New Delhi, Feb 10 : Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has highlighted the significant strides made by the Modi government in infrastructure development, reporting a massive surge in investment to ₹11 lakh crore in the last year, compared to ₹2 lakh crore annually during the previous UPA regime.
Explaining the rationale behind the Union Budget for 2025-26, Scindia emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi views the poor, farmers, women, and youth as the core focus of India’s development, and the budget aims to empower these four key groups.
The minister noted that 6,000 km of national highways have been constructed, and 2,031 km of new railway lines have been laid in the past year. In the telecom sector, 10,700 villages have been equipped with new mobile towers, improving connectivity in rural areas.
Scindia also pointed to India’s impressive economic growth, stating that while the global economy is growing at a modest 3.2 percent, India has recorded a 6.5 percent GDP growth rate. The agricultural sector has contributed with a steady 3.5 percent growth.
“Our goal is for India to become the third-largest economy by 2027, surpassing Germany and Japan within two years. By 2028, we aim to achieve a $5 trillion economy, followed by $6 trillion by 2030,” he said.
Scindia further highlighted the improvements in India’s banking sector. He explained that in 2014, the country faced a non-performing asset (NPA) crisis, with NPAs accounting for 11.5 percent of total loans. This issue, he said, was a legacy of the previous UPA government. Under the Modi government, the NPA rate has significantly reduced to 2.6 percent, restoring the banking sector’s health and boosting credit availability to fuel economic growth.
Discussing inclusive development, Scindia noted that the Indian Postal Department, with its network of 1.64 lakh post offices and four lakh postmen, is being transformed into a nationwide logistics and e-commerce service provider, extending its reach to rural areas.
Additionally, 2.12 lakh gram panchayats have been connected through the BharatNet project, and efforts are underway to provide broadband connectivity to all village panchayats, further bridging the digital divide and supporting rural development.(With inputs from IANS)