Make growth inclusive, says Modi

“Each individual has to feel a part of the development movement. This is how Gujarat has developed a new model of “inclusive growth”,” he said, giving details of how his state had achieved milestones in areas as diverse as agriculture, health, education and judiciary.

“For us in India, poverty and deprivation still remains the biggest challenge. Since the country is growing, the challenge to create conditions in which the poor can participate in the process of development is all the more important,” the Gujarat Chief Minister said.

Talking about how his Government had been able to reduce the number of pending court cases from 1.25 crore to about 22 lakh, Modi said it all depended on political will.

“Ultimately, the people are also interested not in government but in governance. For good and strong governance, people have to be made to feel a part of the decision-making process. Development must become a mass movement,” he said.

Modi emphasised that the current economic downturn had once again shown how important it was to have good infrastructure. He said regions with strong infrastructure would be able to insulate themselves against recessionary forces. He said the success of developmental efforts also depended on creating a conducive atmosphere and, in this regard, called for an overhaul in the roles of international institutions like IMF, World Bank and even United Nations.

“It is necessary to make World Bank and IMF more democratic and more representative of the needs of the developing countries,” he said. Similarly, he said while the UN had been very successful in preventing wars, it needed to reorient itself to effectively counter global terrorism.