Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that his government is staying away from vote-bank politics and stands firm and resolute on its aim in making India a developed country by 2047.

“The purpose of our government is grand and comprehensive: We are following the mantra of ‘Progress of the people, Progress by the People, and Progress for the People’. Our aim is to build a new Bharat, a Viksit Bharat (Developed India)”, Modi said at a Leadership Summit of a media house in the capital. 

Bharat’s society is now filled with unprecedented aspirations, which have become a foundation of his government’s policies, Modi added.

Noting that the approach of his government is not only to spend big for the people, but also save big for the people, Modi reeled out data to show that In 2014, Union Budget was around ₹16 lakh crore. 

Today, this budget stands at ₹48 lakh crore. In 2013-14, Modi-led government spent about ₹2.25 lakh crore on capital expenditure. Today, the Centre’s capital expenditure exceeds ₹11 lakh crore.

This ₹ 11 lakh crore is being used for new hospitals, schools, roads, railways, research facilities, and various other public infrastructure projects, Modi said. “While we increase public spending, we are also saving the public’s money”, he said.

For instance, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has saved the country ₹3.5 lakh crore by preventing leakages. The Ayushman Bharat scheme has saved the poor ₹1.1 lakh crore rupees through free medical treatment. Citizens have saved ₹30,000 crore through the Jan Aushadhi centres, which offer medicines at an 80 percent discount. Price controls on stents and knee implants have saved thousands of crores for people. The UJALA scheme, by promoting LED bulbs, has reduced electricity bills by ₹20,000 crore, Modi said. 

The Swachh Bharat Mission has reduced illness, saving each rural household ₹50,000. UNICEF reports that families with their own toilets save around ₹70,000 each. “Our government has provided a unique combination of investment to the citizens that leads to employment and development that ensures dignity.  We are promoting a development model that generates investment, creates employment and elevates the dignity of Indian citizens”, Modi said, citing the example of rapid strides made in the mission to build toilets in the country.

Booming Start-ups Ecosystem

Modi highlighted that the transformation in the country in the past decade has rekindled risk-taking spirit among Indians.  “Today, our youth are risk-takers across various fields. Starting a company was once considered risky, and start-up stories were rare even ten years ago. Now, there are more than 1,25,000 registered start-ups in the country”, he said.

Modi also highlighted the tremendous progress made in the availability of LPG connections across the country.

India’s Century

Modi highlighted that there is hope and a belief that this century will be India’s century. “But to make this a reality, we need to accelerate our efforts in many areas. We are rapidly advancing in that direction. We have to move forward to do our best in every sector. We need to adopt the mindset that nothing less than the best is acceptable to us”, he said.

There is a need to create processes so that Bharat’s standards are recognised as world-class. “We must produce goods that are known globally for their excellence. Our construction projects should be regarded as world-class infrastructure. In the field of education, our work should be recognised worldwide. In the entertainment industry, we should create works that are acclaimed internationally”, Modi said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi on Saturday embarked on a five-day visit to Nigeria, Brazil and Guyana. In Brazil, Modi will attend the 19th G20 Summit as a Troika member.

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