Govt strengthened economy, will cater to growing aspirations: Piyush Goyal | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Govt strengthened economy, will cater to growing aspirations: Piyush Goyal

Oct 06, 2018 07:47 AM IST

NDA government rescued and strengthened economy left in shambles by the UPA, the Union minister said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2018

Railways minister Piyush Goyal on Friday credited the NDA government with rescuing and strengthening an economy that he said was in a shambles when it took office, and empowering citizens by providing them new platforms for innovation and entrepreneurship to flourish.

New Delhi, India - Oct. 5, 2018: Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Coal and R. Sukumar, Editor-in-Chief, Hindustan Times during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit at Taj Palace in New Delhi, India, on Friday, October 5, 2018.(Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)
New Delhi, India - Oct. 5, 2018: Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Coal and R. Sukumar, Editor-in-Chief, Hindustan Times during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit at Taj Palace in New Delhi, India, on Friday, October 5, 2018.(Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

“We have absolutely not lost the narrative on the economy,” the minister, who held charge of the finance portfolio during the months that Arun Jaitley was away recuperating from a surgery earlier this year, said in response to a question at the 16th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

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The BJP-led NDA government’s handling of the economy has been questioned by opposition members amid a weakening rupee, high fuel prices,the piling-up of bad loans in the banking system and agrarian distress caused by sliding commodity prices. On Thursday, to ease the pain of consumers, the government cut the prices of petrol and diesel by ~2.5 per litre and urged state governments to follow suit.

Goyal said he was confident that the BJP will return to power in the 2019 general elections with 300 plus seats (it won 282 in 2014) and the NDA will get a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. “We believe in action and people know we have achieved a lot in the past four years,” he said.

On Indian Railway, the minister outlined the improvements carried out in infrastructure by the NDA government and shared data on changes brought about in the world’s second biggest rail network.

“In 2013-14, 118 accidents were caused at unmanned railway crossing, which in the last six months has come down to three. Nearly 5,000 of the 5,500 unmanned crossings have been eliminated and rest will be completed by the end of this year,” he said.

He also spoke about efforts to improve toilets in railways, increasing capacity to introduce new and modern railway coaches and railway catering.

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