Viksit Bharat Ambassador meet-up: Hardeep Puri lists milestones, sheds light on country’s transformational journey

New Delhi : Hardeep Singh Puri, the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs, on Monday, spoke about the transformational changes in the country under the Narendra Modi government and also explained how the Centre was facilitating an enabling atmosphere for the private sector to chip in with their contributions.

Addressing the Viksit Bharat Ambassador meet-up event in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore, Hardeep Puri said that ‘seeing a developed India by 2047’ is every citizen’s dream, irrespective of his/her political lineage. He also called upon the youth of the country to take an active part in it.

The Union Minister shed light on the big achievements and milestones of the Modi government and also explained how the economic indicators were on an uptrend in the last ten years.

“Today, India is the fastest growing economy and also the bright spot of the world. It was in 2014 that this transition began from Fragile to Top five economy,” he told the audience.

“Hundreds of years ago, India alone accounted for 25 per cent of global GDP but that has come tumbling down to 2 per cent. The post-Independence era saw India growing at a slow pace and it was only after 2014 that things started looking up. In 2014, India was the 10th largest economy but today, it is the 5th largest economy in the world,” Hardeep Puri told the Viksit Bharat audience at the Coimbatore campus dialogue.

He said that the transition from ‘Sarvodaya to Antyodaya’ has been one of the defining features of growth in the past ten years.

Listing out key achievements of the Modi government, he said that 250 million people of citizens have been lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty in 10 years while schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission, PM Housing scheme, and Ujjawala Yojana are benefitting crores of citizens.

He also outlined the government’s women-centric programs and explained how that has brought a mammoth shift in women’s lives.

“Whichever country in the world focused on women-centric development, its GDP has gone up by 30 per cent,” he pointed out.

Giving an account on women-focused programs, he informed that 11 crore toilets built under Swachchta program have made lives easier for women while crores of homes have been handed over to beneficiaries, out of which 70 per cent ownership lies in the hands of women.

Outlining the Prime Minister’s concern for marginalised sections, he said that SVANidhi scheme was one such scheme which helped crores of street vendors when they were facing severe hardships and finding it hard to make both ends meet.

Talking about the country’s future prospects, he said that many of the key economic areas are headed for astronomical growth including the Metro Network.

“In last ten years, the Metro lines stood at 248 kms and today it has reached 905 kms. In next 2-3 years, India’s metro network will be the largest network in the country. Old laws are being done away with, start-ups and unicorns have grown by leaps and bounds,” he informed.

The Union Minister expressed hope that India would become a 40 trillion dollar economy by 2047 and also urged the participants to contribute to the journey by becoming a Viksit Bharat Ambassador.