The leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured that Bharat’s growth story is always sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayaas. In the past 25 years, he has touched the lives of crores of people, especially those belonging to the weaker and disadvantaged sections.

Referring to backward districts as “Aspirational Districts”, border villages as “Vibrant and First Villages” and the Northeast as Ashtalakshmi reflects a transformative approach that has transformed geographical marginalisation into empowerment.

Another major step towards ensuring inclusive growth has been our focus on the Blue Economy. In the 1960s, with the Green Revolution, we tackled the problem of acute hunger. Bharat today ranks among the top global producers of rice, wheat, pulses, and millets, reinforcing its role in global food security. The White Revolution ended India’s chronic milk shortage and dependence on imported dairy products. Bharat is now the world’s No. 1 milk-producing country and, as a result, protein deficiency has drastically reduced, especially among children.

The Blue Revolution is set to be another success story. Nature has blessed our country with more than 11,000 km of coastline. We have a rich maritime tradition. We have an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending over nearly 24 lakh square km. Bharat has a large amount of marine wealth. Yet much of this potential remained untapped for decades. Most of our fishing activity remained close to the shore. Today, we are ready to look beyond the horizon. The deep waters of our EEZ and the high seas present immense opportunities for sustainable harvesting of high-value fish such as tuna.

In 2019, with the........

© Indian Express