Should you vote or not vote for Narendra Modi Again? 100 Changes & Reasons- CHANGES BROUGHT UNDER PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI’S TENURE

 

 

Just before you completely write off Modi’s tenure and conclude that the administration has achieved nothing, a quick read of this article might help you take your best decision. This will enable you to make an informed decision that will guide you in the choice of a candidate.

The major criticism about Modi’s tenure is that the development has been slow and not fast-paced as was initially expected. Agreed! However, sentiments aside, we are of the opinion that the reason for the slow pace is much more beneficial in the long run, and this is no cliché.

You will agree on the most essential point that the India we have been accustomed to, has been characterized by-

• Poor infrastructural developments due to poor implementation of awarded contracts.
• Failing public sectors,
• Low participation in the system of bank savings by persons in the rural area
• Absent policies for the empowerment of entrepreneurs
• The massive level of Corruption
• And every other ailing factor that you can think about

With the above in mind, it is quite obvious that the system which PM Modi inherited has not been in the finest shape, whatsoever. In fact, post-independent India cannot be categorized as having one of the finest systems in the world.

You will also agree that it will take more than a couple of months to make such an immediate tremendous turn around that everyone clamors for. A lot of elimination and shelving of new policies and implementations have to be done, but they must begin at the very foundations of the system as if you do not get the foundation right, then, in the long run, every other thing will be messed up.

With this backdrop, this article proceeds to consider some of the policies and reforms undertaken by Modi’s government to enable us decide whether or not his administration has made changes which lay the quality foundation for the development of India.

The rundown of some of the changes are as follows:

GOVERNMENT PROJECTS

Infrastructural Projects-

1. Modi’s government has given priority to the Port, Railway and Road transportation system. The purpose is to achieve better connectivity within communities in India and the Central cities like Mumbai and Delhi.
2. This administration has recorded better systems of road construction. For example, construction of 27km a day has been achieved, unlike the previous 11km a day construction. A number of road projects have been completed; some are even completed before the deadline.
3. A lot of policy implementations, upgrades, completion of projects within timelines, private and foreign investments, have been witnessed in the Ports, inland waterways and railways.
4. In just three years, the CapEx of railways has been increased three times.
5. Six railways routes are now connected to national broad-gauge grid, enabling easier commute between the north eastern capitals and major cities. You can now get direct trains to Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, from Agartala and some other part of the countries.
6. New trains with passenger-friendly amenities have been bought. The railway services have also been upgraded, e.g. wifi on railway stations, CCTV cameras for safety, security helpline, etc.
7. Many projects which were awarded previously and left unattended to have now been completed by the Modi’s administration.

Electrification

8..      Rural electrification is also a rapid ongoing project of Modi’s administration.

Health

9. Six new AIIMS have been set up in Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Raipur, Patna, and Rishikesh

Economic

10. Memorandum of Understanding signed with industries in solar and renewable energy services, in furtherance of his project on clean and green India.
11. Ganga Rejuvenation Project

• The project was launched to curb the increasing pollution of the river Ganga.

12. One Nation One Market has been one of the projects of the Modi regime targeted at uniting the diverse provinces to form a united India. One-tier of the project was achieved i.e. political union of India, the other tier, the one market, is still in progress.
13. Introduction of the GST: Many may contend that this was not beneficial to the masses, but on the long run this policy led to increased boost in State’s funds, and creating uniformity in tax across India. This policy will also enable the achievement of the goal to attend a 7% plus growth every year.

Agriculture

14. Modi’s administration has been able to record an unprecedent 150 percent increase in the MSP of crops.

 Science

15. The Department of Science and ISRO have accomplished great fits in 36 missions. Amongst some other achievements, 17 launch vehicle missions, 3 technology demonstration missions and 16 satellites missions, are the most notable science missions achieved within Modi’s tenure.
16. Increase In Research Scholar’s Income: The stipends received by young scientists was increased by roughly 60%. This increase benefits to over 71,000 young Indian scientists.

National Identification

17. Card System: Through the UIDIA project, Modi introduced the card system which enables easy identification of Indians and carrying out of official transactions.

Environment

18. To facilitate the project on 100 smart cities, decks were cleared.

Security

19. To improve the Indian Naval sector, and build a formidable blue-water Navy for the future, the administration had approved the construction of six nuclear powered attack submarines and seven stealth frigates, costing up to Rs1lakh crore.

20      Modi’s government has entered into partnerships with some super power nations like USA, France, Russia and even Israel to obtain high powered arsenal for India’s Military. This is done for the purpose of promoting security within and around Indian borders.

