On Monday 29th April, Vishakhapatnam witnessed a dynamic discourse as Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman graced the Viksit Bharat Ambassador Campus Dialogue at GITAM University. The event, divided into two sessions, brought together a diverse audience to engage with the finance minister on India's growth trajectory.

In this dialogue, which saw 1,100 students and faculty attendance, Minister Sitharaman emphasised Viksit Bharat's collective achievements and issued a powerful call to action. She urged the youth to stand against cynicism and become ambassadors of growth, inspiring them to shape the nation's future actively.

Following the dialogue, a gathering of over 50 prominent city figures, including tech entrepreneurs, startup founders, heads of chambers of commerce, and owners of pharma industries, also interacted with Minister Sitharaman. They lauded the Modi government's efforts in transforming the business landscape and expressed pride in India's emergence as a thriving startup ecosystem. Sitharaman's emphasis on the government's focus on ease of doing business and innovation instilled hope in India's future as a global economic powerhouse.

She also highlighted how the widespread adoption of UPI in India resulted in 131 billion transactions during the fiscal year 2023-2024.

The Union Finance Minister remarked that despite the 1991 reforms, certain anticipated developments materialised slower than expected. She emphasised that the enthusiasm following those reforms did not translate into the desired outcomes until 2014.

Highlighting achievements during PM Modi's tenure, Sitharaman emphasised the transformative shift from economic stagnation to robust growth. She celebrated India's climb up the global economic ladder despite challenges, crediting clean governance and a growth-friendly environment. She also emphasised the establishment of the 'Anusandhan Corpus' in the Interim Budget 2024-25, aimed at fostering innovation and research to position India as a global hub.

The finance minister reflected on the progress made during the Modi 1.0 and Modi 2.0 administrations, contrasting these achievements with the economic challenges encountered during the UPA era.

She mentioned that in 2004, when the UPA came into power, India was ranked 12th globally. Over subsequent years, India's ranking fluctuated, reaching 14th place in 2007, climbing to 9th by 2011, then slipping to 10th in 2012 and 11th in 2013, before returning to 10th by 2014. She highlighted that India is currently positioned as the fifth-largest economy globally and will soon become the third-largest economy.

She praised the Modi government's steadfast and forward-thinking leadership, attributing India's impressive growth in recent years to this leadership. Sitharaman expressed confidence in India's ability to achieve significant development and stated, "India can, and India will become a developed nation by 2047."

An attendee highlighted the significant technological advancements in rural areas noting how even individuals living in poverty are now able to access technologies such as UPI and other developments.

An attendee emphasized that the motto of the Viksit Bharat Ambassador Program is to bring benefits to every individual and the economy. She highlighted how the crucial component of the program was to develop social infrastructure.

The Vision of Viksit Bharat: 140 crore dreams, 1 purpose

The Viksit Bharat Ambassador movement aims to encourage citizens to take responsibility for contributing to India's development. VBA meet-ups and events are being organized in various parts of the country to achieve this goal. These events provide a platform for participants to engage in constructive discussions, exchange ideas, and explore practical strategies for contributing to the movement.

Join the movement on the NaMo App: https://www.narendramodi.in/ViksitBharatAmbassador

The NaMo App: Bridging the Gap

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's app, the NaMo App, is a digital bridge that empowers citizens to participate in the Viksit Bharat Ambassador movement. The NaMo App serves as a one-stop platform for individuals to:

Join the cause: Sign up and become a Viksit Bharat Ambassador and make 10 other people
Amplify Development Stories: Access updates, news, and resources related to the movement.
Create/Join Events: Create and discover local events, meet-ups, and volunteer opportunities.
Connect/Network: Find and interact with like-minded individuals who share the vision of a developed India.

The 'VBA Event' section in the 'Onground Tasks' tab of the 'Volunteer Module' of the NaMo App allows users to stay updated with the ongoing VBA events.

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PM chairs 53rd PRAGATI Meeting
August 25, 2026
PM reviews six key infrastructure projects across the Railway, Road and Power sectors
Projects reviewed span across 9 States with cumulative investment of more than ₹30,000 crore
PM says Infrastructure projects should be viewed as an integrated whole, rather than as individual sections or packages
PM calls for continuous reforms across all stages of project implementation and a proactive work culture across Ministries and States
PM says Speed must go hand-in-hand with quality
While reviewing AgriStack, PM emphasises the need to leverage the latest digital technologies including AI to derive greater value from agricultural data
On cyber fraud and ‘digital arrest’, PM stresses training, public awareness, cyber-safety education and coordinated action

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.