Mumbai, May 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said there is a dawn of the ‘Orange Economy’ in the country and India is emerging as a global hub for film production, digital content, gaming, fashion, music and live concerts.

In his speech at the first WAVES Summit here, the Prime Minister said, “To the creators of the world – dream big and tell your story. To investors – invest not just in platforms, but in people. To Indian youth – tell your one billion untold stories to the world.”

“In India, 10x growth has been witnessed in the OTT. Screen size may be getting small, but the scope is infinite. The screen is getting micro, but the message is mega!” he opined.

PM Modi said youth can play a major role in the content creation. “I believe in you and the Content Creators, and there’s a reason behind it. There are no boundaries or baggage in the youth’s spirit and working style. Therefore, your creativity flows freely, and it has no hesitation or reluctance.”

“WAVES is a wave of culture, creativity, and universal connect. It highlights India’s creative strengths on a global platform. The World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit, aptly abbreviated as WAVES, is more than just a name. It embodies a true wave of culture, creativity, and universal connection,” said the Prime Minister.

He added, “India, with a billion-plus population, is also a land of a billion-plus stories. Right from the first moment, the Summit is roaring with purpose. In the very first edition, the WAVES attracted the attention of the world.”

“From the Red Fort, I have spoken about ‘Sabka Prayas’. Today, my belief has become stronger that the efforts of all of you will take WAVES to new heights in the coming years. This is the right time to create in India and create for the world. The world is exploring new ways for storytelling, but India has a treasure of stories of a thousand years, which is timeless, thought-provoking and truly global,” he said.

“Over the years, I have sometimes met people from the gaming world, sometimes from the music world, sometimes I have met filmmakers, and sometimes I have met faces shining on the screen. In these discussions, issues of India’s creativity, creative capability and global collaboration often came up,” he said.

“Today, in Mumbai, artists, innovators, investors, and policymakers from over 100 countries have gathered under one roof. Together, they are laying the foundation for a global ecosystem that celebrates talent, creativity, and innovation on an international scale,” he said.

“Today, 112 years ago, on May 3, 1913, the first feature film, Raja Harishchandra, was released in India. Its producer was Dadasaheb Phalke, and yesterday was his birth anniversary. In the last century, Indian cinema succeeded in taking India to every corner of the world,” said the Prime Minister.

Bengaluru, May 1: The Karnataka BJP, on Thursday, criticised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on his caste census remarks, saying that the exercise done by the Congress-led government was a model for how not to conduct the census.

Earlier, CM Siddaramaiah said that his government was fully prepared to extend any guidance to the Union government on the caste census.

R. Ashoka, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, stated, “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, your statement suggesting that Karnataka’s model should be adopted for the caste census is truly laughable. A report whose original copy has gone missing, which lacks even the signatures of the secretaries, where applications were filled by school children paid five to ten rupees per form, where houses with dogs were skipped during enumeration, and which even after ten years remains unaccepted – your caste census report stands as a textbook example of how not to conduct a caste census.”

“Your claim that the BJP has always opposed the caste census is an outright lie. In 2010, the then Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the late Sushma Swaraj, had formally conveyed to the UPA government that the BJP supported, including caste enumeration in the 2011 census. The BJP had also supported the unanimous resolution passed in Parliament on the matter,” Ashoka pointed out.

However, instead of conducting a proper caste census, the then Congress government carried out a flawed Social-Economic Caste Census – 2011 (SECC-2011). Like Karnataka’s caste census, this too suffered from poor planning and ineffective execution, leading to its complete failure. Despite spending crores of rupees, the findings were never officially released. This reveals the Congress party’s true commitment towards the caste census, Ashoka stated.

“The BJP has never misused the caste census as an electoral weapon. When in power, we demonstrated commitment by deciding to carry out the caste census. We did not indulge in petty politics by shedding crocodile tears while in opposition and ignoring the issue when in power. This reflects our genuine dedication to social justice. BJP’s only concern regarding the caste census has always been that it should not be misused for political attacks,” Ashoka underlined.

