Auckland [New Zealand], July 11 (ANI): New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday praised India’s economic transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty and the country’s middle class, now estimated at 440 million, is projected to reach 750 million by the end of the decade.
Speaking at a business and sports engagement event in Auckland, Luxon described the figures as “an incredible transformation” driven by India’s growth over the past decade.
“And it’s interesting to me that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, he has lifted 250 million people out of poverty. There is now 440 million people in the middle class, about to be 750 million by the end of the decade, and it is an incredible transformation,” he said.
Luxon, who said he has “been a great fan of India for a long period of time,” recalled his first visit to India in the mid-1990s while working for Unilever.
“I first went to India in my mid-20s because I worked for a company called Unilever, which, of course, owned Hindustan Lever, one of the top 10 companies in India. I remember going to India in the mid-to-late 1990s, when people were paid their daily wages in coins, by hand,” he said.
Reflecting on India’s progress, Luxon said the contrast between then and now demonstrates a remarkable economic transformation.
“As someone who has been to India many times and has seen the move from low-income to middle-income to high-income, it is just so inspiring and so exciting to see the transformation that has taken place,” he said.
Luxon also highlighted India’s rapid infrastructure development, recalling an earlier meeting with Prime Minister Modi in Laos.
“When we first sat down together back in Laos, you kindly told me that you’d built 147 airports in a very short period of time. You needed 2,000 more aircraft just to manage your domestic tourism, and you were opening universities and polytechnics regularly,” he said.
The remarks came during Prime Minister Modi’s July 10-11 visit to New Zealand, the first by an Indian prime minister in 40 years. During the visit, India and New Zealand elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership, adopted the “India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030,” and welcomed the conclusion of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, with the goal of doubling two-way trade to NZD 7 billion (about ₹35,000 crore) by 2030. (ANI)
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