NewDelhi/Muscat(Oman) 18 December (H.S.): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed diversity as the bedrock of Indian culture, a value enabling seamless integration into any society, while addressing a massive gathering of the Indian community in Muscat. He underscored the profound respect accorded to Indians in Oman, positioning co-existence and cooperation as hallmarks of the diaspora, and reaffirmed India's unwavering commitment to their welfare—always ready to extend support whenever and wherever needed.
PM Modi highlighted centuries-old ties spanning from Mandvi in India to Muscat, nurtured today through the diaspora's hard work and unity. He expressed gratitude to Sultan Haitham bin Tarik for bolstering community welfare, including pivotal support for Indian schools marking their 50th anniversary this year—a milestone educating around 46,000 students across Oman, including from diverse communities.
The event featured over 700 students from various Indian schools, reflecting robust people-to-people bonds fortified by late Sultan Qaboos's land grants and ongoing patronage.
Positioning India not merely as a market but a global model—from goods and services to digital solutions—Modi outlined the India-Oman partnership's future readiness via artificial intelligence collaboration, digital education, innovation exchanges, and entrepreneurship. He urged youth to dream ambitiously, pursue deep knowledge, and innovate boldly for humanity's benefit, amid chants of Bharat Mata ki Jai and Vande Mataram echoing the diaspora's fervor.
The Prime Minister detailed India's transformative growth, with the economy expanding 8.2% year-over-year in Q3 2025—surpassing forecasts and underscoring resilience in infrastructure, manufacturing, healthcare, green development, and women's empowerment over the past 11 years. He spotlighted world-class innovation ecosystems, startups, and digital public infrastructure, proudly noting Unified Payments Interface (UPI) commanding nearly 50% of global real-time payments—handling 19.78 billion transactions worth ₹24.77 lakh crore in March 2025 alone, up 41.7% in volume.
PM Modi celebrated space milestones like Chandrayaan's lunar landings and the impending Gaganyaan human spaceflight—India's first, targeting low Earth orbit for three astronauts using LVM-3 rockets, with uncrewed tests slated for late 2024 and a space station vision ahead.
Space emerges as a key India-Oman collaboration pillar; he invited Omani students to ISRO's YUVIKA (YUva VIgyani KAryakram) program, engaging thousands in space science and technology hands-on learning to inspire future scientists.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
