Recounting the one-year tenure of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, Union health minister Jagat Parkash Nadda on Thursday attributed the change in country's "political direction" to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While launching the second phase of the NDA government's "Mission Indradhanush" here on Thursday, Nadda said, "Modi had not only been acclaimed in India, but also across the world. Earlier, the country was known for corruption and commission, but now it's known for its mission."
Heaping praises on his government, Nadda said, "Corridors of power were thronged by political power brokers but now selfless service and dedication had become the hallmark of the government."
Underlining the need for better relations between states and the Centre, the health minister said earlier there was disconnect between the two, since the National Development Council had become a mere formality. "The NDC meetings made more news for chief ministers not attending the meets. Rather the chief ministers were given hardly two to five minutes to express their views. Prime Minister Modi has changed the whole concept and introduced the 'team India' concept," he added.
Hitting at the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Nadda made oblique references to the comments and statements made by former information technology minister Kapil Sibal on the Coalgate scam and auction of the 2G spectrum. "The minister of the UPA government has advocated a zero-loss theory, whereas the reality is otherwise. Within one year, the NDA government earned `2 lakh crore from the auction of 33 coal blocks of the total 200 and `1.76 lakh crore were made from the auction of 2G spectrum," he said, adding that the central government had decided that the money earned from the coal block auction would be allocated to the state concerned for developmental projects.
{{/usCountry}}Hitting at the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Nadda made oblique references to the comments and statements made by former information technology minister Kapil Sibal on the Coalgate scam and auction of the 2G spectrum. "The minister of the UPA government has advocated a zero-loss theory, whereas the reality is otherwise. Within one year, the NDA government earned `2 lakh crore from the auction of 33 coal blocks of the total 200 and `1.76 lakh crore were made from the auction of 2G spectrum," he said, adding that the central government had decided that the money earned from the coal block auction would be allocated to the state concerned for developmental projects.
{{/usCountry}}He reiterated that the NDA government was committed to unearth the black money. "The Modi government has set up a special investigation team and now information has started percolating, and those vocal on black money during the UPA regime have gone silent," he claimed.
On the international front, he said India had evolved a consensus between G-20 nations for sharing their respective economic activity.
Highlighting his government's achievements, Nadda said the government had taken various initiatives for improving the condition of farmers and the common man, which included preparation of food maps, soil health cards, enhancement of relief to farmers, speeding up highway construction and budgetary allocation for upkeep of rural roads.