Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri praised the government’s efforts to bolster the Indian economy over the past decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Speaking in Chandigarh, Puri noted, “As per the public data released by IMF, our GDP is USD 3.95 trillion, and we are in the fifth position. Japan is in the fourth position with a GDP of USD 4.1 trillion. If our growth rate is going on at 7-8 percent and Japan’s is flat, it’s a matter of a few months, if not a year, and our economy will reach fourth place.”
Puri criticized the Congress-led UPA government for neglecting investments in urban infrastructure. He stated, “During the UPA government between 2004 and 2014, the expenditure on urban infrastructure was less than one lakh seventy thousand crores, and in the Modi government, in these 10 years, it has increased by 11-12 times to reach 18-19 lakh crores.”
The minister projected a rise in capital expenditure in the future, already increasing by 30 percent. He highlighted that in the interim budget, the union government announced capital expenditures of over Rs 11 lakh crore, an increase of 11.1 percent.
Regarding metro projects, Puri mentioned that the total metro length has reached 945 km and is expected to hit 1,000 km, making India the second-largest metro train system.
In the last decade of PM Modi’s tenure, Puri stated that 4 crore people have been allotted houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, with plans to add another 3 crore beneficiaries.
On fuel prices, Puri justified them by comparing them to increases in other countries. He noted, “Due to the central excise duty reduction by the central government, we have not had that much heat.”
The PM Modi-led government is vying for a third term in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with six phases completed and the seventh phase scheduled for June 1. The final result will be announced on June 4.
