Poverty has declined much faster since the UPA government came to power, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia said here Saturday.
Delivering the 49th Foundation Day address at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses(IDSA), Ahluwalia said the country needs inflow of energy, technology, investment and trade to grow at eight percent in the coming years.
He said the growth target of eight percent could be achieved only if difficult policy decisions are taken.
Speaking about the decline in poverty, he said "Since the period 2004, there has been much faster decline in poverty compared to the period 1993-2004."
On the opposition's criticism of the UPA government's economic performance, Ahluwalia said most of the attacks were ill informed.