Mumbai, May 25 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and vision, stating that the last 12 years have been truly historic and transformative. He said the nation has shed its image of dependency and emerged as an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ with enhanced global prestige and self-respect.

He noted that these 12 years were marked by structural, economic and social reforms that broke decades of policy paralysis. He highlighted key national developments, including the formalisation of the economy, rollout of digital infrastructure, decisive geopolitical and legislative measures that strengthened national security, and a targeted focus on building a robust and self-reliant foundation aimed at achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

He was speaking after releasing a special commemorative coffee table book titled ‘Rashtra Nirmanachi Tapapoorti’ (The Completion of an Era in Nation Building) on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi completing 12 successful years in office.

Reflecting on the significant shift in the country’s economic and social landscape since May 26, 2014, CM Fadnavis pointed out that the Prime Minister’s pro-poor and citizen-centric policies have lifted over 25 crore people out of extreme poverty, a feat he described as unmatched globally.

He highlighted that India’s GDP has tripled from over Rs 103 lakh crore in 2013-14 to around Rs 357 lakh crore under PM Modi’s stewardship, while Maharashtra’s GDP increased from Rs 13 lakh crore to Rs 54 lakh crore during the same period.

The Chief Minister also spoke extensively about structural and economic reforms such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). “GST has turned India into a single market, which exponentially boosted foreign direct investment, with Maharashtra alone attracting 40 per cent of the country’s FDI,” he said.

He further credited the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity and UPI for eliminating grassroots-level corruption by facilitating seamless and direct benefit transfers into beneficiaries’ accounts.

On foreign policy and defence, CM Fadnavis highlighted India’s transition from being one of the world’s largest defence importers to a strong exporter, with defence exports touching Rs 50,000 crore. He cited recent operations and border infrastructure development as proof of India’s strengthened strategic preparedness.

CM Fadnavis said the hallmark of the PM Modi-led government has been its unwavering focus on empowering four key pillars of society — the poor (Gareeb), farmers (Anndata), youth (Yuva), and women (Nari Shakti). He said the coffee table book serves as a vital record and a data-driven blueprint of how administrative willpower can directly translate into grassroots empowerment.

The event was organised by the Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and attended by State BJP President Ravindra Chavan, Mumbai BJP chief Amit Satam, Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, along with several senior MLAs and prominent members of the media.

The special issue was released in both Marathi and Hindi.

–IANS

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