Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said his government scrapped around 2,000 obsolete laws from the British-era that required industrialists to be sent to jail over minor issues and maintained India's ranking in ease of doing business list has improved considerably after he took office in 2014.

He said despite an "upheaval" in some developed economies, India, the world's fifth largest economy, is moving ahead with stability and tenacity.

Modi said under his government, India's position in the World Bank's annual ranking of countries for their ease of doing business jumped massively - from 142 to 63 in five years.

Speaking at a rally in Jamnagar in poll-bound Gujarat, the PM, who is on a three-day visit to his home state, said he intends to see India figure in a top-50 ranking in the assessment report and mounted a veiled attack on the Congress for continuing with outdated laws.

"God save us from what previous governments were doing. There was a law stating that if you have a factory with a toilet, and if you did not wash it for six months and if the government learnt about it, you will be sent to jail for six months. Now, six months in jail for not plastering the toilet!

"The (outdated) laws continued from the time of the British rule, and I (on becoming PM) roped in an entire team (for review of such legislations) because I did want to send businesspersons behind bars (over trivial issues). We scrapped 2,000 such laws. I have to do more, and if traders sitting here know of such a law, let me know," he said, indicating more action on this front.

Modi said sending somebody to jail over small issues reflects slave mindset and he has launched a campaign to get rid of such a thinking.

"The campaign will run unabated. I will continue with this 'swachhata abhiyan' (cleanliness campaign)," he said at the rally on the second day of his visit to the state, Assembly polls are due in the next few months.

Further talking about the "ease of doing business", Modi said there was no mention of the concept during tenure of the earlier governments, but things changed when his administration took charge more than eight years ago.

"We changed the laws and revamped the system, which helped us considerably improve our rankings. When I became Prime Minister (in 2014), India was ranked 142 (in ease of doing business list). We worked hard for 5 to 6 years and we reached the 63rd position.

"If we push hard, we will go below-50. Such a massive improvement is not confined only on papers....small businesses are helping improve things on the ground," the PM said.

He said the Indian economy has sustained itself at a time when Britain and the United States are reeling under high inflation rates not seen in 45 and 50 years, respectively. Growth rate has halted and interest rates have gone up (in these countries).

"There is an upheaval in the world economy. Indian economy is the only one which is going ahead with stability and tenacity," he said, adding India, which ranked 10th in 2014 in terms of its economic size in the world, has jumped to 5th position now.

He praised Gujarat's new industrial policy and it will take forward the BJP-ruled state's journey on the path of development and help create lakhs of jobs.

"In this (industrial policy), arrangements have been made for start-ups and MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)...they will benefit immensely. Because of this, many youths will become entrepreneurs and create lakhs of jobs. Youths should study the new industrial policy and benefit from it," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said Gujarat's coastline is full of biodiversity and the Centre's 'Project Dolphin' will help in conservation of the aquatic mammals found along the Jamnagar coast.

"Words regarding cheetahs (brought to MP's Kuno National Park from Namibia) have reached all over...now we are paying attention to conservation and development of dolphins and big projects are underway for this. Eco-tourism will emerge as a big area along the coasts of Jamnagar, Dwarka, Bet Dwarka," Modi said.

On the occasion, the PM spoke about the late Maharaja Digvijay Singh, the erstwhile king of Jamnagar, and help rendered by him to the people of Poland during World War II.

"Even today India continues to benefit from the deep relationship that Maharaja Digvijay Singh forged with the people of Poland during the Second World War through his work. When Indian students were stranded in Ukraine (after war broke out in February 2022), thousands of students were to be rescued.

"Crisis was huge, but we managed to bring them out (of Ukraine) because of the relations we developed (with Poland). The help provided by Poland (in evacuating Indian students) was reminiscent of the kind nature displayed by (late Jamnagar ruler) Digvijay Singh," Modi said.

The PM also talked about an anti-encroachment drives carried out by authorities in Bet Dwarka, and said it was a result of the tenacity of the state government.

"Everyone benefits from following law and order. Gujarat has seen peace in the last 20 years, and this has opened the door of prosperity, brotherhood. Gujarat is going ahead with a pledge of unity, otherwise there was a time when clashes were not uncommon and Jamnagar was also not spared. Today, we have got rid of this," Modi said.

The PM said his government is working for the poor and did not let them suffer during the coronavirus pandemics. The Centre's 'One Nation, One Ration' will help migrant labours, he added.