CNBC TV18 | Rising India: Hardeep Puri credits Modi govt for 9-fold increase in affordable housing construction

Mar 30,2023

Hardeep Puri, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, highlighted the Modi government's achievements in housing, urban development and transport.

Puri, speaking at the Rising India Summit on Tuesday, pointed out that the Modi government had achieved significant progress in affordable housing, with the number of homes built increasing from 13.46 lakhs in the 10 years between 2004 and 2014 to 1.22 crore in the eight years of the Modi government, a nine-fold increase.

Similarly, the total investment in housing during the UPA government's tenure was Rs 20,303 crore, compared to over two lakh crore in the eight years of the Modi government, a ten-fold increase.

In terms of urban development, Puri noted that the total urban spend under all central schemes put together was 1.57 lakh crore in the 10 years of the UPA government, compared to over 17 lakh crore now, an eight-fold increase.

The focus on urban rejuvenation brought in by the honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2014 has resulted in the work done in all the cooperative federal schemes, he added.

Puri also highlighted the significant progress made in urban transport, with the metro system expanding from zero in Mr Vajpayee's time to 229 kilometers in 2014 to 850 kilometers operational and 1,050 kilometers under construction now.

India will soon be the third-largest metro system in the world, replacing the United States, which has 1,056 kilometers, he said.

Puri also responded to criticism over the redesigning of Kartavya Path, previously called Rajpath, saying that not a single heritage building would be brought down. Instead, new modern buildings would be built, using the best of technology and creating a more conducive working environment.

During the event, Puri also commented on the recent disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as a member of the House, noting that he was not the first Indian politician to be disqualified from membership through an action that came through the courts, with 17 people having been disqualified previously.