A day after Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman returned to India after staying in custody in Pakistan for days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the meaning of 'Abhinandan' will now change.
"The world keeps watching whatever India does. It is the strength of this country to change the meaning of words in the dictionary. The meaning of 'Abhinandan,' which used to be congratulations in English, will now change (Hindustan jo bhi karega, duniya use gaur se dekhti hai. Is desh ki takat hai ki dictionary ke shabdon ke arth badal deta hai. Kabhi 'Abhinandan' ka angrezi hota tha 'Congratulation', ab 'Abhinandan' ka arth badal jaayega)," Prime Minister Modi said at the inauguration of the Construction Technology India-2019 Expo-cum-Conference here.
After a delay of over five hours by Pakistan, Wing Commander Varthaman touched down the Indian soil on Friday at 9.20 pm. He was taken into custody by the Pakistan Army when his MiG 21 was shot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday.
The Construction Technology India-2019 Expo-cum-Conference will identify proven, innovative and globally established technologies for use in the Indian context.
The expo-cum-Conference will provide avenues for interaction among stakeholders that can open up new areas for collaboration and will facilitate the conversion of ideas into market-ready products.
Speaking at the event, the Prime Minister said, "India is amongst those nations where urbanisation is taking place fast... A house is not about just four walls, it is that place where the power to dream comes and aspirations are fulfilled. A home is as much about dignity and security as it is about the shelter. It always shocks and saddens me that in a nation like ours several people do not have their own home. We have been working to solve this situation in the form of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. It is my dream that every Indian has a pukka house by 2022 and we are walking the talk."
He added, "During our tenure, 1.3 crore houses have been built already. To give you the idea of the scale, the previous government made only 25 lakh houses. These numbers speak for themselves... . Looking at the enthusiasm of the people working in the construction sector, I feel this is the start of the construction revolution and we are going to make construction sector of global standard. India is among the few nations in the world where demand for houses is increasing fast. To fulfill this demand, I announce April 2019 to March 2020 as the 'Construction Technology Year'.