21. The administration also cleared Defence project to the tune of 1lakh crore.

Empowerment OF START-UP COMPANIES

22. Modi’s government brought in an initiative to enable the ease of starting business in India. The requirement that a certificate of commencement should be obtained before starting a business, has been abolished. Rather, online notification by promoters has been enabled.
23. Tax exemption for a period of first three years has been granted to all start-ups in India. Thus, in the first three years, start-ups do not have any tax liability.
24. Start-ups are now entitled to eighty-percent exemption in patent fee.
25. The Atal Innovation Mission was initiated to boost innovation of start-ups.
26. The government has awarded loans, as much as 10 lakhs to entrepreneurs.
27. 12 crore business loans have also been given to entrepreneurs over the course of Modi’s administration.

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

Economic Initiatives

28. Stand Up India initiative was launched to offer loans to women entrepreneurs and communities within the non-farming sector. Persons benefiting from this initiative are entitled to a 10 lakh – 1 crore loans, which they can repay within the next 7 years of collecting the loan.
29. The Make India initiative is another major initiative of this administration. It has facilitated foreign investments, and has also greatly impacted digital India. 25 sectors have been identified as potential sources of business for aspiring entrepreneurs. Investment commitment, worth 15.2 lakh crore, was realized during the Make India Week. Also, within this period, foreign direct investment grew by 40% and blue-chip companies like apple and Foxconn made long-term investment commitments in India.

30..    Jan Dhan initiative has succeeded in achieving financial inclusion. The initiative encouraged the poor to open bank accounts, to facilitate direct payment of their welfare schemes and subsidies crore within the agricultural sector. An unprecedented 33 Crore Jan Dhan Bank accounts.

Eco-Friendly Initiatives

31. Swachh Bharat Mission:

• This initiative targets the achievement of a clean India, and spearheaded the nationwide campaign for cleanliness.
• The initiative recorded tremendous success.

 

32. Green Energy Boost

• Modi’s government targets solar investment. The administration’s aim is to raise a revenue of $100 billion from this sector, by 2022.
• This is in line with the global initiative of curbing greenhouse effects in climate change.

33. Jal Kranti Abhiyan initiative aims to preserve water, and create additional facilities for conserving water.
34. Prakash Path, was launched to foster the conservation of energy. The scheme seeks to promote the use of LED bulbs for street and home lighting.
35. Other eco-friendly initiatives launched by the administration include: Toilets before Temples, National Air Quality Index, and Clean Mission for Mount Everest

Social Development Initiatives

36. Saansard Adarsh Gram Yojana

• This initiative was launched as an effort to translate the radical vision of Mahatma Gandi for the prioritization of social development.

 

• It is targeted at achieving a Village development plan to develop the local regions of India.

 

• Ministries and Departments of India Government under the Modi’s tenure have incorporated amendments into 21 schemes to prioritize the projects under this initiative.

 

 

37. Rejuvenating the Soul of Urban Scheme

• This scheme is targeted to preserve and promote the rich heritage of the city of India.
• The scheme has been implemented in 12 cities which include Ajmer, Puri, Varanasi, Velankannni, Kanchipuram, Amritsar, Badami, Dwarka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Mathuram, and Warangal.

38. Several initiatives have been undertaken and implemented to discover and support potential Olympic medali’st among the Indian youths.
39. LPG Subsidy for The Poor: The Give it Up’ targeted at the rich sections of society, which urged them to give up LG subsidy in favour of the poorer sections, has helped in subsidizing LP gas to the poor.

Labour Initiatives

40. The implementation of the One Rank, One Pension initiative has helped in the furtherance of enhanced pension for pensioners of the Defence Forces.

Health Initiatives

41. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao

• The Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare and Human Resource Development made a joint effort for this initiative.
• The initiative addresses the Child Sex Ratio and challenges of women empowerment over a life cycle.
• Nation-wide campaigns and awareness have been carried out under this scheme, and in the course of this training, sensitization and awareness creation have been greatly emphasized.

42. Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana

• Under this initiative, Rs. 6000 is provided as financial aid given to pregnant mothers on their first birth.

 

43. Surakshit Matritv Abhiyan

• Under this initiative, free antenatal care is provided on the 9^th of every month.

44. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana Kendra scheme is targeted at providing quality medicines at low and affordable prices to Indians.

 

Food Security Initiatives

45. Antoydaya Anna Yojana (AAY) has helped in the expansion in the subsidy of food grain, thereby making food grain available to a large number of Indian poor household.

