New Delhi, Sept 17 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took a dig at the audience for a delayed response to his remarks about India becoming the fifth largest economy in the world, saying it takes time to register positivity amid the atmosphere of negativity.

The prime minister was speaking at the launch of the National Logistics Policy.

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When there was no reaction from the audience, which include industry and government officials, on his remarks, Modi asked in a lighter vein, "Are you not happy?"

Immediately, people started clapping.

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"Der aaye durust aaye (better late than never)," he quipped, adding because there is so much negativity all around that sometimes it takes a little time to find positivity.

The country is transforming, Modi said, pointing out that "ek samay tha jab kabootar chhodte the, aaj Cheetah chhodte hain".

The Prime Minister on Saturday released cheetahs brought from Namibia into a special enclosure at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh as part of the programme to reintroduce the feline in India seven decades after it was declared extinct in the country.

"We want that our goods should be transported at the speed of Cheetahs," he said.

India has overtaken the UK to become the world's fifth-largest economy and is now behind only the US, China, Japan and Germany, according to IMF projections.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)