New Delhi: Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday questioned the economic model pursued by the
left parties, especially in West Bengal, claiming the data indicated
"extremely inadequate" living conditions of minorities in the state.
"Even though you
had a large population (of minorities) and political stability, the growth
rates were not adequate because the structural economic model followed was the
one that did not ensure high growth rates,” Jaitley said while delivering the
eighth National Commission of Minorities (NCM) lecture on ‘Economic Empowerment
of Minorities’.
“Why is it that in a
state like West Bengal, which has otherwise seen political stability since
Independence, except for a brief period from 1967 and 1971, and which has a
sizeable minority population, data indicates the living conditions are far less
than adequate," he asked. He said one of the reasons behind this possibly
could be that “in terms of growth of economy, the state followed a model where
growth levels were not fast enough.”
The minister said the Centre is committed to advance the cause of
minorities and other disadvantaged groups. According to Jaitley, after 1991,
improvement in conditions of deprived sections of society has been faster
compared with pre-1991 period but it has not been uniform. “Education is the
key to improve their condition faster and uniformly and similarly skill
development is another means to achieve it”, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Minority Affairs,
Najma Heptulla said that effective implementation of schemes and ensuring
uniformity in development are the two guiding principles for 'Sabka Saath,
Sabka Vikas' programme of the Modi government.
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