Pune: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India was attracting global attention for sustaining rapid growth despite challenging global conditions and making significant progress in poverty reduction.Citing a World Bank report, he said 50 crore people had overcome extreme poverty in the past 10-12 years, adding that India was now the world’s fastest-growing major economy and the fastest in reducing poverty.He attributed the progress to infrastructure investments, direct benefit transfers and welfare schemes providing houses, toilets, tap water and LPG connections to poor households. “Investments in roads, railways, airports, Metro systems, electricity, water and gas pipelines were improving living conditions and creating employment opportunities,” Modi said, virtually inaugurating the Pune Metro Line 3 (Pink Line).Prime Minister announced that the Centre had approved a Rs1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund to transform cities into engines of growth and attract large-scale investments.Recounting his 25 years in govt, which he completed last month, Modi recalled launching Garib Kalyan Melas during his tenure as the Gujarat chief minister. The initiative focused on ensuring welfare benefits reached intended beneficiaries and encouraging them to overcome poverty.“I have always believed that if the poor are empowered, they acquire the strength to overcome poverty themselves. I call this ‘Power to Empower’,” he said.Modi said the rising purchasing power, as more families moved out of poverty, would generate fresh market demand, benefiting businesses ranging from small shops to factories and giving further momentum to the economy.
