The Narendra Modi government must consolidate the various reforms it put in place over the past three years and begin to focus on the health and education sectors over the next 18 months, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said on Sunday.
“You know, the Modi government has done far too much in these 42 months,” he told PTI in an interview. “It has taken some very major steps. My view is that the time has come for consolidation and making sure these reforms yield the desired fruits.”
The Goods and Services Tax, Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and flagship schemes such as the Direct Benefit Transfer are major initiatives, Kumar said, but added, “In the social sector, some steps need to be taken on public health and education.”
He dismissed the criticism that the government has not created jobs, saying several sectors have seen a rise in employment opportunities, “though they may not be in the organised and formal sector”.
“The number of accounts of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation and National Pension System have increased...there as been a significant jump in the number of employees in the services sector, especially in tourism, civil aviation and transport,” he said. “The lack of employment story, I think, is quite exaggerated.”
Kumar also said that the rating upgrade by Moody’s was vindication that India’s macroeconomic environment is improving, especially investor sentiment. “The only concern is the weakness of the exports sector, which has not taking off as expected,” he said.
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