 "'Achhe din' has arrived in the country: Amit Shah")
"Achhe din has arrived and many people can feel it. BJP has won all elections since 2014, when it came to power at the Centre. People in many states have given it overwhelming mandate in assembly polls," Shah told a press conference here on the second day of his three-day visit to Odisha.
Stating that nothing can be a bigger certificate than people's mandate, the BJP chief said the party's victory in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Assam, Haryana, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra had proved that people were experiencing "achhe din."
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"The seventh pay commission also benefitted many. People realised that achhe din has arrived as the effectively-controlled inflation has given them considerable relief", he said.
Referring to black money, Shah said that the Modi government has tightened the noose around those holding unaccounted money and wealth by deregistering over two lakh shell companies, while more than 51 lakh new tax payers have been included in the net.
Concrete steps have been taken to curb generation and transfer of black money, he said, adding necessary measures have been taken with regard to treaties with countries like Mauritius, Cyprus and Singapore.
He said that the BJP-led NDA government has transformed the country and put the economy on the right track, he said, adding that three years ago during the UPA rule the inflation had sky-rocketed and development nosedived.
To a query, Shah said demonetisation did not have any negative impact on the economic growth rate and the decline was only a temporary impact after introduction of GST as traders were busy disposing old stocks.
India now has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, he said, adding "In some quarters our growth has been higher than that recorded by China."
Describing the NDA government as a government for dalits, tribals, poor, women, unemployed and the backward, the BJP chief said that the Centre has taken a host of steps for the benefit of the downtrodden.
While over seven crore families have new bank accounts, around three crore women have been benefitted by Ujjwala scheme by getting free LPG connections. 13,000 villages were also electrified and 4.5 crore houses have toilets.
Shah said that 7.7 crore people were given loans under the Mudra scheme without any guarantee and GST has become a reality.
Apart from acclerating development in the country, the BJP-led government has been able to carve a separate identity for the country in the international arena during three years.
Citing an instance, Shah said surgical strikes carried out by the forces had enhanced the image of India across the globe and there was recognition that the country was capable of defending its frontiers.
"The surgical strike speaks of the strong political will of the Modi government. This government can do everything to defend the country," he said.
India became a global leader in space technologies after the launch of at least four satellites during the NDA rule, he said, adding yoga has now been popularised across the globe marking the spread of Indian culture abroad.
Asked about Lok Pal, the BJP chief said the process is in progress and a concrete shape would emerge soon.
Referring to OBC commission, he said that the issue has been pending since 1955 after Kelkar Commission gave its report. BJP took the first step in this regard as the Modi government is determined to give proper respect to the backward classes, he said.
On the centre's rural electrification drive, Shah said by May, 2018 electricity would be provided to all villages of the country and to all houses by 2022.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)