Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has spotlighted India’s major economic leap, proudly stating that the nation’s exports have crossed $800 billion — a dramatic rise from under $50 billion a decade ago. Speaking during the Lok Samvardhan Parv, he praised the country’s transition from an import-dependent economy to one moving towards full self-reliance.

“In the 11 years, so much work has been done that it's difficult to count the names of the schemes... In all aspects, we are moving towards complete self-reliance, and the export has also increased exponentially and has reached more than $800 billion,” Rijiju said.

Taking a sharp dig at the Congress, he added, “If Congress gets saddened when the country is moving ahead, but the people of the country are happy, then I have no cure for them.”

He also spoke passionately about the objective of Lok Samvardhan Parv, aimed at promoting rural talent and connecting local artisans with larger markets. “It’s an important programme. The skills that we have in the villages – this programme has been initiated with an aim to bring their products into the market, to give them a platform. It will also help the mobility of the products from different states to one another,” he explained.