Admitting that India needed to create more jobs for its youth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the government has worked hard to promote manufacturing.
“We have worked hard to promote manufacturing to create jobs for our youth. Investments through our Make in India initiative have been well supported by programmes like Digital India and Skill India,” the Prime Minister said after inaugurating the 9th Vibrant Gujarat Summit here on Friday.
Under attack for jobless economic growth, Modi’s remark on manufacturing versus jobs is significant as it comes a year after he equated selling pakoras on streets with employment.
Modi’s comment was also criticised in Parliament and the Congress demanded that the BJP come clear on how many regular jobs were created in the last three years of Modi’s tenure.
Progressing quite a distance from there, Modi on Friday said he saw more job opportunities as India had made doing business faster and cheaper through digital processes and single-point interface.
Modi was addressing a gathering of over 30,000 business delegates from India and abroad. He asked them to enhance their investment in the country.
“From the start of business to its operation and closure, we have paid attention in building new institutions, processes and procedures,” Modi said at the three-day investors summit named “Shaping of a New India”.
Modi, however, said that in India, the challenge remained to grow horizontally and vertically. “Horizontally we have to spread benefits of development to regions and communities that have lagged behind. Vertically we have to meet enhanced expectations in terms of quality of life and quality of infrastructure,” he said.
Modi said India was now ready for business as never before. “In the last four years, we have jumped 65 places in the Global Ranking of World Bank’s Doing Business Report. But we are still not satisfied. I have asked my team to work harder so that India is in the top 50 next year,” Modi said at the last investor summit of his five-year term.