"3 Times Work" In PM Modi's Third Tenure: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third term has set a target which will be achieved by working three times harder. He added that India needs to attain the status of a developed nation.

"PM Modi has set a target, and this time, you have to work three times harder, three times more, and, three times more effort has to be put in compared to whatever has done during his first and second tenure. There is a change in mindset which gives us hope and confidence that by 2047, we can become a developed nation," said Mr Vaishnaw addressing the Indian Foundation for Quality Management (IFQM) Symposium on Technology.

Elaborating on what it means to attain the status of a developed nation, he said, "Three major elements, first is a very inclusive and harmonious society. The second big element of being a Viksit Bharat is to have the social physical and digital infra in place. The third is getting to the parameters, which are the measurable parameters, $18,000 per capita income, 30 trillion nominal GDP by 2047."

Further highlighting the roadmap that needs to be followed, the Union Minister said, "Today, we are just shy of 4 trillion nominal, just shy of four $3,000 nominal per capita. It means we have a path where we need to grow about 6 times, 11 times in the next 25 years. Growth at that pace has been achieved by many nations in the past. It's something which has been done, which has been demonstrated, which is possible, which is doable. It needs a very strong foundation, a very carefully thought-through strategy, meticulous execution and a link process of development, which is beyond the cycle of elections. That is what we are attempting. That is what our Prime Minister Modi ji has been continuously focusing on for the last 10 years, he has precisely done this. If you look at the thought process behind this, the thought process comprises four pillars."

Mr Vaishnaw stated that the first pillar is investment in social, digital and physical infrastructure, adding to that he said, "There are many examples. We have seen the rapid rollout of 5g digital infrastructure. We have seen the creation of UPI, the creation of digital credit, the creation of platforms like National Health, and the logistics platform. These are all platforms that have taken technology to the last mile. That's digital infrastructure, physical multiple examples are there. Many have spoken in the past almost 58,000-54,000 kilometres of road length added in the last 10 years. 31,000 kilometres of railway tracks added in the last 10 years. The second big pillar is inclusive growth. The third pillar is about manufacturing and innovation."