Narendra Modi addressed the Chartered Accountants Association conference on ‘Economic Growth – The Way Forward’.

Mr. Modi began his speech by offering condolences to families of those who lost their lives in INS Sindhuratna.

Tyag, Tapasya, Balidan. isme sena ke samne kisi ki tulna ho sakti hai. Aise jawano ko hum naman karte hain: Narendra Modi

— narendramodi_in (@narendramodi_in) February 27, 2014

Question on coalition government and how Mr. Modi will ensure he doesn’t succumb to the pressures of the coalition.

Coalitions cannot be blamed. It is about what is the aim when the government is formed & whether it can fulfil the aims. NDA was also a coalition government but thanks to the zero tolerance towards corruption no charge of corruption was ever levied on Vajpayee’s NDA government. Mr. Modi also joked that the one who is asking the question is sure who is going to form the next government.

A question on jobs for youth & why they have to go to cities from villages. Can they get opportunities in the villages?

First of all I want to say urbanisation is not a crisis but an opportunity. Seeing it as a crisis has been wrong. Secondly, why villages, we want everyone to get opportunities where they are staying only. Aatma Gaav Ki Ho Aur Suvidha Sheher Ki Ho, this is what we believe. Scope for jobs in agriculture sector is immense. We are not thinking about technology & increasing productivity.

Question on justice system and whether common man can get justice.

We have always heard justice delayed is justice denied. We have given sanctity to Lok Adalats. Lakhs of cases are coming. In Gujarat we started the concept of evening courts. We transferred cases of poor to these courts so they can work & go to court in evenings. The decisions come fast and cheap in the evening court. It is all about the optimal utilization of the available resources for the benefit of the public.

Question on jobs for youth.

Skill development is the key to solve the issue. We should make the youth skilled so that they can stand on their feet and be self employed so that they are not searching jobs.

Question on PSUs.

It is said PSUs are born to crumble or get sold. We thought differently and that is to professionalize PSUs. Technology up-gradation and transparency in the governance can ensure PSUs earn huge profits.

Question on the federal structure of the nation.

Our states are our strength they are not our weakness. States are important. PM and his cabinet alone is not the team that runs the nation. State CMs are also a part of the team. I would rather say we should even have metros so developed that become the driving force of the nation’s development.

Question on GST.

As far as BJP is concerned we are in the favor of GST. But without right IT infrastructure it will be difficult to implement. Only that the preparation on the part of the Centre is not done. Concerns of states must also be addressed.

Mr. Modi concluded by adding that sadly there has been erosion of institutions and the loss has been India’s.

Our first priority should be to get the system right again. We need to ensure that the institutions gain their credibility back and it is only then that the nation will progress.

We keep talking about what will happen after corruption but why can’t we think about having no corruption at all. State must be policy driven and if this happens there is little scope on discretion, grey areas are minimized.