India will become developed country in 2047: Praful Patel in RS

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Praful Patel on Tuesday said while earlier to give 'roti, kapda and makan' was the essence of political and economic discourse, people are today talking about a confident, self-reliant and a developed India. Participating in the discussion on the budget in the Rajya Sabha, Patel said India is no longer a third world country but a developing nation and it will become a developed country by 2047.

Complementing Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for delivering a historic budget, Patel said that India has become the fifth largest economy and it will become the third largest economy in a very short span.

Referring to the US president's 'Make America Great Again' slogan, Patel said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been saying since 2014 that India is on a new trajectory with programmes like 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.


"What does it mean? Like America said 'Make America Great Again', we are also talking that 'make India big and proud again'," Patel said.

He stated that earlier India used to import a lot of goods and products but today we are exporting lots of crucial and important products.

The NCP MP praised the government programmes to build highways and super-highways, saying infrastructure boost is important to develop a nation.

He insisted that there is a need to develop connectivity in each and every part of the country to bring them into the mainstream for its equitable growth and development.

Thanking Prime Minister Modi for giving special focus on road and port connectivity in the country, he said, "Port infrastructure will go to the next level."

Patel also praised Prime Minister Modi for laying the foundation stone of a port in Maharashtra with an estimated cost of Rs 76,000 crore.

He said that he was the aviation minister for eight years and 75 airports were operational during his period, but the number of airports is 150 in 10 years.

Patel also commended the launch of Vande Bharat trains and government efforts for the bullet train project.

According to Patel, India is entering into a new age in which solar energy and wind energy are being harnessed.

He also appreciated the tax relief to the middle class and said that now the middle class can save Rs 80,000 every year which they can now spend on paying EMI etc.