Port of Spain, 4 July

India will soon be among the top three economies of the world, and its missions on artificial intelligence, semiconductor and quantum computing are becoming the new engines of growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.

In an address at a gathering of the Indian diaspora on Thursday, Modi said India is a land of opportunities today, and the fruits of its growth and progress are reaching the "most needy".

"For New India, even the sky is not the limit."

Modi attended the event hours after landing in Trinidad and Tobago in the second leg of his five-nation tour. It is the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to this Caribbean island nation since 1999.

Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, members of her cabinet, lawmakers and several other dignitaries were among over 4,000 people who attended the event.

In his remarks, Modi lavished praise on the Indian community in Trinidad and Tobago, and said: "They left their soil, but not their soul."

"They left the Ganga and Yamuna behind but carried the Ramayan in their hearts. They left their soil, but not their soul. They were not just migrants. They were messengers of a timeless civilisation," he said.

"Their contributions have benefitted this country -- culturally, economically and spiritually. Just look at the impact that you have all had on this beautiful nation," he added.

Modi said he brought a replica of the Ram temple and some water from the river Sarayu in Ayodhya.

"You all know that earlier this year, the world’s largest spiritual gathering, the Maha Kumbh, took place. I have the honour to carry water from the Maha Kumbh also with me," he said.

"I request Kamla ji (prime minister) to offer the holy waters of the Sarayu River and Maha Kumbh to the Ganga Dhara here. May these holy waters bless the people of Trinidad and Tobago," he added.

Modi said India is actively working on creating a comprehensive database of the Girmitiya community. The community comprised indentured labourers sent from British India to work on plantations in South Africa, Fiji, Mauritius and the Caribbean islands.

In his address, the prime minister also highlighted the resilience of the Indian economy and its upward trajectory.

"India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world. Soon, we will be among the top three economies of the world. The fruits of India's growth and progress are reaching the most needy," he said.

The prime minister said India has shown that poverty can be defeated by empowering the poor and that crores of people, for the first time, have developed the confidence that the country can be freed from poverty.

Modi said India's growth is being powered by its "innovative and energetic" youth.

"Today, India is the third-largest startup hub in the world. Nearly half of these startups also have women as directors. Nearly 120 startups have got unicorn status," he said.

"National missions for AI, Semiconductor and Quantum computing are becoming the new engines of growth. In a way, innovation is becoming a mass movement," he noted.

Modi also showcased India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI), saying it has revolutionised digital payments.

"Nearly 50 per cent of the world's real-time digital transactions take place in India. I congratulate Trinidad and Tobago for being the first country in the region to adopt UPI."