In the last five years, several game-changing reforms were made, in which a strong foundation of a 21st century India can be seen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.
In his address in the Lok Sabha on the last day of the budget session, Modi hailed the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill, the scrapping of Article 370 and the criminalization of instant triple talaq.
"These five years have been of 'reform, perform and transform'. It is rare that we reform, perform and also see transformation. The country will keep blessing the 17th Lok Sabha," he said.
The prime minister asserted that the country has moved towards big changes at a fast pace and that every member of the House has made an important contribution.
“Such works were completed, for which people had waited for centuries," he said.
Modi heaped praise on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over the manner in which he ran the House for five years.
"You were always smiling. Your smile never faded. You guided this House in a balanced and impartial manner in several instances; for this, I appreciate you. There were moments of anger and allegations, but you controlled the situation patiently, ran the House and guided us. I express my gratitude to you for this," he said.
The prime minister also congratulated the Speaker on introducing technology for conducting a ‘paperless parliament’.
Modi claimed that the 17th Lok Sabha saw 97 per cent productivity. "We are moving towards the end of the 17th Lok Sabha, and we resolve that productivity should go beyond 100 per cent in the 18th Lok Sabha," he said.
