Modi, Hon. N.

Adjourned debate on motion of the Hon. J.S. Lee:

That this council:

1. Congratulates the Honourable Narendra Modi on his successful election in becoming the 15^th Prime Minister of India;

2. Welcomes the Prime Minister of India on his first visit to Australia in November 2014; and

3. Congratulates and acknowledges the vibrant South Australian Indian community for their valuable contributions to the state.

(Continued from 19 November 2014.)

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (20:36): I rise today on behalf of the Greens to speak in support of the Hon. Jing Lee's motion in congratulating the Prime Minister of India, the Hon. Narendra Modi on his successful election in becoming the 15^th Prime Minister of India. The Greens in particular congratulate the Prime Minister for his track record of advancing renewable energy in his state of Gujarat. The Hon. Narendra Modi, when in his role as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, revealed via Twitter that the state's solar park had been switched on; he tweeted:

Gujarat dedicates 600 Mega Watt of solar power to the nation today. We are celebrating the launch of Agni V and dedication of 600 Mega Watt solar power park in Gujarat.

This achievement is not merely a step in the direction of power conservation, but it provides the world with a vision of how the power needs of future generations can be solved in an environment-friendly manner.

Since taking on the prime ministership, Modi has announced several initiatives for solar energy across the country that will be partly funded by doubling the tax on coal. The Prime Minister has a vision to bring green electricity to the entire country. The solar projects announced by the newly elected government include ambitious targets for small, large and off-grid solar and a switch away from reliance on coal. In its first budget the Indian government announced funding for a series of 'ultra mega' solar PV farms to be located in four Indian deserts: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The government also launched a scheme for 100,000 solar power driven agricultural pump sets and water pumping stations in off-grid areas. It has also announced plans to dramatically extend a plan to cover canals with a series of one megawatt solar farms, using available space to generate electricity and to reduce evaporation. The government there has also announced exemptions for a range of solar components and machinery to help reduce the cost of domestic manufacturing of solar PV cells and modules. The Modi government has a plan for 200,000 megawatts of solar energy to be generated by 2022.

The newly elected Prime Minister has launched a website mygov.in, where he welcomes the people of India to visit to encourage good governance and democracy. He has launched campaigns across the country for a clean India, a clean Ganga River. His government is seeking to bring about a radical change in the condition of the river through accumulating ideas and responses from the biggest stakeholders, the people of India through the 'Clean Ganga' initiative on MyGov. The site mygov.nic.in has the Clean India group, which has recommended that the government:

ensures that cities have dust bins placed in the streets and intersections;

ensures that people have enough paid toilets and washrooms;

fines people who are caught littering and sends repeat offenders to work at a social centre to give them access to free services;

rewards those who keep their surroundings clean, including in industrial houses;

segregates dry and wet waste (most waste found in rural areas is biodegradable and this should be used to make compost); and

uses celebrities and TV ads to educate people about cleanliness and encourage them to keep their surroundings clean.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation has set up a scheme to reach out to the poorest of the poor. The aim of the proposed scheme is to expand the scope of the current National Urban Livelihoods Mission, offer concessional loans for micro enterprises, skills training and mobilisation of women, improve infrastructure of street vendors and provide shelters for homeless people.

He has also made girl child education a top priority for the Modi government, which is working to improve current literacy rates. The girl child education group on MyGov provides the platform for that necessary debate. The objective of this group is to prepare a policy framework and gather suggestions that can help increase education amongst female students and give them livelihood opportunities.

He also observed recently the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with a tweet where he saluted 'the indomitable spirit of all persons with disabilities', stating in his tweet 'they are our heroes'. I note that was favourited 592 times and retweeted 410 times at the time of this printing. He also went on to say:

Today is a day to pledge our commitment towards our unwavering support to persons with disabilities & ensuring equal opportunities for them…

with similar retweets and likes. The world around us is becoming more and more progressive. People are embracing renewable energy and social equity, and this is happening through the strong leadership and vision such as that of Narendra Modi. Leaders need to inspire and look to the future, and the Prime Minister of India is just such an example of the incredible change that this sort of strong leadership can achieve. With those few words, I commend this motion and thank the Hon. Jing Lee for bringing it before the council.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (20:42): Dignity for Disability support this motion strongly and thank the Hon. Ms Lee for bringing the story of the Hon. Narendra Modi's election to the prime ministership of India to the attention of the chamber. Having listened to the Hon. Ms Lee's introduction to the motion and noting the media attention given to the process some six months ago, Dignity for Disability realised what a process elections and democratic processes are in such a populous country. It is pleasing to hear of the increased engagement that Indian voters have had in a voluntary voting system, a turnout resulting in 537 million votes cast, in quite a logistical achievement, never mind a democratic one.

Anyhow, it is pleasing to see the progressive vision that Prime Minister Modi has shown with his leadership to date, particularly in areas of renewable energy, environmental schemes and social justice measures, as the Hon. Ms Franks has just elucidated, so I will not go any further into listing those. What I do hope to see, after reading so many horrific stories regarding violence against women in recent months, is some leadership from the prime minister that rallies against violence against women and promotes safe communities for women and girls.

If I may reflect just a little more on the enormous voter turnout in such a populous country, quite simply, if a country like India can do it, we can do it, too, and it is time for us to make sure that we are properly engaging with the community, engaging people in the democratic process and making them feel genuinely a part of the decisions that are made on their behalf. In fact, we should not be making decisions on their behalf but decisions with them rather than for them. I hope that not only will we see some very positive changes in India as a result of this outcome but also perhaps some inspiration that we here in this chamber could learn a thing or too from as well. With those brief words, I commend the motion to the chamber.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (20:45): I express my sincere thanks to the Hon. Tammy Franks, the Hon. Kelly Vincent and the Hon. Tung Ngo for their valuable contributions in supporting this motion. I will make some concluding remarks. India and Australia have shared military histories, we are connected by the great Indian Ocean, we share enormous heritage, strong economic ties, and a love of sports, especially cricket. This motion will further strengthen and highlight the valuable ties between the two countries, particularly to highlight the contribution for the South Australian Indian community. I commend the motion.

Motion carried.