My govt not afraid to take tough decisions in India's interest: PM Modi

Yangon: Addressing the Indian diaspora, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that his government was not afraid of taking 'big' and 'tough' decisions in the interest of the country.

He asserted that his government could take such decisions because it considers the country above politics.

"In the national interest, we are not afraid of taking big and tough decisions because for us, the country is above politics. Whether it be the surgical strikes, demonetisation or GST, all decisions were taken without any fear or hesitation," PM Modi told the gathering.

Referring to the note ban, he said the step was taken to curb black money and that it had helped identify lakhs of people who had crores of rupees in bank accounts but never paid income tax.

He also said that registration of over two lakh companies had been cancelled in last three months as those had been found to be indulging in laundering of black money.

"To deal with corruption, we banned currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination. A handful of corrupt people were making 125 crore people pay for their misdeeds. This was not acceptable to us," PM Modi said.

"There used to be no clue as to from where black money was coming and where it was going," he said in 35-minute address.

Talking about GST, he said an "atmosphere of doing business with honesty" had been created in the country within a span of two months after its launch.

He said that over the last three years, his government had initiated massive changes and rules were being eased to unshackle the potential of the country.

"Now, the people of the country have begun believing that India can move forward. The shackles can be broken," he said.

"We are not merely reforming India but transforming India. We are not changing India, but we are building a new India," he said, adding 2022 was the target year to achieve this as it coincides with the 75th anniversary of the country's independence.

In the context of building a new India, he talked about the pledge to rid the country of problems like terrorism, communalism and corruption.

Underlining the need for enhanced cooperation with Myanmar and other East Asian nations, Modi, who is on a three-day visit here, said the Kaladan multi-modal transport project should become a "development corridor".

He told the gathering that the Indian government had already taken decisions to merge Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) cards and do away with police reporting for those having long-term visas among various measures for their benefit.

He also showered praise on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, saying she was always there, ready to help any Indian in trouble anywhere in the world.

"People facing problems anywhere in the world contact Sushmaji through tweets without any hesitation... I do not think there will be any foreign minister like Sushmaji anywhere in the world who actively helps the countrymen in trouble just on the basis of a tweet," PM Modi said.

Later he tweeted:

I thank the Indian diaspora for their unforgettable affection during the community programme in Yangon. https://t.co/GE7emiDvAu — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 6, 2017

(With PTI inputs)