin living in New Zealand can also be seen from the fact that a large community delegation has accompanied him to India. It is a matter of great pleasure for us to have a young, energetic and talented leader like him as the Chief Guest of the Raisina Dialogue this year.

Friends,

Today we held in-depth discussions on various areas of our bilateral relations. We've decided to strengthen and institutionalise our defense and security collaboration. In addition to joint exercises, training, and port visits, a roadmap for bilateral defense industry collaboration will be developed. Our navies are working together in the Combined Task Force-150 for maritime security in the Indian Ocean. And, we are happy that a New Zealand naval ship is making a port call in Mumbai in two days.

Friends,

We have decided to begin discussions for a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement between the two countries. This shall increase the potential for bilateral trade and investment. Mutual cooperation and investment shall be encouraged in fields such as Dairy, Food Processing, and Pharma. We have given priority to mutual cooperation in the areas of Renewable Energy and Critical Minerals. Joint work shall be done in Forestry and Horticulture. I am confident that the large business delegation accompanying the Prime Minister shall get an opportunity to explore and understand the new possibilities in India.

Friends,

Whether it is cricket, hockey, or mountaineering, the two countries share a long-standing bond in sports. We have agreed to strengthen cooperation in sports coaching, player exchange, and areas such as sports science, psychology, and medicine. We have decided to celebrate 100 years of sports relations between our two nations in 2026.

Friends,

The Indian community living in New Zealand is making a valuable contribution to the country’s social and economic development. We have agreed to work swiftly on an agreement to simplify the mobility of skilled workers and address issues related to illegal migration. We shall also focus on enhancing UPI connectivity, promoting digital transactions, and boosting tourism. Our ties in the field of education are long-standing, and we invite universities from New Zealand to establish campuses in India.

Friends,

We stand united against terrorism. Whether it is the Christchurch terrorist attack of March 15, 2019 or the Mumbai attack of November 26, 2008, terrorism in any form is unacceptable. Strict action must be taken against those responsible for such attacks. We will continue to cooperate in combating terrorism, separatist, and extremist elements. In this regard, we have also shared our concerns about anti-India activities by certain illegal elements in New Zealand. We’re confident that we will continue to receive the full cooperation of the New Zealand Government against such illegal elements.

Friends,

We both support a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. We believe in the policy of development, not expansionism. We welcome New Zealand joining the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative. Following its membership in the International Solar Alliance, we also congratulate New Zealand for joining the CDRI.

Friends,

Finally, in the language of Rugby, I would say – both of us are ready to "Front up" for a bright future in our relationship. We are ready to step up together and take responsibility for a bright partnership! And, I am confident that our partnership will prove to be a match-winning partnership for the people of both countries.

Thank you very much!

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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the 53rd meeting of PRAGATI, the ICT-enabled, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, at Seva Teerth earlier today.

During the meeting, Prime Minister reviewed six key infrastructure projects across the Railway, Road and Power sectors, spanning nine States with a cumulative cost of more than ₹30,000 crore. The projects, significant for strengthening connectivity, supporting industrial and economic activity and improving public services, were reviewed with particular emphasis on adherence to timelines, inter-agency coordination, resolution of pending issues and expeditious completion.

Prime Minister emphasised that delays in infrastructure projects have consequences beyond cost escalation, as they also postpone the benefits intended for citizens, businesses and the economy. He said that infrastructure projects should be viewed and monitored as an integrated whole, rather than as isolated sections, stretches or packages. He noted that progress in individual packages should ultimately translate into timely completion and operationalisation of the entire project. Ministries and States were therefore asked to adopt an end-to-end approach, and address critical gaps that could delay the overall commissioning and delivery of benefits. He called for fostering a proactive work culture across Ministries and State Governments, with greater ownership at every level of project implementation.

Prime Minister stressed the need to explore common utility corridors for infrastructure services, wherever feasible, particularly while planning major transport and infrastructure projects. He called upon Ministries and States to examine such integrated approaches at the planning stage itself, keeping in view their technical and economic feasibility.

Prime Minister said that speed of execution must be accompanied by uncompromising quality. He called upon Ministries, States and implementing agencies to adopt modern technologies and strengthen quality assurance and supervision at every stage.

While reviewing AgriStack under the Digital Agriculture Mission, Prime Minister emphasised the need to leverage the latest digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to derive greater value from agricultural data. He stressed that the data ecosystem should be effectively utilised across the agricultural value chain, from input planning to processing, enabling more informed interventions, better targeting and data-driven decision-making. He appreciated the efforts of the States and the Central Government in building the AgriStack ecosystem and called for further strengthening its use for delivering better outcomes for farmers.

During the review of cyber fraud cases, including incidents of digital arrest, Prime Minister said that prevention must be strengthened through a sustained focus on training, awareness and education. He stressed the need for continuous and targeted public-awareness campaigns, particularly for senior citizens, youth and other vulnerable sections, to familiarise them with common fraud techniques, warning signs and safe digital practices. He also called for regular capacity-building of personnel involved so that emerging modes of cyber fraud are identified and acted upon swiftly.