Union Minister for Railways, Communications and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Thursday, said that the Modi government’s thrust on inclusive growth is yielding results and it will gain greater visibility in the next few years. He added that this has been possible because of a robust growth framework in place.
He underlined the Modi government’s resolve to bring "generational change" in people’s lives and also explained how the country is breaking barriers in public welfare schemes.
Citing example of the Centre’s free ration scheme to the poor and marginalised, he said that the Modi government is feeding a population larger than the combined populace of United States and the European Union (EU).
“US population is about 35 crore while EU accounts for about 40 crore. India is providing free ration to a population of 80 crore, which is bigger than both, for past four years,” informed the Union Minister, highlighting the scale and size of India’s public welfare scheme.
Addressing the Viksit Bharat Ambassador event in Mumbai, the Union Minister said that the government’s thrust on infrastructure investment, manufacturing, simplification of laws and inclusive growth have served as four pillars of growth.
Vaishnaw said that the Central government has earmarked adequate funds for building physical infrastructure and shoring up the digital economy.
“In previous regimes, Railways allotted Rs 1,140 crore for Maharashtra-specific growth. Under NDA, it has increased 10-fold to Rs 15,000 crore. In past ten years, 1,800 crore rail network has been built in Maharashtra alone” he said.
He further said that a 15 km railway network per day and 23 km road network per day are being built under the NDA government.
“In terms of digital infrastructure, Maharashtra had 35,000 telecom towers 10 years ago, which has now grown to 2,75,000,” he pointed out.
He further said that the government is committed to building social infrastructure as well and has built new universities and medical colleges, and developed new centres of higher education over the past decade.
“Earlier there were seven AIIMs, today they are 18. Out of the previous seven, six AIIMS were built during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government. In the past ten years, 390 universities and 315 medical colleges have been built,” the Union Minister told the Viksit Bharat Ambassadors.
Emphasising that inclusive growth is essential for the harmonious growth of a nation, he said that ‘Antodaya’ is one of greatest ideas towards bringing change in the lives of the poor and marginalised, and this has been one of the party’s foremost pledge since the days of Jana Sangh.
He also listed some milestone achievements of the Modi government including 10 crore free LPG connections, four crore pucca houses for the poor, and explained how they have brought multi-dimensional change in people’s lives.
Shashi Tharoor to visit US, Owaisi heads to Saudi Arabia over Pahalgam attack
Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor will head to the US, while the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi will visit Saudi Arabia to expose Pakistan’s alleged involvement in the Pahalgam attack and to underline India's firm stance against terrorism.
MEA refutes Rahul Gandhi’s claim on Op-Sindoor: 'EAM was misquoted, no prior warning to Pak'
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement on Saturday refuting claims that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had asserted India informed Pakistan in advance about Operation Sindoor. The ministry denounced such assertions as a blatant distortion of facts.
Senior IPS officer Anurag appointed new Tripura Police Chief
The Tripura government, on Saturday, appointed Anurag Dhankar, an IPS officer of 1994 batch cadre, as the state's Director General of Police (DGP) replacing Amitabh Ranjan, officials said.
HM Amit Shah hails Operation Sindoor as a turning point in India's security doctrine
Home Minister Amit Shah, on a two-day visit to his home state Gujarat, said on Saturday that Operation Sindoor marked a historic shift in India’s national security response. He emphasised that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decisive leadership, Indian armed forces struck deep into Pakistani territory, dismantling terrorist infrastructure.
India restricts entry of ready-made garments, processed food from Bangladesh
In a significant trade policy shift, India on Saturday restricted the import of ready-made garments (RMG), processed food and other items from Bangladesh to India via land ports, effective immediately.
NE region’s largest dairy unit inaugurated in Tripura to boost milk production
Northeast region’s largest dairy unit was jointly inaugurated in Tripura on Saturday by Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh.
IT Ministry, Tripura DIT discuss AI’s role in citizen-focused governance framework
Senior government officials have underscored the pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI) in revolutionising governance paradigms, reiterating AI’s growing relevance in enabling data-driven policymaking, augmenting service delivery mechanisms, and optimising administrative efficiency, IT Ministry said on Saturday.
Tripura Govt to establish three more general degree colleges
To ensure enhanced access to higher education, the BJP led coalition government in Tripura has decided to establish three new general degree colleges.