India's Prime Minister Modi vows top‑three economy at Melbourne visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Indian diaspora in Melbourne on July 9, reiterating India’s ambition to become one of the world’s top three economies under the slogan “Grow More, Achieve More”. He highlighted the country’s 1.4 billion‑person population as the driving force behind rapid growth, noting that India is now the world’s second‑largest 5G market and is developing indigenous 6G technology.

Modi also pointed to infrastructure progress, citing the expansion of metro rail networks to more than two dozen cities and the launch of semi‑high‑speed rail services such as Namo Bharat and Vande Bharat. He praised India’s defence capabilities, referencing the “Operation Sindoor” demonstration, and emphasized the burgeoning startup ecosystem, with over 200,000 registered firms and thousands of new entrants each month.

The speech came after a high‑level summit with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that produced 18 joint outcomes covering defence, maritime security, energy, critical technologies, education, mining, research and cultural cooperation, further deepening the India‑Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.