PM vows to take growth to double digits

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the challenge now before the Government is to take the economic growth rate to double digits and the world expects India to become a five trillion-dollar economy soon.

“Indian economy has grown at a healthy rate of 7.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2017-18 and the challenge now is to take this growth rate to double digits, which requires more important measures,” said Modi  while delivering the closing remarks at a meeting of the NITI Aayog’s fourth meeting of Governing Council, on Sunday.

The conference among other things would deliberate on issues like doubling of farmers’ income, development of aspirational districts, Ayushman Bharat, Mission Indradhanush, Nutrition Mission and celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. As many as 23 Chief Ministers and one Lt Governor attended the meeting. The notable absentees however were Chief Ministers of Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi.

These steps, Modi said, were essential to achieve the vision of New India by 2020.  The Prime Minister said the Governing Council was a platform that could bring about “historic change” in the development of the country.

Modi also assured the Chief Ministers of flood-affected States of providing all central assistance to deal with the situation.

The Prime Minister also encouraged States to give fresh ideas to the Finance Commission for incentivising outcome-based allocations, and expenditure correction.

Welcoming the constructive discussion and suggestions made by various Chief Ministers of the States, the Prime Minister assured the gathering that these suggestions would be seriously considered in the course of decision-making.

He also directed the Government’s think tank to follow up with the States on the actionable points made by them within three months. “On the lines of the 115 aspirational districts identified by NITI Aayog, States can define their own parameters to identify 20 per cent of the total blocks in the State as aspirational blocks,” he said. Expressing happiness that the States were organising investor summits, he further suggested that they should focus on exports.

He also encouraged the States to boost ease of doing business, saying NITI Aayog should call a meeting with all the states for the same. He said “ease of living” for the common man was also the need of the hour, and States should take initiatives in this regard.

Speaking on the issue of environment raised by Chief Ministers in the meet, Prime Minister Modi urged all States to use LED bulbs in their Government buildings, official residences and streetlights. He suggested that this could be implemented within a definite timeframe.

He called upon the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, to work together to make recommendations on a coordinated policy approach to the two subjects of “agriculture and MNREGA,” including both pre-sowing, and post-harvest phases.

The PM also stated that it was vital to identify the “last people in the line” so that benefits of governance could reach them. He also said social justice was an important Governmental objective and those noble causes required close coordination and constant monitoring.

Modi reiterated the Union Government’s commitment to providing universal coverage of seven key schemes to 45,000 additional villages in 115 Aspirational Districts, by August 15 this year.