Prime Minister Modi has given a human angle to GDP for the sake of the poor, says Amit Shah

Union home minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a "human angle" to gross domestic product (GDP), keeping the poor at the forefront.

Delivering a lecture at a conference on 'Delivering Democracy: Reviewing two decades of Narendra Modi as head of the government', organised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, Shah said the GDP must grow but its beneficiary should be the poor and the needy, adding that the PM's reforms have always been based on the needs of the poor.

Recalling the BJP's decision to make Narendra Modi the chief minister of Gujarat in 2001, he said, "In 2001, the BJP decided that Narendra Modi will become the CM of Gujarat. It was a rare occasion because he had no real experience of running administrations until then.


Shah said, "The state was reeling under a lot of pressure after facing the Kutch earthquake. He tried to change things and did a lot of work on development and transparency. When Modi ji became the CM of Gujarat, the state had 67% enrolment and 37% dropouts. He started a 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' programme to promote gender ratio and education. This eventually saw 100% enrolment, and he also took steps to ensure dropout ratio reduced to almost zero."

The home minister further said, "I was trolled but I would like to say again that no nation can develop with the army of illiterates. It is the government's responsibility to educate them. Somebody who does not know his constitutional rights cannot contribute to the nation, as much as it can be done."

He also praised the law banning triple talaq, saying crores of Muslim women benefited from it.