Trashing opposition charges of government's failure on the economic front, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday asserted that the country has achieved rapid economic development during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
He said the growth under the UPA government was higher than that of the NDA and it was a record for a decade.
"Opposition parties which question our government should first look at our achievements. BJP claims that the UPA government failed on the economic front but BJP leaders should look at our government's achievements," he said while highlighting some of them at an election rally here.
"The country's economic development in the last nine years is a record for a decade. Poverty level has fallen in the country and the state of Rajasthan has left behind many states in poverty alleviation. People's income in rural areas increased and it is the result of our policies that youths are getting new job opportunities.
"Heath services in rural areas improved because of NRHM.
3.40 crore families have been benefited with national health insurance scheme," he said.
"Poverty has decreased three fold. Polio has been eradicated. Almost all children are now getting primary education due to Right to Education and 11 crore school children are being served midday meal daily," he said.
Singh highlighted that several new prestigious institutions like IIT and IIM had been opened and the number of students in higher education institutions doubled during the last nine years.
In Rajasthan also, one IIT and one IIM was opened, he said.
For agriculture sector, he said, the government took several initiatives and increased MSP to provided reasonable price for crops. The country has adequate storage of grains, he said, adding that MGNREGA has provided job opportunities to over 8 crore people in rural areas.
"Every fifth household in rural India is getting benefits of MGNREGA," Singh said.
The Prime Minister said the Centre and state governments have worked together for the state's development.
"The state, during the last five years, initiated several projects like oil refinery, metro rail in Jaipur and airport in Kishangarh," he said.
More than 13,200 km long roads in rural areas were constructed and projects of new rail lines and their improvement and new highways were taken up, he said.
The state has done remarkable progress in power production too, he said, adding that Rajasthan got adequate solar radiations and was taking advantage of it.
The Prime Minister said Congress would fulfil its promises made in the poll manifesto and focus will be on three sectors of agriculture, industry and services.
He said government will give special attention for creation of new jobs, uninterrupted power supply to farmers, loan to farmers on low interest rate, energy generation and for metro rail in Jodhpur.