Speaking to IANS in Pune, Javadekar said, “People across the country are celebrating the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For the first time, people have seen a Prime Minister who has worked for a long time and more than that, has made his mark as a megastar.”
He said the Prime Minister has conveyed India's work to the world in a “very good and precise manner” and the country's prestige has increased. Javadekar said that many development schemes are going on in the country, from which crores of people are getting benefits. For this, people are saying to the Prime Minister today, “Thank you Modi ji.”
“People will bless him today. Those who are elderly will bless him and the rest will also pray for his longevity, because the country needs such a leader for a long time,” he said.
Regarding the 'Seva Sankalp' campaign being launched on the birthday of Prime Minister Modi, Javadekar said that the Prime Minister has always believed that his birthday should not be celebrated in a normal way, but on this occasion, service to the needy and the society should be done.
He said that the party will organize many programs in the coming month like service to the poor, service to the patients, care of the injured soldiers and service by visiting Anganwadi centres.
Javadekar said, “This is his imagination, because service-good governance, service-resolution and good governance, this is the trinity of celebrating his birthday.”
Regarding SEMICON India 2026, Javadekar said that India is progressing rapidly in the field of new science and technology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated SEMICON India 2026 at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi. Companies, investors, researchers and other stakeholders from the global semiconductor ecosystem are participating in the three-day event.
Javadekar said that India could not fully take advantage of the first and second industrial revolution, but now the country is independent and the opportunity is not being missed in the era of new technological revolution.
He said, “Modi ji has definitely caught hold of it. Along with AI, semiconductors, rare earth materials, these are going to change the world and create employment. He is also inviting everyone in all such schemes.”
The former Union Minister said that investment in the semiconductor sector is increasing, the government is giving incentives and policies are being made. He said, “I am confident that we will take a huge leap in the field of semiconductors and its impact will come soon.”
On Rahul Gandhi's comment of 'American pressure' regarding the proposed 0.4 percent MDR on some big merchant transactions of UPI, Javadekar said that there is nothing to react to Rahul Gandhi's words on this.
According to NPCI, 0.4 percent MDR is to be implemented on certain UPI merchant transactions above Rs 2,000 from October 15, 2026. This fee will apply to eligible merchants rather than customers.
Javadekar said that earlier about two percent fee was charged from shopkeepers on payment through credit card, whereas in the proposed system, there will be a charge of 0.4 percent on large transactions. He said that no tax is being imposed on person to person (P2P) transactions.
He said, “If I sent you Rs 2,000 today, there is no tax on it. There is no person-to-person tax. Instead of paying 2 per cent of the shopkeeper's purchases to the company through credit card, now he has to pay only 0.4 per cent and will get the money in cash.”
Regarding Congress's opposition on this issue, Javadekar said, “Congress has no other agenda. Complete hatred for Modi is their only agenda and that is what they run.”
He further said, “The whole country loves Modi, has faith in Modi and hence I don't even like to talk about such comments.”
Meanwhile, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav also wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday. He said, “Happy birthday to the architect of the new India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”