PMO highlights benefits due to reforms in last decade

With the government facing attack over pushing FDI in multi-brand retail, the Prime Minister's Office today highlighted the benefits accrued to people because of reforms over last ten years in various aspects of life.

"More than 77 million households were connected to banking services in a decade. More than 34 million households acquired concrete roofs over their heads. More than 60 million households got new electricity connections just in a decade," the PMO said on micro-blogging site Twitter.

It also tweeted that more than 37 million households obtained Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Piped Natural Gas connections in 10 years.

"Telephony reached 137 million houses in 10 years, the second fastest growth in the world," the PMO said.

The tweets come in the backdrop of the uproar over the government's decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail besides other areas like aviation and broadcasting sector.

Not only the Opposition parties but also UPA constituent Trinamool Congress and allies Samajwadi Party and BSP have opposed the government moves.

The Prime Minister had yesterday said it will take "courage and some risks" to break the policy logjam and strongly favoured higher FDI an FII flows cautioning that growth could slip if adequate actions were not taken.

In his opening remarks at the full Planning Commission meeting for approving the 12th Plan document, the Prime Minister spoke of three economic scenarios of "strong inclusive growth", "insufficient action" and "policy logjam".

Singh had said, "I believe we can make Scenario I (which envisages growth rate of 8.2 per cent) possible. It will take courage and some risks but it should be our endeavour to ensure that it materialises. The country deserves no less."