Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday declared India the world’s fastest-growing major economy while unveiling a series of major infrastructure projects in Bengaluru. The message was clear—India’s development drive remains on track despite recent trade tensions with the United States.
Speaking at the inauguration of Bengaluru Metro’s Yellow Line and the launch of three new Vande Bharat Express trains, Modi highlighted India’s rise from the 10th to the fifth-largest economy in just 11 years. “We are rapidly progressing towards becoming one of the top three economies,” he said, crediting the momentum to the government’s “reform, perform, and transform” approach.
The visit showcased the government’s infrastructure ambitions. The 19-kilometer Yellow Line, built at a cost of ₹7,160 crore, now links RV Road to Bommasandra, extending Bengaluru’s metro network to over 96 kilometers. Expected to serve eight lakh daily commuters, it aims to ease congestion at notorious choke points like Silk Board. Modi also laid the foundation stone for Metro Phase-3—a ₹15,610 crore expansion adding 44 kilometers of elevated tracks and 31 new stations—and flagged off three Vande Bharat trains on routes from Bengaluru-Belagavi, Amritsar-Vaishno Devi Katra, and Nagpur-Pune. This brings India’s semi-high-speed train fleet to 150.
Modi pointed to the broader transformation in urban transport and rail infrastructure: metro networks have expanded from just five cities in 2014 to 24 today, making India home to the world’s third-largest metro system. Railway electrification, he noted, has doubled in the past decade to over 40,000 kilometers—more than was achieved in the entire period since independence.
His remarks came against the backdrop of sharper rhetoric from US President Donald Trump, who recently criticized India’s trade policies and labeled both India and Russia as “dead economies.” Still, economic projections remain upbeat, with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal predicting India will remain the fastest-growing large economy for decades, and Deloitte forecasting GDP growth of 6.4–6.7% this fiscal year.
The announcements tie into the government’s “Viksit Bharat 2047” vision, which aims to make India a developed nation by the centenary of independence. The plan envisions a $30 trillion economy with a per capita income of $26,000, built on four pillars—youth, poor, women, and farmers—with modern infrastructure as its backbone.
Modi closed his Bengaluru address with a note of determination: “The Centre and states will work together to make India a developed country.” With growth momentum and infrastructure investment on the rise, the government hopes to turn that vision into reality.
