New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah looks on during the 49th Foundation Day celebrations of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) at its headquarters in New Delhi, Wednesday, Aug 28, 2019. (PTI Photo/Vijay Verma)(PTI8_28_2019_000030B)
The Indian economy isundergoing a ”V-shaped recovery” and the world is watching thesame in surprise, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said onThursday.
Shah, one of the senior most members of the cabinet,also said the COVID-19 vaccination drive is progressing welland once everyone is vaccinated, ”we will attain victory overthe pandemic”.
He made the comment while joining through vide-conference the inauguration of a four-lane over-bridge inShilaj here by Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.
”Economies of all countries in the world were affecteddue to the coronavirus. But, the world is surprised andwatching the V-shaped recovery of the Indian economy,” Shah said.
The GDP contracted by 23.9 per cent in the June 2020quarter due to the lockdown, and the contraction narrowed downto 7.5 per cent in the September quarter as compared to thesame in the year-ago period, as the unlock process began.
The demand situation has shown further improvement inthe December quarter which witnessed the festivities, withseveral high-frequency indicators illustrating the same.
The Union government now expects the GDP to close FY21with a contraction of 7.7 per cent.
Shah also said that infrastructure development carriedout under the Narendra Modi regime in the last six yearsexceeds that done by governments in the 20 years preceding theNDA government.
”The work done in the infrastructure sector in lastsix years is equivalent to that done in 20 years of previousgovernments,” he said.
He listed various infrastructure works like Metrolines, bullet train and other projects taken up by the Centre.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government isworking hard to develop infrastructure in the country, be itrural or urban areas.
The Modi government has provided electricity to allvillages of the country, road connectivity, and has providedone bank account to every family.
”Ten crore families, or 30 crore people, in India werenot having their own houses, and the way construction ofhouses for low income groups is going on, we are confidentthat every family will get a home by 2022,” Shah said.
”Another big project that we have taken up isproviding piped water to every household by 2022,” he said.
Shah said the government has also taken up the work ofremoval of one lakh railway crossings on national and statehighways by building over-bridges or under-bridges on them.
The work on around 5,000 such crossings has been completed andit is currently on in 8,000 other places, he said.
”The Shilaj bridge (inaugurated here on Thursday) isone such among the one lakh bridges (being built) on therailway crossings,” he said.
