Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that the state is the engine of the country`s economy and it has garnered more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) than Gujarat, Karnataka or Uttar Pradesh.

He was addressing a `Viksit Bharat` (developed India) event at Pune`s Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.

Though late president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam envisaged the `Viksit Bharat` concept, no work was done on it between 2000 and 2014, alleged Fadnavis.

“The actual work started in 2014 and last year we made our mark in the world`s top five economies. In the past many years, we witnessed corrupt practices and many scandals. Earlier, FDI inflow was low due to policy paralysis. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started taking the country on the path of progress by emphasising the `perform, reform and transform` model. Maharashtra is the engine of the Indian economy and the nation cannot make any development without Maharashtra,” he asserted.

The senior BJP leader said that 60 crore people in the country have opened bank accounts, seeking to highlight the central government`s achievements.

“In the past nine years, 25 crore people of our country have been pulled above the poverty line. Fifty per cent of the economy was seen using cash. Now, every transaction is made transparently,” he said.

The deputy CM said efforts are on to expand Pune`s aviation infrastructure.

“The new terminal of the Pune airport will be inaugurated tomorrow (March 10). We are trying to build a new airport for Pune. The work on the new airport will begin next year and it will be ready in three years.”

Companies like Boeing and Airbus are coming to India where aircraft will be manufactured, he said.

“In India, Maharashtra is the leader for FDI. The state has garnered much more foreign investment than that of Gujarat, Karnataka or Uttar Pradesh,” he asserted.

There is peace in the country after the surgical strike, said Fadnavis, referring to India`s attack on terror camps in Pakistan-controlled areas about eight years ago.

“Terrorist attacks have gone down by 76 per cent under the Modi government. Infrastructure has been developed at the country`s borders,” he added.

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