50 crore Indians lifted out of extreme poverty in 12 years, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said nearly 50 crore Indians had emerged from extreme poverty over the past 10 to 12 years, citing a recent World Bank report, and asserted that the country's expanding economy and infrastructure investments had helped improve living standards and generate employment.

Addressing a programme through video conferencing after inaugurating Pune Metro Line 3 and laying the foundation stone for additional metro corridors, Modi said India's approach to poverty reduction had changed significantly since 2014, with the government focusing on empowering people rather than merely extending financial assistance.

“Earlier, the fight against poverty was only in slogans, today India is defeating poverty on the ground,” Modi said, describing economic growth and poverty reduction as interconnected achievements.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the expansion of urban transport infrastructure, saying India's operational metro network had grown from 248 kilometres before 2014 to nearly 1,200 kilometres across 26 cities, placing the country among the world's three largest metro networks.

𝗣𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝘀 𝟮𝟭,𝟴𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗲

Modi inaugurated the 23-km Pune Metro Line 3, also known as the Pink Line, which connects the Hinjewadi information technology hub with the District Court Metro station.

Constructed at a cost of more than Rs 8,300 crore under a public-private partnership model, the corridor is expected to improve connectivity for thousands of commuters travelling between Pune's residential neighbourhoods and major employment centres.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for Pune Metro Phase II, involving an estimated investment of Rs 13,500 crore.

The expansion will comprise four corridors — Lines 2A, 2B, 4 and 4A — connecting important residential, commercial and IT hubs across the city.

Modi said improved metro connectivity would reduce commuting time, ease traffic congestion and increase urban productivity.

He noted that the newly inaugurated Pink Line would be operated by women train operators, while approximately 30 per cent of its electricity requirements would be met through solar power.

𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝟮𝟲 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀

Referring to the transformation in urban transportation, Modi said metro services operated in only five cities before 2014, compared with 26 cities at present.

He said more than one crore passengers now use metro services daily, reflecting the growing importance of mass rapid transit systems in India's urban development.

The Prime Minister said Maharashtra had also witnessed a substantial expansion in metro connectivity. The state's operational network, which covered around 10 to 11 kilometres in 2014, had increased to approximately 175 kilometres, while construction was underway on more than 680 kilometres of additional corridors.

He said investments exceeding Rs 2.5 lakh crore in metro projects across Maharashtra were creating employment for construction workers, engineers and people associated with manufacturing and related industries.

Modi argued that the benefits of infrastructure development extended beyond transportation, with improved connectivity supporting businesses, reducing travel time and generating economic activity.

𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵, 𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱

The Prime Minister said India had emerged as one of the world's fastest-growing major economies while simultaneously recording a substantial decline in extreme poverty.

Referring to the World Bank's findings, he said around 50 crore people had overcome extreme poverty during the past decade.

He attributed the progress to a combination of economic expansion, infrastructure investments, welfare programmes and improvements in the delivery of government benefits.

Modi said the government's emphasis had been on providing opportunities and enabling people to improve their economic circumstances through their own efforts.

He also referred to investments in roads, railways, airports, electricity, drinking water and gas pipelines, saying these projects had improved everyday living conditions while creating jobs.

The provision of housing, toilets, tap water and LPG connections to poorer households had also helped reduce hardships and opened opportunities for additional income, he said.

𝗥𝘀 𝟭 𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗵 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀

Emphasising the role of cities in India's economic development, Modi said urban centres should be viewed not merely as residential areas but as major engines of growth.

He referred to the Urban Challenge Fund approved by the Centre in February, which provides for Rs 1 lakh crore in central assistance to mobilise investment in urban infrastructure.

The Prime Minister urged municipal bodies, state governments and private stakeholders to work together to transform hundreds of smaller cities into economic growth hubs.

He said urban development should focus on competitiveness, quality of life and efficient transportation, particularly as more people move towards cities in search of employment and opportunities.

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗶 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀

During his address, Modi also expressed concern over drought conditions affecting large parts of Maharashtra and assured farmers that the Union government would extend necessary assistance.

The state government has declared 85 per cent of Maharashtra drought-affected and announced interim financial assistance of Rs 5,000 ahead of Diwali.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the difficulties faced by farmers and said the Centre would work with the state government to address the situation.

He also appealed to people to remember drought-affected families during the festive season and ensure that celebrations extended to those facing agricultural distress.

Modi said farmers remained central to India's development aspirations and reiterated that the government would continue supporting them through welfare measures and agricultural assistance programmes.

He concluded by stressing that infrastructure development, economic growth and social welfare must progress together to improve living standards and strengthen India's long-term development prospects.