Union Minister for Textiles Giriraj Singh on Saturday hailed the 12-year tenure of the Narendra Modi Government, saying that India’s prestige and global standing had reached unprecedented heights under the Prime Minister’s leadership. Addressing the media conclave, Singh said, “Virasat ke saath vikas aur vikas ke saath virasat (development with heritage and heritage with development) has been the hallmark of the Modi government.” He said India had achieved several milestones over the past 12 years. According to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the highest civilian honours by 32 countries, while India has emerged as the world’s fourth-largest economy. Highlighting key economic reforms, Singh said the implementation of “One Nation, One Tax” through the Goods and Services Tax (GST) had transformed the country’s taxation system. He added that India was now conducting trade transactions in rupees with 22 countries and that exports had registered substantial growth. Claiming that inflation, which was above 10 per cent during the previous UPA regime, had now been brought below five per cent, Singh credited the Modi government for effective economic management. He also said that nearly 25 crore people had been lifted out of poverty over the past 12 years and that the purchasing power of citizens had increased significantly. The Union Minister further stated that India’s foreign exchange reserves had risen to about 724 billion US dollars, while foreign direct investment (FDI) had increased from 304 billion dollars to 863 billion dollars. Exports, he said, had reached nearly Rs 82 lakh crore. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi resides in the hearts of the poor because his government has worked consistently for their welfare and development,” Singh said. MP Brijmohan Agrawal, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, BJP State General Secretary Akhilesh Soni and BJP Raipur (Urban) District President Ramesh Thakur were also present at the media conclave.