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PM Modi in Doha: India-Qatar sign seven agreements to boost bilateral ties

By FnF Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 05, Jun 2016, 17:54 pm IST | UPDATED: 06, Jun 2016, 10:56 am IST

PM Modi in Doha: India-Qatar sign seven agreements to boost bilateral ties Doha: Vowing to root out corruption in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he has "faced problems" by depriving the "sweets of many" and saved over Rs 36,000 crore annually by stopping leakage and theft in government schemes.

Addressing the members of Indian community at the end of his two-day visit to Qatar, PM Modi said, "We have only cleaned up the surface (on corruption) and a detailed clean-up remains."

"We have stopped the sweets of many and in doing so, I have also faced problems. But I get the strength to face these problems from the love received from 125 crore Indians," he said, likening criticism of the government's action to a child getting angry on being deprived of a sweet by his mother.

PM Modi, who was repeatedly cheered by the Indian community members, said efforts to ensure financial transparency, discipline and efficiency have started yielding good results.

"Can you imagine? We have saved Rs 36,000 crore per year by stopping leakage and theft in various government schemes," he said.

PM Modi said 1.62 crore fake ration cards have been detected and saved crores through subsidised wheat, rice, kerosene and LPG.

"Corruption has made our country hollow, eating into its vitals like termite," he said.

In a veiled attack on the earlier Congress regimes, PM Modi said: "Today across the world, India's image has been enhanced and the country is being viewed respectably. Everyone is being attracted to India. You would have noticed the change when people from other countries meet Indians."

The prime minister said that despite India facing drought for two consecutive years, it has achieved 7.9 per cent GDP in the last quarter of the fiscal gone by.

"World's economy is in doldrums and the best of the countries are also facing an economic downturn.

"(But) India is moving ahead at a fast pace despite a lot of difficulties," he said, adding that all the credit rating agencies, World Bank and the IMF were unanimous in recognising India as the world's fastest growing economy.

"Despite the problems, the 7.9 per cent growth is testimony to the fact that the country is moving fast," he said.

PM Modi added: "Even when you go to faraway Mongolia, an Indian there also feels that times have changed (in India)."

Noting that India-Qatar relations were growing, with the Indians settled here contributing significantly, he said: "When rulers of any country praise Indians, you can imagine how my chest swells with pride."

After the 14th Finance Commission, the situation was reversed with 65 per cent of the country's revenue going to states and the Centre having to do with only 35 per cent, he said.

In his 25-minute speech, the prime minister also made a reference to the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for the retired defence personnel which had been pending for over four decades.

"The economic burden may have been big but this cannot be less than the prestige of soldiers dying for the country," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held talks with Qatar Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, taking forward bilateral ties with an important Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member.

India and Qatar signed seven bilateral agreements.

Some of the agreements include:

- MoU on cooperation in tourism.

- Agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in custom matters.

- MoU on Finance Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) and Qatar Financial Information Unit (QFIU).

- MoU for investment in National investment & infrastructure fund.

- MoU in the field of youth and sports.

- MoU on cooperation in skill development & recognition of qualifications.

- MoU on cooperation in the field of health.

PM Modi and Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, watched as officials from both countries signed seven agreements in sectors ranging from tourism and healthcare to finance and investment.

The agreements came a short while after PM Modi hard-sold India as an investment destination to Qatari business leaders.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met with business leaders in Qatar, his second stop on his five-nation tour.

"Business First. For first engagement of the day, PM attends roundtable meeting with Qatari Business Leaders," the ministry of external affairs tweeted.

PM Modi at workers' camp in Doha says India's image is not formed on basis of how our embassy works, it is based on Indians everywhere around the world

The way you guys work is the reason why Indians are appreciated, want to offer you all my gratitude:

I want to thank the doctors here. Sometimes loneliness is a disease. When someone asks how we are, we feel better, PM Modi says at workers' camp in Doha.

When someone from our nation comes, who speaks our language, knows of our land, we want to ask them how they are, know them.

My first program in Doha is meeting you all, PM Modi says at worker's camp in Doha.

Modi, who is the first Indian PM to visit four countries in the Gulf within the space of one year, is intent on deepening business ties with the region.

According to the external affairs ministry, India's trade with the region is $112 billion, and its bilateral trade with Qatar is $10 billion. Qatar is also India's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplier, providing 65 percent of India's LNG requirements. About 6,30,000 Indians live in Qatar. Modi hopes to make Qatar "an important economic partner", according to the MEA.

On Sunday, Modi promised to address bottlenecks for business investment identified by the Qatari business leaders. He said that infrastructure expansion, their upgradation, and manufacturing are all his priorities.

"India's 800 million youth are its biggest strength," he said.

He said that India's projects for building 'smart cities', metros, urban waste management are geared towards upgrading quality of life of people.