Mumbai: After launching a clutch of infrastructure projects worth ₹29,400 crore in Mumbai on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to make the city the fintech capital of the world. He also took a veiled jibe at opposition parties that have been criticising the government over issues such as unemployment, saying that they’re spreading a fake narrative and are against the development of the country.
On his first visit to Maharashtra after returning to power for a third term, Modi addressed a gathering at the NESCO ground in Goregaon after laying the foundation stone of several infrastructure projects. The prime minister was all praise for Maharashtra, saying it has contributed significantly towards fulfilling his government’s vision of a Viksit Bharat or developed India by 2047.
“Maharashtra has the power of industry, agriculture, and finance. With this, the state can become an economic powerhouse. Further, I want Mumbai to be the fintech capital of the world,” Modi said.
His remarks are significant in the backdrop of the controversy over Mumbai not getting an international financial centre at the Bandra Kurla Complex as proposed by successive Congress-Nationalist Congress Party and Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena governments.
Opposition parties have been criticising the BJP-led central government after the establishment of the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, or GIFT City, in Ahmedabad in Modi’s home state of Gujarat. While campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged that Mumbai is getting “step-motherly treatment” by the Modi government.
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha elections, winning only 17 out of 48 seats in the state. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 30 seats. The event on Saturday marked the informal launch of the Mahayuti alliance’s campaign to retain power in the assembly elections, which are expected to be held in September-October this year.
Highlighting his government’s initiatives in the state, Modi pointed out that the centre approved the Vadhavan port in Dahanu a few days ago, saying the ₹76,000 crore project will generate more than a million jobs. He also unveiled multiple projects related to the roads, railways and ports sectors.
“These projects will augment connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region,” he said. “It is our goal that quality of life goes up for everyone in Mumbai and Maharashtra. We are trying to improve the connectivity in the nearby areas of Mumbai.”
The prime minister spoke about Maharashtra’s potential as a tourism hotspot, noting the various forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Konkan coastline and the Sahyadri mountain range. He said that Maharashtra could become a hub for conference tourism and medical tourism.
Modi also emphasised the need for skill development and creating employment in the country. “Skill development and employment in large numbers are India’s needs of the hour. Our government is continuously working in this direction. Despite a pandemic like Covid-19, record numbers of jobs have been created. According to a recent RBI report on employment, around eight crore new jobs have been created in just three-four years,” he said.
Taking a dig at the opposition, Modi said the RBI’s figures had silenced those spreading false narratives regarding employment. “These people are enemies of investment and infrastructure development in the country. Their policies aim to undermine the trust and employment opportunities for youth. Now, their true intentions are being revealed after these reports. They are enemies of development, investment and also the country. They have betrayed the youth and blocked their employment opportunities,” he alleged.
