I am not a Shahenshah: Modi

​Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he is "not a Shahenshah or an imperious ruler" unaffected by the warmth of the people and gains strength from his interactions with the public. The prime minister said he cannot remain seated in his car when he sees a lot of people out on the streets to greet and welcome him. “I am not a Shahenshah or an imperious ruler who is unaffected by their warmth.

Being among people gives me lot of strength,” Modi said amid reports of an "all time high" security threat to him. The Prime Minister was answering a question on apprehension in the minds of his well-wishers about his personal security during road shows. “Whenever I am travelling, I see that a lot of people, from all age groups and sections of society, are out on the streets to greet me and welcome me.

I can't just remain seated in my car, aloof from their display of affection and care. That is why I invariably get down and greet, interact with people as much as I can,” he said.

The Union Home Ministry recently drafted a new set of guidelines on the Prime Minister's security. Officials said there was "an all-time high" threat to the Prime Minister and described him as the "most valuable target" in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Economy: "Today, India is the fastest growing large economy of the world with strong fundamentals to propel further growth," Modi said. He also said that Foreign investment is at an all-time high and India is an easier place to do business than ever before.

GST: It was a massive change, requiring a complete reset of one of the world’s largest economic systems, Modi said, adding that it has been designed to eliminate Inspector Raj with the help of information technology. From returns to refund, everything happens online.

Farmers: "We have a stated aim of doubling farmers’ income by 2022 to make our farmers prosperous and agriculture profitable," Modi said.

Governance: A government has to play the role of an enabler and not an obstructer, the prime minister said. "We have translated this philosophy into action over the last four years. Technology plays an important role in achieving this aim," Modi said. The end objective of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ is to make the lives of people hassle-free, he added.

Air India disinvestment: Modi said his government doesn’t want to be accused of selling something cheaply and the government has pursued Air India’s divestment “with utmost sincerity”. “We don’t want to make a sale where we will be accused of selling something for X amount when we could have got more," he said.

Employment: The government has created more than 41 lakh formal jobs from September 2017 to April 2018 based on EPFO payroll data. He also highlighted that the old way of measuring jobs is not good enough to measure new jobs in the country.

PSU banks: "We had identified the problem with banks in 2014 itself," Modi said. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) had helped in reducing loans gone bad, he said, adding that many businessmen have had to lose their companies for failing to pay bank dues.

Internal Security: The Prime Minister assured that the government's strategy for internal security is showing the result in the Maoist-affected areas, and in Kashmir, the focus will be on “good governance, development, and accountability."

Ease of doing business: All the existing labour laws are being simplified, rationalised and amalgamated into four labour codes, Modi said. "Processes for incorporating a company have been simplified and it is now possible to get it done in 24 hours," he said.