New Delhi

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday said 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the country's middle class now at 440 million and projected to reach 750 million by the end of the decade.

Speaking at one business and sports engagement event in Auckland, Luxon called the numbers "an incredible transformation" and linked it directly to the last decade of growth in India.

"And it's interesting to me that under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, he has lifted 250 million people out of poverty. There is now 440 million people in the middle class, about to be 750 million by the end of the decade, and it is an incredible transformation," he said.

Luxon, who said he has "been a great fan of India for a long period of time," recalled his first visit in the mid-1990s while working for Unilever.

"I first went to India in my mid-20s, and it's because I worked for a company called Unilever, which of course was owned by Hindustan Lever, which was a top 10 company in India. And I remember going to India in the mid to late 90s, and people got paid daily in their wages, in coins, in their hand*," he said.

He said the contrast between then and now reflects a fundamental shift. "And as someone who has been to India many times and has seen the move from low-income to middle-income to high-income, it is just so inspiring and so exciting to see the transformation that has taken place."

Luxon also pointed to the pace of infrastructure expansion discussed with PM Modi. Referring to an earlier meeting in Laos, he noted, "When we first sat down together back in Laos, you kindly told me that you'd done 147 airports, I think in a very short period of time. You needed 2,000 more aircraft just to manage your domestic tourism, and you were opening up universities and polytechnics regularly."

The comments came during PM Modi's visit to New Zealand on July 10-11, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 40 years. India and New Zealand elevated ties to a "Strategic Partnership" and adopted the "India-New Zealand Strategic Partnership: Roadmap to 2030".

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The Roadmap sets an aspirational goal to double bilateral two-way trade to NZD 7 billion (₹35,000 crore) by 2030, and the two leaders welcomed the conclusion of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, agreeing to work for its early entry into force and implementation across trade, agriculture, skills, innovation and tourism.