Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar reached Puthuppally in Kottayam district to campaign for BJP's candidate Lijin Lal for the upcoming byelection. He interacted with the professional degree students in Puthuppally and spoke about India's development.
Kottayam: Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday (August 30) campaigned for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate G Lijin Lal who is contesting the Puthuppally bypoll. During an interaction with professional degree students as part of the Puthuppally campaign, the Union Minister listed the progress achieved by the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The minister claimed that until 2014, 90 per cent of mobile phones were imported from nations like the US and China. However, as of 2023, India has emerged as a major manufacturer of mobile phones.
"In 2014, we didn't export any mobile phone-related commodities. Apple and Samsung smartphones made in India were exported in a total of one lakh crores in the 2022 Financial Year (FY) to nations like the USA and Japan, among others. This kind of change has occurred during the past nine years," he claimed.
"In earlier times, when people would discuss our nation, they would say that while India is a good nation with good people and a sizable democracy, its governance is corrupt or dysfunctional. Why? For instance, if Rs 100 was paid from Delhi to the beneficiary in 1985 during Rajeev Gandhi's term as PM, only Rs 15 really arrived. Therefore, there was a Rs. 85 leak, which demonstrated the governance's dysfunction," the Union Minister said.
"India cannot deliver for its people, India's governance can never work for the people..., was an overview of our country. But since 2014, due to our nation's actual technological advancement, if Rs 100 is sent, the recipient likewise receives the same amount. There is no corruption or leaks. That is the change," he said.
Further Chandrasekhar stated, "Before 2014, India did not have money to revamp its armed forces and the defence sector. We were powerless to stop China from watching over India. The then-Congress defence minister responded to a query in the Lok Sabha about border regions having no infrastructure by saying that if India built infrastructure, China would be upset and concerned that we wouldn't modernise it. We were a resourceless and underdeveloped nation. But how is the situation right now? India has the fifth-largest economy in the world.
"Our budget, tax, and indirect tax collections every year are unprecedented in India's history as a sovereign nation. India is the only nation in the world investing more money in infrastructure than any other, as we are spending Rs. 15 lakh crore to create cutting-edge international infrastructure this year. This is the financially sound, economically robust, and securely sound New India. These are necessary for a promising future."
The Minister remarked, when discussing employment, "There is a false narrative on employment or unemployment in the country. Let me tell you something. India had a workforce of 42 crores prior to 2014. A total of 31 crore youths were uneducated or unskilled in that. The country's report card after 65 years of independence under the rule of Congress, the Left, the UPA, or I.N.D.I.A., revealed these numbers. In India, three out of every four people lacked both education and skills. Nearly 1.5 crore people would enter the workforce each year without any skills.
However, 6.5 crore Indian youths have received skills, including e-skills and upskills, over the course of the past 8 years of the Modi government, he continued.
"Youth will be strong if India is strong. And in order to do that, we must practise brave politics, including politics of empowerment, development, and economic growth. For the first time, we can see our country heading towards progress to become a developed nation, putting behind the 65 years of administration that had appeasement, divisiveness, diversion, and economic problems. 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas Sabka Vishwas Sabka Prayas,' says Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We can both work together to advance the country," said the Union Minister.
