Excelsior Correspondent
AHMEDABAD, Nov 23: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today said that Modi’s “Gujarat model” is emulated by others. He said, over the last 20 years, Narendra Modi has successfully created a model of development and governance which became a benchmark even for the non-BJP ruled States.
What is significant is that Modi as Chief Minister developed the “Gujarat model” with minimum support and maximum hostility from the Centre which was then ruled by the UPA, said the Minister.
Addressing a series of election meetings in support of Dr Payal Ben Kukrani contesting from Naroda Assembly seat, Dr Jitendra Singh, “I have come to Naroda not as a Union Minister, but as a member of the medical fraternity to support a young promising medico contesting as BJP candidate”.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, life offers no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than healing mankind and young Payal Ben has all the abilities and competence to help her own generation as well as to raise the next generation.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, only yesterday he was in a programme with Prime Minister Modi where 71,000 new recruits were given appointment letters for Central government jobs. This, he said, was announced after the first lot of 75,000 candidates were given certificates on 22nd October, 2022. The Minister Said, his department of DoPT has promised to Prime Minister that his vision of giving 10 lakh government jobs by end of 2023 will be fulfilled in a mission mode. He said, besides this crores of livelihood opportunities were created in the last 8 years, be it through 35 crore Mudra loans, Production linked incentives, Swamittva yojana, Start-ups and opening up of Space and Drone sectors for private participation and investment.
Coming back to massive developmental pitch of Modi years as the longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat with his term spanning from October 2001 to May 2014, Dr Jitendra Singh said, when you enter Nava Gujarat, the first impression is of modern airport, wide roads and lush agricultural fields in rural areas, and one can see how parts of Ahmedabad resemble a top-tier metropolitan city on way to acquire cosmopolitan character. This is the Gujarat that has seen unprecedented economic growth–between 2004 and 2012, as the state grew at 10.1 per cent, far ahead of the national average of 7.6 per cent under Modi Saheb. In fact, 2005-06 was a record year, with a growth rate of nearly 15 per cent, the Minister added.
Referring to Planning Commission data of the UPA rule, Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that the most dazzling aspect of physical infrastructure in Gujarat is the specific interventions by Modi government for industry, as the state’s industrial growth jumped to 12.65 per cent during 2005-09 from just 3.95 per cent during 2001-04. The industrial policy of 2009 provided a merit-based package of assistance to core infrastructure projects involving a minimum investment of Rs 5,000 crore and that has changed the industrial landscape of Gujarat.
Dr Jitendra Singh said even agriculture and allied sectors showed annual growth of 6.47 per cent under Modi rule and it was made possible primarily by three factors – adoption of Bt (genetically modified) cotton, emphasis on minor irrigation and construction of check dams. Similar, stellar performance was witnessed in power sector as total installed power capacity scaled new heights of 23,887 Mw by March 2013 from nearly 9,000 Mw in 2003-04. The Minister said, the equally impressive has been the record on cutting transmission and distribution losses, down from 35 per cent to a modest 15 per cent in the period, thus making Gujarat as one of the few power surplus states.
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