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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said India is in a unique position of being optimistic and positive about its future growth when the global economy is struggling with the twin challenge of high inflation and slow growth.
Speaking during the debate on the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha against the Modi government, she also said that earlier governments used to sell dreams to people while the present regime is fulfilling the dreams.
"India was listed among five fragile economies of the world in 2013, but it has now become the fastest-growing economy in just nine years," she said.
Sitharaman accused the previous United Progressive Alliance regime of wasting an entire decade, referring to its tenure from 2004 to 2014.
"In 2022, there was only three per cent growth in the global economy. The World Bank has said in 2023, it will decline to 2.1 per cent," she said.
Video: From milega to mil gaya, Nirmala hits out at UPA
Developed countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, and the Euro zone are facing challenging times, while big economies such as China are also facing their own issues related to consumer demand and wage stagnation, the finance minister said.
"In this background, look at the Indian economy from this perspective. In 2013, Morgan Stanley called India a fragile economy. The same Morgan Stanley has upgraded India," she said.
She also highlighted various schemes of the government and said they all have benefitted people.
Referring to the 'Garibi Hatao' slogan of the Congress government headed by Indira Gandhi, she asked whether poverty could be actually removed.
"PM (Narendra) Modi has changed this completely. There is a transformation in our governance," she said and asserted that words such as milega (you will get) have been replaced by people saying mil gaya (we have got it).
"We believe in empowering all and appeasement of none," she said.