PUNE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called for reducing "slavery to foreign goods" even as Indians celebrate 75 years of Independence.
Inaugurating the Jain International Trade Organisation's JITO Connect 2022 business meet via video link, Modi said the stress should be on the 'vocal for local' mantra and reducing the use of foreign goods.
"Today the country is encouraging talent, trade and technology as much as possible. Today the country is registering dozens of start-ups every day, creating a unicorn every week," he said.
"A self-reliant India is our path as well as our resolve," Modi said. Now people from remote villages, small shopkeepers and self-help groups can directly sell their products to the government, he said.
"Today more than 40 lakh sellers have joined the GeM portal," he added.
The government processes have become transparent, Modi said.