New Delhi: Dismissing BJP prime ministerial candidate candidate Narendra Modi's claims of the Gujarat model of development's superiority, union Finance Minister P.Chidambaram Saturday termed the state "average" and expressed skepticism over the model's successful implementation elsewhere.
Calling Gujarat an "average state" on the basis of indicators generally used to denote development, he told reporters that the state's rankings based on these parameters were hardly stellar.
According to the statistics he cited, Gujarat ranks fifth in the country when it comes to annual growth rate, while in terms of poverty headcount ratio (for the year 201-12), the state ranks 14th. The state's infant mortality rate is 9th in the country, while its literacy rate in the year 2011 puts it at 12th position in the country.
When it comes to the number of households with electricity in the country, the state is behind nine better performing states in the country, while its statewide coverage of roads, for the year 2011(kms per 10,000 population) puts it at the 22nd position in the country.
"Touting the Gujarat model of development as universally applicable is an exaggerated and boastful claim. We reject it. Modi should moderate his claims," said Chidambaram.
However, the finance minister said that the rankings provided were calculated among 28 states in some cases and a lesser number in others.
Comments
| Quick linksNews
National
International
Regional
Politics
Education & Career
Business
Science & Technology
Health
Views & Analysis
The Funny Side
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.
Varanasi comes to a halt as Modi juggernaut rollsThe city seemed to be in a state of euphoria as normal life came to a halt with traffic jams and shuttered shops as tens of thousands of people accompanied the Gujarat chief minister Narendra who .... More
Also Read: Opponents plan to slice up Modi's Varanasi pie
Amethi seethes with anger at Rahul GandhiFor Rahul Gandhi, a mere win from Amethi, a Congress citadel and the chosen electoral battle ground for his uncle Sanjay, father Rajiv and mother Sonia for decades will be nothing to gloat over..... More
Also Read: Will Nehru-Gandhi dynasty reboot or fade out?
This is a very significant development because the leaders of the 11 parties have indicated that individual parties can go in for seat arrangements in their respective states. Right now they together have 92 seats in the current Lok Sabha. .... More
In a letter dashed to Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Thursday a local NGO asserted that Reliance Industries Chief Mukesh Ambani had grabbed Waqf land by fraudulent means and urged the minister to initiate a high-level enquiry by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Ambani and others involved in the case.. ... More
Also Read: Shame on Ambani who occupied land of orphans: Asaduddin