ADVERTISEMENT

Modi Calls for Houses and Toilets for All Citizens in ‘New India’

It’s not the first time Modi has set ambitious goals on houses, toilets, electricity and pollution, with mixed success.

Modi Calls for Houses and Toilets for All Citizens in ‘New India’
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, speaks to members of the media at Parliament House during the first day of the 17th Lok Sabha in New Delhi, India. (Photographer: T. Narayan/Bloomberg ) 

(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set ambitious targets to raise the living standards of all citizens and boost the country’s economic growth during his second five-year term in his pursuit of a "New India."

His goal was reflected in President Ram Nath Kovind’s speech to lawmakers in New Delhi on Thursday that sets out the policies of the new government.

“My government is committed to that very idea of nation-building, the foundation for which was laid in 2014,’’ said Kovind in his speech to a joint session of parliament. “While fulfilling the basic needs of the countrymen, now the government is moving forward towards realizing their aspirations of building a strong, safe, prosperous and all-inclusive India.’’

Here’s the government’s aims, which it hopes to complete by 2022 when India will celebrate its 75th anniversary of independence.

  • Doubling farmers’ income
  • Every poor family will have a house 
  • Poor people will have access to clean fuel
  • Every poor household will have electricity connection 
  • No open defecation
  • Poor will have access to medical facilities
  • Every village will be connected by roads
  • River Ganga will flow uninterrupted; and pollution free

Modi swept the election with a massive victory, which saw his party win India’s first back-to-back majority since 1984.

It’s not the first time Modi has set ambitious goals on houses, toilets, electricity and pollution, with mixed success. While he missed the toilet-building target, his government said it was on track to meet its official March 31 deadline to provide electricity connections to every home.

Here are the numbers:

  • 150,000 health and wellness centers in rural areas by 2022
  • 35,000 kilometers of highways to be constructed by 2022
  • 50,000 start-ups to be established in the country by 2024
  • 20 million additional seats for higher education by 2024
  • $5 trillion economy by 2024

To contact the reporter on this story: Bibhudatta Pradhan in New Delhi at bpradhan@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Jeanette Rodrigues

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.