Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed the lives of millions, with over 27 crore Indians lifted out of extreme poverty in the last 11 years.
Majhi made these remarks during a press conference marking two milestones, 11 years of the Modi-led government at the Centre June 9 and completion of one year of his state government June 12.
Quoting a recent World Bank report, Majhi said the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in India dropped from 27.1 per cent to 5.3 per cent over the past 13 years.
“This means nearly 27 crore people have been freed from the torment of extreme poverty. This single indicator reflects the scale of development under the Modi government,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of a strong will to serve the people, Majhi highlighted Modi’s rise to leadership.
Majhi recalled that Modi became CM four times without ever being a minister, and in the same way, he became the Prime Minister.
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He said Modi first took oath as PM May 26, 2014. “This year marks the first anniversary of the Modi government’s third term, a moment of reflection and renewed commitment”, Majhi said.
He praised several path-breaking decisions made under Modi’s leadership, including the abrogation of Article 370.
“It was a defining moment in national integration, effectively making Jammu and Kashmir an inseparable part of India in both legal and administrative terms,” Majhi added.
Apart, Modi brought changes in the lives of Muslim women through the abolition of triple talaq, introduction of ‘One Nation, One Tax’ through the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and launch of the National Education Policy (NEP) to modernise and democratise education, the CM said.
The Chief Minister said the Jan Dhan Yojana played a key role in achieving financial inclusion by bringing millions into the banking system.
“The Modi government has set new benchmarks in welfare delivery, infrastructure development, digital transformation, and foreign policy,” he said.
He listed welfare schemes like Ayushman Bharat, several programmes for farmers and the poor have been highly successful.
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Reflecting on national security, Majhi said that towards the end of the first year of Modi’s third term, India launched a decisive battle against terrorism.
“Today, India is at the forefront of the global fight against terrorism. ‘Operation Sindoor’ is not just a name — it represents our commitment to national security and the dignity of crores of Indian mothers and sisters. That is why the entire nation echoes the slogan – ‘Modi Hai, Toh Mumkin Hai’,” Majhi said.
PTI
