India making rapid strides towards 'Viksit Bharat' goal under Narendra Modi-led govt: Nadda in RS

New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha J P Nadda said on Wednesday that India is making rapid strides under the Narendra Modi government towards achieving its goal of 'Viksit Bharat' and the President's address presented a road map towards it.

Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address, Nadda took a swipe at the Opposition, claiming that it has failed to build its credibility in the last 11 years.

He suggested that a skill development program be launched for them free of cost by the skill development ministry.

Nadda also suggested that the Opposition should learn from the BJP on how to protest when in the Opposition.

He said the President's address reflects 'Amritkaal' and is a manifesto of the hopes of 150 crore people of the country.

"The President's Address is not a report-card but presents a road map of 'Viksit Bharat'," he said.

Nadda said the government has ushered in an era of "reform, perform and transform", taking India forward from the era of "policy paralysis" and "scam-ridden" governance earlier.

The minister outlined various reforms undertaken by the government and talked about the "massive shift" in external security stance, while referring to 'Operation Sindoor' and other military strikes against Pakistan.

He said today's India stands with a "new normal" which is that "it will not come under any nuclear blackmail" by the neighbouring country and terrorists will be dealt with a stern hand.

He referred to Operation Sindoor against Pakistan and how India destroyed terror camps and infrastructure inside Pakistan.

"As far as security is concerned, I want to state that there has been a massive shift and our neighbouring country Pakistan, which always kept an evil eye on us, against whom the previous governments acted with a lot of restraint, has been given a befitting reply under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership," he said.

Nadda cited the surgical strikes carried out by Indian armed forces in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack and Balakot airstrikes after the Pulwama terror attack.

He observed that President Droupadi Murmu's address was inspiring and reflected foresightedness.

Nadda said the President's address is a powerful reflection of India's developmental journey. She has spoken about a mix of our ancient cultural heritage and also regarding our 2047 Viksit Bharat road map and the aspirations of 150 crore Indians.

He mentioned the decisive leadership under PM Modi and the transformation witnessed by the nation.

"We have come a long way, from fragile five, now we are the fastest growing major economy. From policy paralysis we have now come to reform, perform and transform. We have come out from a scam-ridden country to a transformative revolution," he said.

He said from being an import-dependent country, India today is moving forward towards being an 'aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant) nation.

Quoting Prime Minister Modi, he said, in 2026 we are in the second quarter of 'Amrit Kaal' and are moving forward after laying the foundation of a robust economy, made the country resilient, and now in the next 25 years we have to accelerate the foundation and achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat.

"The way we are making rapid strides towards 2047, now we have moved from status quo to high-speed trajectory," he claimed.

Citing examples, he referred to the GST implementation ushering in transparency and reforms in the indirect tax regime effected last September 22, which led to massive savings for citizens.

Nadda outlined that despite opposition, GST was implemented and how it has positively impacted the lives of the countrymen.

Citing Congress leaders' purported remarks related to corruption in MNREGA, Nadda said it was reformed into "leakage proof, corruption free" G-RAMG scheme.

He said the Centre will continue to undertake reforms going forward as well, whenever needed.

Nadda said India was shifting from "survival based employment to growth-oriented".

"WEF Chief has said to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India can add (contribute) 20 per cent to world growth this year. The World Bank President said India has demonstrated that it can show exceptional growth," Nadda said.

He asserted that trade agreement between India and 27-nation bloc European Union is a deal that will benefit and open up now opportunities for Tiruppur workers, Kanpur leather industry and Bangalore's IT industry, among others, which is why it has been dubbed "the mother of all deals".

He said trade deals will create lakhs of employment opportunities for the country's youth.

Nadda also highlighted the India Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement; the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and their benefits for the country's youth, innovators, women and professionals, among others.

He said the Modi government has preserved the country's rich cultural heritage and taken the country out of Macaulay's colonial period, with the restoration of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, construction of the Ram Mandir and the reconstruction of the Kedarnath temple.

"We have reclaimed our lost antiques. We are used to living with national pride, not colonial shame," Nadda said.

He observed that the National Education Policy focuses on Indian learning systems, thereby increasing the relevance of Sanskrit and regional languages. PTI RSN SKC TRB