Approach to self-reliant India will be progressive, not regressive: Nadda

On the first anniversary of the Modi government 2.0 on Saturday, BJP president J P Nadda sought to allay concerns about its pitch to make India self-reliant, saying its approach will be progressive and this isn't about bringing back license raj. He said a self-reliant India means moving forward while promoting local businesses and it doesn't mean there will be "negativity" in the government's approach.

"There is no issue of going back, bringing license quota raj. (Our) the only concern is to promote our people and their businesses. Our ethos will be progressive, not regressive. We have progressive thinking and will take that forward," Nadda said. He said the government's economic package of Rs 20 lakh crore is holistic and aimed at reviving the economy in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis.

He underlined that the government has also increased the outlay of rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGS to Rs 1 lakh crore, which is perhaps the highest ever. In his address to the nation on May 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced massive financial incentives on top of previously announced packages for a combined economic stimulus of Rs 20 lakh crore or 10 percent of the GDP.

The coronavirus crisis has provided India with an opportunity to become self-reliant and emerge as the best in the world, he had said.