India had GDP figures close to 30% in the Middle Ages and the Narendra Modi-led NDA government will take initiatives to achieve the former glory of the country, Union minister Harsh Vardhan said on Friday.
The Union Science and Technology Minister made the statement while he was here on a visit to Dehradun-based Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) campus to review research works of the scientists.
"India was an advanced country in the Middle and Medieval ages, and the present government aims at restoring that golden era. We had GDP figures close to 30% during the middle ages. Our government is taking various initiatives to again achieve the lost heights," he said, referring to the immense prosperity of ancient India.
Gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the primary indicators used to ascertain the health of a country's economy. India began recording its GDP on yearly basis from 1950s and the best figure was 9.6% in 2006.
In 2014, Vardhan had courted controversy by stating on his website that sex-education in schools should be banned. In his "vision" document for Delhi schools, Vardhan, himself a doctor, said, "So-called 'sex education' (should) to be banned."
{{/usCountry}}In 2014, Vardhan had courted controversy by stating on his website that sex-education in schools should be banned. In his "vision" document for Delhi schools, Vardhan, himself a doctor, said, "So-called 'sex education' (should) to be banned."
{{/usCountry}}Later, he had clarified that the view expressed on the website was entirely his own and made in the context of the UPA government’s 2007 decision to introduce the Adolescence Education Programme (AEP) in its original form.