Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 28 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday questioned India's rise to becoming the world's fourth-largest economy, challenging the basis for celebration amid record-high unemployment and declining foreign investment.

Speaking to the media, Raut pointedly remarked that in a nation where 85 crore people still rely on free food grains, such boasts ring hollow.

'In a country where even today, Prime Minister Modi has to provide free food grains to 85 crore poor people, where unemployment is at its highest, and foreign investment has stopped coming in, on what basis are you claiming that we have become the world's fourth-largest economy?' Sanjay Raut said.

On Friday evening, addressing a press conference of the 10th NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting on 'Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat 2047', NITI Aayog CEO, Subrahmanyam said that India has overtaken Japan to become the world's fourth-largest economy.

Citing data from the International Monetary Fund, the CEO of India's apex think tank stated that India's economy has reached the USD 4 trillion mark.

'We are the fourth-largest economy as I speak. We are a USD 4 trillion economy. This is not my data; this is the data from the IMF. India today is larger than Japan. It's only the United States, China, and Germany which are larger, and if we stick to what is being planned, what is being thought through, it's a matter of another two to three years; we would become the third largest economy,' said Subrahmanyam.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the pressure has increased to go one notch higher in the ladder of top global economies, and it surpasses the excitement and happiness of India becoming the fourth largest economy.

The Prime Minister highlighted that the goal is clear that by the year 2047, India must be a 'Viksit nation' with no compromise.

Addressing a public rally in Gandhinagar, the Prime Minister recalled the excitement among youth of the country when India surpassed United Kingdom, who had ruled India for over 200 years, and became the fifth largest economy. (ANI)