Mumbai, Sept 23 (PTI) Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday that reducing imports and increasing exports is the most significant form of nationalism.

Addressing an event here, Gadkari said that a country advancing in knowledge and research will emerge as a 'Vishwaguru', stressing the need to link education and innovation with national development.

"The most important thing to make India Vishwaguru is knowledge. Every country that progresses in the world does so because of knowledge and research. A lot of research is going on in defence, agriculture, and information technology sectors," he said.

Noting that wars were earlier fought with soldiers and tanks, Gadkari said drones and missiles are now being used, indicating the shift in global dynamics towards knowledge-driven strategies.

The BJP MP stated Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a goal of making India a five trillion-dollar economy and the world's third largest.

"To achieve this, it is important to focus on knowledge and research, and ensure that the education we receive is relevant to our lives," he added.

"The future of youth is related to the future of the country. The things we import...conducting research on them, reducing imports, and increasing exports is the biggest form of nationalism," Gadkari said.

He emphasised that research in material sciences and technology would help reduce dependency on imports.

Gadkari added that the world has shown interest in India's heritage, history, culture, and knowledge of yoga, and that the country must ensure that its knowledge benefits society and the nation. PTI ND NSK

Trade nationalism: reducing imports and boosting exports through research and education to strengthen national self-reliance. Reducing imports and increasing exports is framed as trade nationalism achieved by strengthening domestic research, innovation and education. Emphasis is placed on advancing research in defence, agriculture, information technology and material sciences to replace imports, expand exports and align education with industry to commercialize knowledge for national development.