Infrastructural Initiatives

46. The Sagarmala project worth Rs.12,000,000 crore for building mega ports; the Setu Bharatam project worth Rs 50,800 for renovating 1500 bridges built during the British era, are some of the high target initiatives of Modi’s government.

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

47. Insurance Scheme: Accident Insurance and Life insurance scheme for the poor and marginalized Indian citizens. They pay 12Rupee per annum to obtain 2 lakh insurance; pay 330 Rupee per annum to get life insurance.
48. Gold Monetization Scheme
49. Care for Senior/Aged Citizens: Tax breaks and other benefits have been implemented in favour of senior citizens. They have been one of the biggest benefactors of the Indian budget. They also enjoy several exemptions like deductions for expenses incurred on health insurance.
50. The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana scheme targets the electrification of more than 40 households both in urban and rural areas of India.
51. The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana scheme, affords companies the opportunity to apply for loans that are less than Rs.10 lakh. Entrepreneurs within the age of 23 – 28 years are eligible to apply for this loan and are expected to repay it before reaching 65 years. Obviously, the loan has a long-life span, and this favours young entrepreneurs.

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52. The National Apprentice Promotion Scheme, is aimed at providing apprenticeship training to 50lakh youths in order to empower their entrepreneurial skills, and reduce the rate of unemployment in India. It has a budget of Rs10000 crore.
53. Also, the PM Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana was launched in 2016 to help alleviate the problems farmers face from loss of agriculture products due to the unpredictable faming nature. This scheme provides necessary financial aid to farmers and help them recover their losses.
54. Shramev Jayate scheme, launched in 2014, was initiated for the purpose of introducing new labor reforms. This led to the rise in the national minimum wage from Rs6500 to Rs15000 per month.
55. The National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) was launched, and it is targeted at offering health care to over Rs 5lakh per family in India, for serious illnesses. The groups of persons to benefit from this scheme are about 10 crore families or 50 crore people who belong to the financially weaker cadre of the Indian society. Rs,10,000 crore has been budgeted for this project
56. Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik is a scheme targeted at achieving a cheaper regional air travels, boosting economic development in India and job growth within the Indian aviation sector.

Redefining Public Sector Banking

57. The Government ordered stringent audits and checks of Public Sector Banks. A lot of cumulative bad loans and NPAs that were awarded by the public sector banks, were revealed.
58. the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code was legislated. This Code enabled a massive recapitalization exercise of the Public Sector Bank. RBI was given supervisory power over banks.

TECHNOLOGY

59. Improved technology has been at the heart of this administration. The Digital India initiative is a proof of this.
60. Cashless Economy: Aadhar Enabled Payment System, internet banking, mobile banking are all ventures enabled by the government in actualizing a cashless economy. The Bharat Interface for Money is targeted to introduce and involve the poorer and less educated citizens of India into the system of e-transaction.

61      E-Governance: Modi greatly supports the e-governance system as is it effective, economical and will help decongest public offices of voluminous paper work.

TOURISM

62. In the Modi’s administration, a lot of pilgrimage sites have been developed and beautified, thanks to the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme.

WORLD’S RANKINGS

63. India was placed at 40^th place of world tourist sites, in 2015. As at 2017, India moved to 24^th place on the index. India’s recent leap in its rank among World’s tourists’ sites
64. The international rating agency on Moody’s Investor’s services upgraded India’s sovereign rating, after 14 years.
65. Modi’s transparency policy, secured India as third in the list of most trusted government’s worldwide.
66. Furthermore, the Foreign Direct Investment in India has experienced an exponential growth within the three years of Modi’s administration; and India has been regarded as one of the most attractive countries for foreign investment.
67. Within the period of Modi’s administration, India’s position on the world’s list of places with ease of doing business has improved. This was revealed in the World Bank’s Report in 2017.
68. India had always been within 71^st or below position in world’s ranking of competitiveness, however, during this administration, India has risen in the ranks to achieve 40^th position out of 137 countries, included in the World Economic Forum Report (WEFR).

INDIA’S INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE

69. We have also witnessed the tremendous efforts by the PM in trying to raise India’s international influence. E.g. Modi’s appeal to the United Nations to declare June 21 as World Yoga Day was granted and has placed India’s traditional practice in the limelight of the world.
70. Another pointer to the nature of Modi’s Nurturing administration is the successful lobbying, by the PM, to secure India’s seat in the United Nations Security Council.