“The caste census that the Central government is now set to conduct will be carried out in a highly transparent, scientific, and purposeful manner – not manipulated for political gain as your Congress government did by twisting data to suit your needs,” Ashoka stated, addressing CM Siddaramaiah.

Karnataka’s caste census process serves only as an example of how not to conduct a caste census; there are no aspects worth emulating from it, he reiterated.

Welcoming the decision for caste census by the centre, CM Siddaramaiah stated on Wednesday, “Just as the BJP initially mocked our five guarantee schemes and later adopted them, the Modi government’s decision to implement a caste census proves that Congress’ policies are rooted in public welfare.

“The Karnataka government’s caste-based Social, Economic, and Educational Survey is a robust model. We are fully prepared to extend any guidance or support the Union government may need,” the CM said.

CM Siddaramaiah further stated, “Our government wholeheartedly welcomes the Union government’s decision to conduct a caste census along with the national population census. At this moment, I urge the Union government to also carry out a social, economic, and educational survey alongside the census. In Karnataka, we didn’t just conduct a caste census – we also gathered data on the social, economic, and educational status of communities. Based on this data, we have taken steps to revise and expand the current reservation policy. I hope the Union government will now follow through with this process as well.”

New Delhi, April 30: In a landmark decision with far-reaching social and political implications, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the upcoming national Census. The announcement, made by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw following a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) on Wednesday, comes amid growing political momentum around caste data and its role in public policy.

Vaishnaw, addressing the media, termed the decision as both a corrective measure and a governance reform, stating that while some states had already conducted caste surveys, many executed in politically motivated and non-transparent ways, leading to confusion and mistrust in society. “To preserve the integrity of our social fabric and ensure that caste enumeration is not misused for narrow political gains, it is essential to include it transparently within the formal Census process,” he said.

The Union Minister came heavily down on the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies, accusing them of exploiting the demand for a caste census purely for political leverage. He underscored that no caste enumeration has been included in any population census since India’s Independence, despite repeated demands.

Tracing the history, Vaishnaw reminded that in 2010, then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assured the Lok Sabha that the Cabinet would consider the inclusion of caste data in the Census. A Group of Ministers was subsequently formed, and several parties recommended proceeding with caste enumeration.

However, despite this consensus, the UPA government did not carry out a caste census. Instead, it conducted a socio-economic survey, widely known as the SECC (Socio-Economic and Caste Census), which did not yield credible or usable caste data due to its flawed design and lack of official recognition.

This decision comes at a time when opposition parties, especially Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, have made the caste census a central electoral demand.

Rahul Gandhi, in particular, has used it as a consistent political weapon, frequently attacking the BJP for allegedly remaining silent on the issue. The inclusion of caste enumeration in the official Census effectively neutralises that political advantage, taking the wind out of Rahul’s sails just as Bihar gears up for Assembly elections, say observers.

In Bihar, where caste plays a defining role in electoral politics, the RJD-Congress alliance was preparing to make caste census a major campaign issue. However, with PM Modi-led government now taking ownership of the process at the national level, the opposition’s pitch risks being blunted. Political analysts suggest that this move could lead to internal churning within the INDIA bloc.

This move is more than a bureaucratic update — it is a calculated political and social repositioning. It reshapes the caste discourse, undercuts opposition narratives, and sets the stage for future policy changes rooted in real demographic data. As the Census process begins, all eyes will be on how the government handles the rollout, release, and response to caste-based findings.

But for now, the Modi government has seized the initiative on an issue that once formed the core of its opponents’ agenda — and in doing so, may have fundamentally changed the tone of the electoral debates leading up to 2025 and beyond.

The government also pointed to a precedent that reassures social stability: when the Modi government implemented 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker sections (EWS) in the general category, it did not lead to social unrest. This, Vaishnaw argued, demonstrated the government’s ability to introduce socially sensitive reforms without disrupting the harmony of society.

By taking this politically sensitive yet constitutionally sound step, the Modi government not only positions itself as responsive and inclusive but also sends a clear message that it is willing to act on complex issues with strategic clarity rather than electoral opportunism.