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Ravi ShankaR PRaSad i 64 yeaRS
Senior cabinet miniSter in the modi Government

‘India is now among

world’s top economies’

SenioR cabinet minister in the Modi
Government, Ravi Shankar Prasad had
been four time MP in Rajya Sabha. Prasad,
who was also a close aide to Vajpayee and
was minister in his government, discusses
different aspects of India’s politics,
economy and policies at length
with dr anil singh
edited excerpts from an interview •

You are one of the important and
responsible ministers of the Modi
government. Where do you see
yourself in the government and the
party now?
First of all, let me tell you that I am not
the senior most. There are more senior
people than me in the party and the gov-
ernment. Yes, I have been fortunate that
I got an opportunity to work with Atal
ji’s government and in Modi’s govern-
ment too. I’m basically a worker. I shall
be happier with the party’s progress and
growth.
Now coming to your question, re-
member when we came to power, how
was the India’s economic condition?
Capital investment in India had almost
ended, the country stood on the brink of
economic exile. Today, we can proudly
say that leaving behind France, our coun-
try is being considered in the world’s top
big economic countries.
According to the World Bank-IMS, it’s
the fastest growing economy. Most FDIs
have increased and today we should see
where our economy stands. Tax base in
India has increased, tax reforms have
been done and the biggest thing is that

tehelka / 31 january 2019 24 www.tehelka.com