New Delhi: Standing up for India Inc, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he does not believe in the culture of criticising industry and corporates who he believes are doing exemplary social work alongside their business.
PM Modi also said he wanted citizens to not just pay their taxes honestly but do their bit for social transformation.
“In our country, the general image is to abuse businessmen, industrialists. I don’t know why it is so but it has become a fashion. This is not a line of thought I agree with,” PM Modi said, addressing IT professionals and tech honchos in a townhall where he urged technology companies to contribute their expertise and manpower to bring social change.
“We have seen today, in this townhall programme, how leading IT corporates are doing excellent social work, urging their employees to contribute to the society,” he added.
This is the second time that PM Modi has stood up for corporate India. In July, PM Modi had stated that he was not scared to be seen with industrialists as his conscience was clear and that they too had contributed to the development of the country.
PM Modi said under his government, more people are paying taxes because they have faith that their money is being used properly, but advocated a ‘tax-plus one’ system where citizens do a little more towards society besides honestly paying taxes.
PM Modi said the future lies in technology, which should be used to develop solutions for issues facing the world’s fastest growing economy.
With the recent spike in international oil prices creating a mini-panic on retail fuel prices in the country, PM Modi said moving to electric vehicles is an answer and wanted domestic social entrepreneurs to develop a low cost model that is supported by affordable and easily chargeable battery.
At the event, IT companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra and Mindtree showcased the social transformation efforts being undertaken by them and their employees and pledged their support to the newly launched initiative ‘self4society’.
The new portal ‘self4society.mygov.in’ — named as ‘Main Nahi Hum’ — will act as a platform for companies to contribute their technology, skills and HR resources towards various social causes, including financial literacy, financial inclusion, small business enablement, and Swachh Bharat.
As many as 85 IT companies which employ 2 million people have already registered themselves on the platform.
PM Modi said the taxpayer base in India has risen not due to threat of penal action but because taxpayers have faith that their money is being used properly and for the welfare of people.
“Paying tax is ‘prakriti’ (natural), not paying tax is ‘vikriti’ (deformity). But paying tax plus doing more is ‘sanskriti’ (culture),” he said.
“I appreciate honest tax payers whose numbers have increased. But tax that is paid is part of the system. Social service is tax-plus something. We need to create that,” PM Modi said.
