Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the current decade is rapidly turning into a decade of crises, warning that if the situation does not improve quickly, the achievements of the past several decades could be lost.
Modi made the remarks while delivering a wide-ranging address to the Indian diaspora in the Netherlands.
"First Corona, then war and today's energy crisis. This decade is becoming full of challenges. If the situations are not changed rapidly, the achievements of last multiple decades will be wasted and a huge section of the world's population will drown in poverty," said Modi.
Against this backdrop, he positioned the India-Netherlands partnership as a stabilising force, saying both nations "are making endeavours to establish a future-ready supply chain."
He also personally appealed to overseas Indians to invest back home, calling it "Modi's guarantee."
#WATCH | Netherlands: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "The world is dealing with new challenges. First Corona, then war and today's energy crisis. This decade is becoming full of challenges. If the situations are not changed rapidly, the achievements of last multiple decades… pic.twitter.com/z66QypsBlN
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2026
Democracy, Startups And Opportunities In India
Turning to India's domestic story, PM Modi struck a confident tone. He said India's aspiration-driven journey is strengthening its democracy, and highlighted the country's booming entrepreneurial landscape.
India now has the third-largest startup network in the world, he noted, adding that nearly 125 active unicorns have emerged from the country. "Our startups are doing remarkable work in AI, defence and space sector," he said.
PM Modi also described India as "both technology driven and humanity driven" and called it "a land of opportunities."
A Nation Transformed
PM Modi drew an expansive portrait of a nation transformed, listing a series of landmark achievements. "Today's India is going through a phase of unprecedented transformation. You must have recently seen that India hosted the world's largest and most successful AI Summit. Before that, India also successfully hosted the G20 Summit. And these were not one-time events. This has now become the character of today's India," he said.
He went on to cite a string of milestones: India has carried out the world's largest unique identification programme, undertaken the world's biggest financial inclusion initiative, and is running the world's largest government-funded health insurance scheme.
"The scale at which India is moving ahead with digitalisation is unprecedented," he said, also referencing India's historic lunar achievement — reaching parts of the Moon where no one had gone before.
VIDEO | The Hague, Netherlands: Addressing the Indian community, PM Modi (@narendramodi), says, "Today's India is going through a phase of unprecedented transformation. You must have recently seen that India hosted the world's largest and most successful AI Summit. Before that,… pic.twitter.com/jO2onF9yUq
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 16, 2026
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'This Is Modi's Guarantee'
Closing his address on a personal and direct note, PM Modi made an appeal to the Indian community settled in the Netherlands. "I appeal to the Indian community in the Netherlands to contribute to India as much as possible, which will increase the country's potential and also give more returns on your investment.
This is Modi's guarantee," he said — a signature phrase he has used repeatedly to signal personal accountability to citizens.
#WATCH | Netherlands: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "I appeal to the Indian community in the Netherlands to contribute to India as much as possible, which will increase the country's potential and also give more returns on your investment. This is Modi's guarantee..."… pic.twitter.com/PurGtHwhf9
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2026
PM Modi also said India and the Netherlands can coordinate in the global arena and work together on securing global projects, underscoring the strategic and economic depth that the two nations are seeking to build through this visit.
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