Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the BJP-led government has strived in the past eight years to make a positive change in the lives of people and has fostered a strong, resilient and responsible democracy in the country.

Addressing an Indian community event here, the Prime Minister appreciated their skills, talent, and entrepreneurship and they are connected with the motherland. He addressed and interacted with over 700 members of the Indian diaspora.

Before the event, the Prime Minister met with Japanese Indologists, sportspersons, and cultural artists who are contributing to promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges between India and Japan. Prime Minister also met Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardees in Japan. Indian diaspora in Japan is over 40,000.

The Prime Minister underlined the deep cultural ties that exist between India and Japan. He also highlighted the various socio-economic developments and reform initiatives in India in recent years, particularly in the domains of infrastructure, governance, green growth, and the digital revolution. He invited the Indian Community to join and take forward the campaign of ‘Bharat Chalo, Bharat se Judo’.

“There is a specialty to the changes taking place in the country. We have created an identity of strong, resilient, and responsible democracy in the country. We have made it an instrument of positive change in the lives of people in the last eight years. Today those sections of society, which were not being able to feel the pride are doing so,” he said.

He said those following elections in India would have noticed that women are voting in greater numbers than men. “This is proof of how alive is democracy to the needs of the common people and how it contributes to making every citizen capable,” he said.

The Prime Minister said India and Japan are natural partners and Tokyo has played a crucial role in India’s development journey.

He also recalled linkages between India and Japan related to Buddhism and said the world today needs to follow the path shown by Lord Buddha.

“India and Japan are natural partners. Japan has played an important role in India’s development journey. Our relationship with Japan is of intimacy, spirituality, cooperation, and belonging,” the Prime Minister said.

“Today’s world needs a lot to follow the path shown by Lord Buddha. This is the way to save humanity from all the challenges facing the world today, be it violence, anarchy, terrorism, or climate change,” he added.

The Prime Minister, who is on a two-day visit to Japan, also spoke extensively on India’s Vaccine Maitri program, a humanitarian initiative undertaken by the Indian government to provide COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world.

He said after vaccines against the pandemic became available, India supplied ‘Made in India’ vaccines to crores of its citizens and also sent them to more than 100 countries.