A focus on the economy of India’s urban centres will help hasten India’s march towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing an event at Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar on Tuesday.
“Today we are the world’s fourth largest economy. Anyone will feel happy that we have left Japan behind. I remember that when we had become the fifth largest (economy) there was a great deal of enthusiasm in the country, as we had left behind the UK (United Kingdom) which had ruled us for 150 years. Now, the pressure of becoming the third largest economy is increasing, and this pressure is more than the happiness of becoming the fourth largest economy. The country does not have the patience to wait any longer,” PM Modi said while addressing a function held to commemorate 20 years of the urban growth story of Gujarat.
Currently, the economies of the United States, China and Germany stand ahead of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “If we focus on the economy of urban centres in the country, then we can quickly become the third largest economy “, PM Modi told the gathering.
“The growth centres (that will drive India towards becoming the third largest economy) will be urban areas. We will have to plan to make urban bodies the growth centres of our economy. The cities should be centres of rapid economic activity. Now we will also have to focus on Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and they should become centres for economic activity,” he added. PM Modi asked those associated with the urban bodies in India to set annual targets to improve the economy of these respective bodies. He suggested that the Tier 2 and 3 cities focus on adding value to agricultural produce procured from nearby villages. The Prime Minister said that 2 lakh startups in the country, which are mostly based in Tier 2 and 3 cities, can also lead the growth charge.
PM Modi also called for improving infrastructure and education levels in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Speaking at the event, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, said that India, already the third country with the longest metro rail network, is poised to overtake the United States. “We already have a network of metrorail in our cities which is 1000 kilometer-long. We are currently in third place (with regard to the length of metrorail networks). In the first place is China and then stands the United States. We have 950 kilometers of metrorail that are currently under construction and in the next 2-3 years we will overtake the US and reach the second position,” Khattar said.