The Modi Saga …. One year in Office
A year ago, Narendra Modi was sworn-in as the 15th
Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy and 67 year old Independent
Nation. With a vote share of 31.4%, Modi led BJP clinched a landslide victory
with 282 seats and formed a majority govt. after 30 years. The unprecedented
victory was the reflection of aspirations of young India, having half the
population under 25 years of age. It was the belief that change in govt. and
Mr.Modi’s leadership will herald a new phase for this developing nation.
For those who voted for Mr.Modi, there are some
important questions to ask - What has changed for them in this one year? Are
they able to get better health facilities, better educational & employment
opportunities, favorable business environment, corruption free bureaucracy,
improved electricity, reservation in trains, improved rail and road
connectivity and infrastructure etc.? Its true, one year is not enough to gauge
the achievements of a ruling party, but its enough to chart out the course the
govt. will take in the remaining years.
Undoubltedly, Mr.Modi’s leadership and NDA government
has restored hope in India, which is the very basis of any transformation for
the better. The article tries to locate the areas where the govt. has fared well
and the areas where more political will & focus is required.
Bhutan to South Korea
For his policy of regional
engagement & his vision of India as a significant player at the global
stage, Mr.Modi has rightly earned laurels from all the quarters of the world. Since
his first foreign visit to Bhutan in June 2014, Mr.Modi has visited 18 nations
ending with South Korea on 19 May 2015. The energy pact between SAARC countries,
unveiling of India’s new ACT EAST policy at ASEAN summit, power trade
agreements with Nepal, BRICS bank inauguration, $ 35 billion investment from
Japan over five years, the administrative arrangement on civil nuclear with US,
uranium deal with Canada, Rafael deal with France were some of the major
highlights of the diplomatic efforts, though with some attached caveats.
Mr.Modi has been successful in providing fresh air to the suffocating foreign policy,
saving Pakistan where the foreign policy still lies between the same old contours of
dialogue or no dialogue. Surely, India is gradually carving out its own space
at the global level and its perception among the global community has changed
for better.
Swachh Bharat, Jan
Dhan to Make in India
The govt. has launched several schemes for the purpose of financial
inclusion and social welfare in the past one year. Bank A/c for everyone under
Jan Dhan will enable the govt. to transfer the subsidy directly to the poor
people’s account. Swachh Bharat, on the other hand aims to clean up India in
Five Years and for his efforts on the swachhta mission, the Prime Minister must
be congratulated. This drive of Clean India, Clear India has the potential to
change the perception about Indian cities the world over.
Also, the launch of ‘Make in INDIA’ campaign drew on the curiosity of
potential investors from all over the world. The efforts to put the
manufacturing sector on a revival mode are not only welcome but are
quintessential to provide jobs to the 113 million unemployed youth. It is also
supposed to increase the manufacturing share of meagre 16% in India’s GDP,
which is vital to be a developed nation.
Though, these schemes have not made much success on ground so far and
have not achieved their objectives as yet but surely reflects the intent of the
ruling party.
Coal to Land
The govt. has miserably failed to allay the fears of land owners in
respect of the Land Bill introduced in the parliament. With the inclusion of terms
like social infrastructure for land acquisition and exclusion of social impact assessment,
govt. has stirred up a hornet’s nest. It is imperative to include all the
stakeholders in the dialogue process to reach a conclusion, as land is a source
of livelihood for 60% of India’s population.
The Govt. needs to be congratulated for the ratification of
land-boundary agreement with Bangladesh, consensus on GST bill, and insurance
act. The coal block & spectrum allocations fetched an amount of 2 lakh
crore and 1.10 lakh crore respectively, reflecting the efficient management
policies for natural resources and bringing monetary resources to the govt. to
be a leading spender for kick starting the economy. The formation of NITI Aayog
replacing the planning commission was a bold move, but it is to be seen that
how the Aayog working will be different from its predecessor.
Current Account to Fiscal Deficit
The govt. has succeeded in containing the CAD to 1.9 percent of GDP during the first half of 2014-15 and fiscal deficit to 4.1 percent of GDP in
the previous financial year. Although, considering the lower investment trend
in the economy, the oil prices going up and the rise in demand for gold, it
would be a major task for the govt. to contain these two economic parameters.
Also, govt. has been able to maintain the positive
outlook about the Indian economy so far, translating the same into FDI of $ 28 billion
the previous financial year and decent foreign reserves at $ 353 billion.
Weaker Spots
Education : Difficult jobs need experts with experiences and
related knowledge in the field. The appointment of an expert as the HRD
Minister could have helped the dismal state of education sector. We have not
seen any major initiative by the HRD ministry even at a time when there is a
clamor to focus on education to benefit from demographic dividend. With
budgetary cuts for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid Day Meal Scheme etc, it would be
interesting to see how govt. moves forward on agendas like skill India.
Plural
Society : Mr.Modi, by his silence, has
allowed various elements to set the agenda
for public discourse. Secularism and Social justice are two important pillars
for any progressive democracy. From Ashoka to Akbar, Gandhi to Bhagat Singh,
only those leaders became the leaders of the masses, who believed in extending
religious tolerance to people of different faiths. And support of masses are
very much required for any nation to achieve its defined targets and goals. Hope,
Mr.Modi will be more proactive and will follow his idol Swami Vivekananda on
the idea of plural society.
Budgetary
Cuts : With cuts in ministries like
Women and Child Development, Science and Technology, Ministry of Health, it
seems the govt. is not concerned about the malnutrition prevalent among
children and pregnant mothers, low level of research in field of science and
inadequate infrastructure in the health sector.
Agriculture : The sector is in a bad shape. Growth has come down to 1.1 percent from 3.7 percent in 2014. Farmer's suicide has become a trend and govt. inability to provide a relief has also become the norm of the day. The assertiveness this govt. has shown in helping Nepal to overcome the distress caused by the earthquake is appreciable beyond words but I strongly believe that even half the efforts could have saved many farmers and can still bring a huge relief to the farmers who are currently contemplating suicide in the next few days.
Political Remarks : The Prime Minister belongs to the nation
and the nation involves all Indians even if they are the part of Opposition.
Extending respect to the political opponents only increases the amount of
respect among citizens for the Prime Minister. In his recent remarks in China
and S.Korea, that Indians were ashamed of being born in India before his govt.
came to power, does not bode well for a Prime Minister and is totally
unbecoming of a Prime Minister. Many leaders and soldiers have laid down their
lives just for the pride of their nation, such statements can only
bring insult to their spirit of nationalism.
We must congratulate Mr.Modi and his team for instilling faith in citizens that our nation is moving forward with purposeful objectives and in a definite direction. Hope, the remaining
years of 16th Lok Sabha under Mr.Modi’s leadership will show a
brighter side of cooperative federalism and will do justice – social,
economical, political – to all the citizens of this proud nation.
Regards
Shobhit Anand
A common citizen
