New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India is not only an emerging market, but an emerging model—a country that is a model of hope for the world, with its economy continuing on the high growth path despite the global challenges.
Speaking at the Ramnath Goenka lecture here, the Prime Minister said, “Although the past four to five years have brought significant global challenges, India has continued to sustain a high growth rate.”
PM Modi noted that India has clocked steady economic growth that has touched around 7 per cent despite the disruptions in supply chains caused due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and the West Asia geopolitical crisis.
He pointed out that the ‘Indian growth model’ was now being held up as an example for the whole world.
The Prime Minister further stated that over the last 11 years, the government has brought as many as 94 crore people under the social security cover compared to the mere 25 crore of the country’s citizens that were getting benefits under government schemes until 2014.
He also pointed out that over 28 crore people have been lifted out of poverty through the government’s programmes, such as the launch of Jan Dhan accounts for the poor who had been neglected all these years.
PM Modi also highlighted that his government had taken up the development of the 100 poorest districts in the country, which had been declared “Backward Districts” and completely ignored by the erstwhile UPA government.
He pointed out that these districts have now been renamed as “Aspirational Districts” and were being taken up for development under special schemes that were devised to take care of their particular needs.
While earlier government officers were sent to these districts as part of punishment postings, now the best officers are being chosen to develop these areas as part of the inclusive development that is taking place, PM Modi pointed out.
The Prime Minister also gave a clarion call to all the state governments to create an environment for investment and work on facilitating the ease of doing business so that development can take place.
“The country’s development must reach every section of society. We have seen over the past decades how some parties focused only on their own interests…. But our mission to build 12 crore toilets has restored dignity to those who were once forced to defecate in the open,” he added.
(IANS)