CURBING CORRUPTION

71. The administration has taken huge and bold steps to eliminate corruption. The Demonetization of the Indian currency by withdrawing the Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes which were in circulation at the time and issuing new notes of Rs. 500 and Rs.2000 greatly helped in eliminating black money that was in circulation.
72. The ‘New India’ which targets profession performance of officials in Public/Government Ministries and Enterprises has laid a great foundation for supervision of the working performance of officials and curbing corruption in the promotion system. Retaining of job is tilting towards merits basis. The sacking of the Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary are clear indications of this.
73. The administration ordered the amendment of the All India Service (Conduct) Rules, 1968, and incorporating a mandate that bureaucrats must maintain political neutrality, and follow the system of merit in the taking of decision and making recommendations; and be guided by the public interest when taking decisions.

EFFORTS TO REDUCE BUREAUCRACY

74. Merging of conflicting ministries in one Minister, helped reduce bureaucracy tendencies.
75. Modi brought in the system of self-attestation of documents. He ordered all government departments to allow this system and reduce the use of affidavits, especially those not required by law. This has reduced the burden on the common man, because getting of an affidavit was a cumbersome process, and posed a financial constraint, as you were required to pay Rs 100 – 500 to get an affidavit from a notary.
76. The administration eliminated the requirement of interviews for clerk posts in public sector banks.
77. The 64-year-old Planning Commission, that had no administrative or other value was disbanded during this administration.

78      an efficient Tax Regime has been put in place. Tax filing system has been significantly simplified, as the information required for filing tax has been greatly reduced. Also, the time spent in making tax refunds has also been significantly reduced.

RESCUE EFFORTS

79. The rescue efforts by the Modi’s administration to rescue and evacuate stranded Indians in Libya, Iraq and Yemen, is highly commendable.
80. The rescue efforts of Modi’s administration to 23 countries who sought help from India, cannot be easily forgotten too.

HANDLING TERRORIST THREAT

81      India Intelligence, under the auspices of Modi’s administration, launched a surgical attack in the Pak-occupied Kashmir, destroying eight militant terrorist base.  This was a reaction to the Uri attack in September of 2016.

TRANSPARENCY

82. Coal Block: In furtherance of the Supreme Court’s decision cancelling the coal block allocations, Modi’s government ensured that the auctions were implemented timeously and with transparency.

83      Not a single corruption allegation has been made against Modi. This speaks greatly of his integrity.

CONNECTION WITH CITIZENS

84. PM Modi Joined soldiers at Siachen to celebrate Diwali
85. Interacts with Indians through his Social Media accounts, allowing them to make their contributions and constantly disseminating latest updates and information.
86. Modi connects with Indians through the radio, and he has been the first Indian leader to do so.

87      On his foreign visits, he tries to connect with Indians in the country where he is visiting.

DIPLOMACY

88. Better diplomacy with China and Bangladesh, which was not obtainable during the pre-Modi era.
89. Modi has put in effort to build good working business relationships with other countries. He personally handles agreements with other nations.

LEGISLATIVE IMPACT

90. Most of the outdated Indian laws are being reviewed and amended, e.g. the amendment of the Land Acquisition Act, the amendment of the Juvenile Act.
91. The Rights of the Persons with Disabilities Bill was passed into law in December, 2016, to cater for certain rights of disabled persons.

COOPERATIVE AND COMPETITIVE FEDERALISM

92. The system of cooperative federalism, introduced during the administration, is another laudable foundational development.
93. The Niti Aayog initiatve which was formed to empower and strengthen States is also an impactful change in the achievement of compertiive federalism.

ADMINISTRATION’S STAND AGAINST DIVISIVE POLITICS & OTHER DIFFERENCES

94. Modi’s Stand against divisive politics is also a commendable change in the politics of India.
95. The vision of Bharat Jodo, ‘Unify India’, is a foundation towards eliminating the free caste and religious differences among Indian citizens.

POLICIES

96. The administration has also laid structural policies, through the functioning of the NITI Ayog, which will lead to sustainable impact in the schooling system.
97. The MAEF scholarships, granted to Muslim girls to encourage them to attend higher education is a great policy.
98. The administration’s policy to achieve a Housing for All by 2022 is a great stride towards the housing issues in India.

99      The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwa Yojana move in 2016 also helped to empower poor women to go for better cooking alternative rather than the use of burning coal which causes them to inhale unhealthy emissions.

Of importance is that:

100. The Indian economy witnessed an increased growth to 7.4% within Modi’s administration.

Conclusion

The rundown above, which includes some and not all of PM Modi’s policies reflect one major thing: Modi’s government does not target a baseless quick turnaround, rather, the government aims at laying a foundation for building sustainable growth in India. This has reflected in India’s World ranking within the period of this administration.

From the above, it is quite obvious that within a short period of time, Modi’s administration has made commendable strides. It is worth giving him a second tenure.