Speaking at a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for the four-lane of the stretch of Nagpur-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Bangalore section on North-South corridor at Kothakota in this district, Dr Singh said, India was developing at a rapid pace.

"A growth rate of 8 to 9%, which was not considered feasible a few years ago, was not only possible now but we can hope to grow further at 10% in the near future," he said.

"With such rapid growth, it is our expectation that in ten to 20 years, we will remove poverty and other social problems from the country", Dr Singh added.

—PTI