Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government is carrying out "holistic reforms"
Amid the farmer protests row over new farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said reforms are needed for development and some laws from the past century have become a burden now. At the launch of the Agra metro rail project via video-conference, PM Modi said the reforms carried out by his government are also getting reflected in election results.
His pitch on the importance of reforms comes ahead of Tuesday's "Bharat Bandh" over the three new farm laws. During his brief address, PM Modi made no direct reference to the new laws or the farmer protests.
"Reforms are needed for development. Reforms are very much needed for a new order and to give new facilities. We cannot build the next century with the laws of the previous century," he said.
"Some laws that used to be good in the past century have become a burden in the present century. Reforms should be a continuous process," he said.
PM Modi said his government is carrying out "holistic reforms". "Earlier, reforms used to happen in a piecemeal manner, or keeping in mind some sectors and departments," the Prime Minister said.
He said reforms in recent times have given self-confidence to people. "This confidence has been seen in every election in the recent past. A glimpse of this confidence is seen in the election results in every part of the country, including UP," he said.
PM Modi said in recent years the poor and the middle class have showered their "unprecedented blessings" on the efforts of the government. He said their support "gives me the courage to do new things and take new initiatives".
Work is being carried out on 1,000-km of new metro rail lines in 27 cities across the nation, PM Modi said. The over Rs 8,300-crore Agro Metro project has two corridors with a total length of 29.4 km and will connect major tourist hubs like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Sikandara with railway stations and bus stands.
The project is scheduled to be completed in five years. Agra has a population of 26 lakh and 60 lakh tourists visit the city every year.