Rajkot:Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working 24X7 to make India a developed nation by 2047 and the people of the country are lucky to have such a hardworking and visionary leadership.
Addressing a gathering in Rajkot city of Gujarat, Vaishnaw accused Congress of wasting five decades, between 1950 and 1990 and during the ten years of UPA rule from 2004 to 2014.
He said the country was brimming with enthusiasm when it gained independence in 1947. “But unfortunately, after 1947, the governments that came during the first four decades finished India’s core strengths and entrepreneurial spirit. The four decades between 1950 and 1990 were our lost decades,” said Vaishnaw at an event organised by the Rajkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry.“Young entrepreneurs today won’t believe that during those days you had to contact a Congress leader in Delhi if you wanted to change the design of your car steering or increase production in your factory. Such an ugly situation was prevalent under Congress rule back then,” he said.
Vaishnaw, who also handles the Communications, Electronics and Information Technology portfolios, said though former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee took steps to improve the situation, everything came to nought under the Congress rule between 2004 and 2014.Today, India is the fifth largest economy in the world and may become fourth in the near future, he said. “In 2004, our rank was 11th in the world. Between 2004 and 2014, everyone expected that we would go up some rank. But, when Modiji assumed office in 2014, it was on 11th rank only, with no change in the last decade. So we lost those ten years,” he said.
Modi fixed India’s financial sector, brought back confidence and introduced reforms like GST (Good and Services Tax), the railway minister said, asserting that India has become the fifth-largest economy due to his efforts.
To prepare a roadmap for Viksit Bharat (developed India), PM Modi had taken suggestions from over 20 lakh people and took part in numerous discussions, he said.
“A five-year medium-term plan is also ready. A country cannot progress without such visionary leadership. We are lucky that our leadership is working so hard. The PM is working 24X7 to make India a developed country by 2047,” said Vaishnaw.
About 4 km of new railway tracks used to be laid daily when Modi took charge of the nation in 2014. He said the railway ministry today is laying 15 km of new tracks every day. “Last year, we laid 5,300 km of new railway tracks, close to the entire railway network of Belgium or Switzerland. This is the pace at which we are working,” he said.
The government has now taken up another project to provide connectivity to Ambaji, he said, referring to the Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu Road rail line.
“This project was originally conceived in 1935. Such an old project has now been sanctioned by Modiji. Imagine the situation of this country back then. It shows that governments at the Centre were practically absent for so many years,” he said.
There was a time when politics revolved around ensuring train halts and extensions, said the Union minister. “This will end soon because new tracks of 31,000 km were laid in the last ten years. This will help us in putting more trains in service. No attention was paid to laying new tracks during the Congress rule,” he added.