Gurugram (Haryana), 11 March

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the speed of implementation of infrastructure projects will be accelerated manifold in the next five years to make India the third largest economy in the world.

Modi said he has inaugurated and laid the foundation of projects worth Rs 10 lakh crore so far this calendar year and added that he is running short of time for inaugurating projects.

He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for 114 National Highway projects across the country worth about Rs 1 lakh crore. Among key National Highway (NH) projects, Modi inaugurated the Haryana section of the landmark Dwarka Expressway.

Modi took a dig at Congress, saying the opposition party and its 'Ghamandiya' alliance has lost sleep, seeing the speed at which development works are taking place in the country by his government.

The prime minister said the Congress party is still looking at everything with negativity and this has become a character of the opposition parties and their INDIA Alliance.

Modi stressed that he wants everything on a large scale, with great speed to achieve the target of making India a developed nation by 2047. "All of you know and understand me well. I cannot think small, nor do I dream small, nor do I make small resolutions. Whatever I want, I want it big! Whatever I want, I want it at a fast pace! By 2047, I want to see my country as a 'Viksit Bharat'," he said.

Highlighting that the country has moved from 11th position in 2014 to become the fifth largest economy now, Modi said the fast development of infrastructure will help India soon become the third largest economy in the world.

The prime minister noted that expressway projects would open a lot of opportunities for rural India. Modi also asserted that his government does not work with elections in mind and added that development work continues whether there are elections or not. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari were present at the event.