Ministry of External Affairs Government of India

My friend and President Moon Jae-in,
Vice Chairman of Samsung, Jay-Y-Lee,
Representatives from Korea and India and all the dignitaries present here,

Visiting Samsung factory in Noida with my friend President Moon is a very pleasant experience for me. Along with India this new mobile manufacturing unit is matter of pride for Noida and Uttar Pradesh also. I offer my wishes and congratulate the whole team of Samsung for this new unit.

Friends,

Today’s occasion is very special in the direction of making India a global hub of manufacturing. This investment of Rs. 5000 crores will not only strengthen Samsung's business relationship in India but will also prove to be important for the India-Korea relations. Samsung's Global R&D Hub is in India, and now this manufacturing facility will also enhance our pride further.

Friends,

Whenever I have a conversation with people from the business background, I often say one thing, that there is hardly any middle class house in India where you will not find at least one Korean product.

Samsung has certainly carved a special place in the lives of Indian people. Specifically, your phones are like World Leader in the fast-moving Smart Phone Market.

Whenever I had a talk with the leadership of Samsung, I have always encouraged them for manufacturing in India. Today, this event in Noida is a reflection of that only.

Today Digital Technology is playing an important role in simplifying the lives of ordinary citizens. Today there are about 40 million smartphones in India, 32 million people use broadband, internet data is available at very low rates and fiber network has reached more than one lakh gram panchayats in the country. All these things are a sign of the digital revolution happening in the country.

Friends,

Cheap mobile phones, fast internet and cheap data plans have ensured fast and transparent service delivery today. Whether it is paying electricity or water bills or getting admission in school or colleges, or it is provident fund or pension, almost every facility is available online.

Nearly 3 lakh common service centers spread across the country are serving people in the villages, and on the other hand free Wi-Fi hotspots in the cities are giving new flights to the aspirations of poor, middle-class youth.

Not only this, the government is now purchasing goods directly from producers through GeM i.e. Government-e-Market. This has benefited medium and small entrepreneurs and has also increased transparency in government procurement.

Friends,

Digital Transaction is growing steadily today. Transaction with BHIM App and RuPay Card has become very easy. In the month of June only transactions worth about 41 thousand crores have been made from BHIM App.

There is eagerness about BHIM and RuPay app not only in our country but in the whole world. I had the opportunity to launch these two features in Singapore a few days ago.

In such a situation, this event will not only contribute towards the empowerment of the citizens of India, it will also accelerate the Make in India program.

Friends,

Make in India is not just a part of an Economic Policy, but it is an auspicious resolution of relationships with our friend countries like Korea.

Apart from providing new opportunities to a trusted brand like Samsung, this is also an open invitation to every business in the world who wants to take advantage of New India's new and transparent business culture. India's growing economy and growing Neo Middle Class is full of immense possibilities of investment.

I am happy that this initiative is getting support from the world today. If you talk about mobile phone manufacturing, today India has reached number two position in the world. In the last four years, the number of mobile factories has increased from 2 to 120, out of which more than 50 are here in Noida itself. More than 4 lakh youth have got direct employment with this.

Samsung also has had a leading role in employment generation. They have given direct employment to about 70 thousand people all over the country, out of which about 5 thousand is here in Noida. This new plant is going to provide employment to one thousand people more.

I am told that the unit built here will be the company's largest mobile phone manufacturing unit. About 10 million phones will be manufactured here every month. It is also important to note that 30 percent of the production here will be exported and sent to different countries of the world.

This will surely strengthen your position in the Global Market. Which means that with Korea's Technology and India's manufacturing and software support we will prepare a remarkable product for the world.

This is the strength of both of us and this is our common vision. Once again, I congratulate and wish good luck to the whole team of Samsung.

Thank you very much for inviting me here todayand making me a part of this occasion.