GDP reveals India’s economy is strong: PM
I left Delhi this morning, but the (GDP) figures that have come in front of me are really making me happy, and I also want to share this happiness with you — PM, Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the 7.7 per cent GDP growth for fiscal 2025-26 shows the foundation of India’s economy was strong, and the country can manage itself amidst the ongoing global turmoil with the collective effort of its 140 crore citizens. He maintained that India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world.
Modi said India clocked 7.7 per cent GDP growth in the fiscal year 2025-26, while the expansion was 7.8 per cent in the January-March quarter.
“The news that has come today makes it clear how strong the foundation of India’s economy is,” he said while speaking at an event in Daman, where he launched development projects of Rs 2,970 crore and inaugurated a new terminal of the airport in the Union Territory.
“I left Delhi this morning, but the (GDP) figures that have come in front of me are really making me happy, and I also want to share this happiness with you,” PM Modi told the gathering.
Even in this bad phase of global crisis, India is managing itself well with the collective efforts of its 140 crore citizens, the PM asserted in comments coming in the backdrop of the more than three-month-old conflict in West Asia, which has disrupted global energy supplies.
Earlier in Surat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the ongoing global crisis highlights just how crucial energy self-reliance is, and underscores the importance of the capacity the country has built over the past 12 years.
Prime Minister Modi affirmed his Government worked to build capacity over the past 12 years to make India self-reliant in energy.
“India has moved far beyond negativity. It is a nation of boundless optimism and extraordinary aspirations. On one hand, we secured oil and gas supplies from various parts of the world and on the other, we ramped up historic investments in renewable energy,” the PM said, addressing a gathering in Surat after inaugurating and laying foundation stones for development projects of Rs 18,000 crore in Gujarat.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister pointed out that voters have repeatedly given a mandate to the BJP as they trust his government’s development initiatives and growth-driven agenda for the country. This was reflected in the massive mandate the BJP-led NDA received in the recent elections in West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry, and in panchayat and municipal corporation polls taking place across the country, he mentioned.
The PM noted the current decade is proving to be a period of crises for the world and referred to the COVID-19 pandemic, wars and now energy crisis in the wake of the West Asia conflict, but asserted India faced each of these challenges with strength and resilience through the collective efforts of its 140 crore citizens.
“Every election conveys the same message: the nation does not like anarchy, uncertainty, or despair. For the past 12 years, the Congress has been seeking opportunities amidst the chaos and uncertainty it has spread, yet the people of the country have repeatedly given it a fitting reply,” he added.
Modi said the people of Gujarat have pushed the Congress to the margins, and even in states where it is in power, the public is fed up with its misgovernance, citing the results of local body polls held recently in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.
People in these states have delivered a clear message, that the Congress’s politics of seeking opportunity amidst chaos will not work, Modi insisted. “People are unhappy wherever the Congress party is in power. There is also immense public anger regarding the Congress government in Karnataka; that is precisely why the party had to replace its Chief Minister there,” he said, referring to DK Shivakumar taking over as the CM replacing Siddharamaiah in the southern state on June 3.
The PM also attacked the Opposition for constantly mocking his government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative. “They consistently belittle this national resolve. These are the people who have always kept India dependent on other nations. They forget that a country dependent on others can never attain the heights of development it truly deserves,” he insisted.
To accelerate the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, the country is currently focusing heavily on connectivity. Projects like the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway, the Dedicated Freight Corridor, and the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train corridor reflect this priority of India, he stated.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the world has become increasingly conscious of the shift towards a green future, and is making cautious, incremental strides in that direction, comments coming on Environment Day.
India, too, is working extensively on ‘green growth,’ with Gujarat having taken decisive steps in this regard years ago, he said.
Earlier in the day, the PM visited Larsen & Toubro’s Hazira facility in Surat district and reviewed the ongoing industrial operations and infrastructure projects. Modi visited the AM Naik Heavy Engineering Complex, L&T’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, and was shown around the facility by company officials.
He was briefed on the ‘Zorawar’ tanks and other defence equipment manufactured at the facility. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and L&T Defence have developed the air-transportable 25-tonne tank designed for rapid deployment largely along the frontier with China.
