India can be self-reliant only if socio-economic disparities end: Gadkari

The goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat or a self-reliant India will not be possible without eradicating socio-economic disparities in the country, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari asserted on Friday.

Speaking at an event in Mumbai to release a book on RBI Governors, the minister of road transport and highway also said that more attention needs to be given to the agricultural, rural and tribal sectors to develop the country.

Gadkari said every government policy must be to double the contribution to GDP of these segments from the present 12 per cent to 25 per cent.

It was in 2020 that the Modi government announced an “Atmanirbhar Bharat” goal amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gadkari warned: “If socioeconomic disparity does not end, then Atmanirbhar Bharat is not possible.”

Chinese policies

Recalling his visit to China as the BJP president a few years ago, Gadkari said only the red flags of the Communist Party of China remain while the country had embraced a market-centric approach to growth.

He said there was a need for policies to make India a “super-economic power”, and underlined the need for prioritising sectors which can deliver the most on the stated objectives.

He regretted that a conservative approach was adopted by many, and said that the same needs to be changed through fast-tracked decision making.

There was a need to go beyond financial audits and also do performance audits to look at the outcomes, he said.

Capital and investments were a necessity for growth, Gadkari said, pitching for public-private partnerships as a solution in the face of limited financial capacities of states.

Referring to the book that was released, he appreciated the “qualitative” contribution of every RBI governor over the years.

(With agency inputs)