May 16, 2014 was an inflection point in India’s polity for many reasons. While India had a single party crossing the halfway mark in Lok Sabha for the first time in 30 years, it also marked the transition to a quasi-presidential style campaign in a parliamentary democracy.
In a campaign that enthused young voters and brought a rainbow coalition of new voters into the Bharatiya Janata Party fold, Narendra Modi reinforced his claim for Prime Ministership by showcasing his performance as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Thus, when young India chose Prime Minister Modi, it set the ball rolling towards achieving greater political accountability and promoting performance and meritocracy from leaders in public life.
India today is neither awed by pedigree nor family surnames and will give no credence to those who expect everything given to them on a platter by virtue of their birth.
How will aspirational India then judge the first three years of the Modi government?
The country has experienced a wave of Modi-fied reforms in the past three years. The incumbent government’s pro-governance and pro-development approach to policies accompanied by a cabinet of hardworking and productive ministers has propelled India’s image across the world as an emerging global leader. It is this passion to see India as a “Vishwaguru” in the global arena that has inspired every Indian to contribute towards building a New India.
Burdened with the task of cleaning up the “mess” left behind by the UPA-II government, the BJP-led NDA government had to first repair its predecessor’s legacy of inertia in reforms and setback in execution of projects. Before the Modi government could give a jump-start to their policy objectives, its primary agenda was to set the Indian economy on a high growth trajectory. Thus, macroeconomic reforms took centre stage in India’s policy agenda after it remained absent for a decade. From taking steps to weed out policy logjams that deter-red business and entrepreneurship, to rolling out the historic GST tax reform, the present government’s resolution to improve the ease of doing business is clearly evident.
The outcomes of these measures have been positively commensurate with India’s ranking in global indices making huge qua-ntum leaps that the hadn’t been able to achieve in the past. To add to this, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows are at a record high. In all these achievements, the icing on the cake, however, is the GST tax reform which shall unify all regional markets under the umbr-ella of a single market.
Replacing the several indirect taxes and transforming the way businesses operate, this tax revolution suggests an enlargement of tax revenues with far-ranging advantages.
On the problem of non-performing assets (NPAs) afflicting banks and private sector investment, with the recent Ordinance passed by the Cabinet, a plan of action to resolve this issue is beginning to gain impetus. The cumulative effect of the government’s structural reforms in the macroeconomic framework is manifest in the economy’s immense potential for growth.
Mr Modi’s ability to expend political capital and take huge risks has only further strengthened his hands. It would be unimaginable to think of any other leader who would risk his position by implementing a bold move like demonetisation. After a small bump in the road, we can now notice the effectiveness of this decision with the addition of 9.1 million new taxpayers to its tax base. Demonetisation also facilitated a push towards a cashless and digitised economy. Narendra Modi had proclaimed his vision of a “digital India” during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign and has lived up to expectations of translating this dream into reality.
Be it cyber security, financial inclusion or acc-ess to government services on personal mobile devices, the government’s integration of technology with policy and governa-nce is laudable. Platforms like mygov.in have facilitated inclusion of citizens in governance while promoting literacy on existing government services and schemes.
The accelerated expansion of Aadhaar followed by the Aadhaar Act, the successful financial inclusion via Jan Dhan Yojana, integration of Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) and its employment in delivering subsidies via Direct Benefit Transfer have done away with red tape and official formalities, driving the people of this country towards a cashless, paperless and more transparent machinery. Curbing corruption is a recurring theme in the BJP government’s policies as JAM eliminates the possibility of fake beneficiaries ensuring legitimate disbursal of government funds.
Another sector that has experienced remarkable progress is renewable and clean energy. Within one year of its launch, more than 2.16 crore BPL women received LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. Schemes like Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana and the government’s rural electrification programme have boosted India’s global rankings and made India a power surplus state. With the PM’s relentless drive for transforming India into a low-carbon economy in line with its commitment to combat climate change, solar ene-rgy capacity is at a record 81 per cent this year.
Other examples adding to this impressive list of reform initiatives include Swachh Bharat, Skill India, Make in India and the expedited construction of connectivity-related infrastructure. Besides the speedy delivery of reforms and policy initiatives, there has been a shift in the spirit and functional structure of the government apparatus. Replacing the Plan-ning Commission with a meticulous think tank like Niti Aayog, merging the Railway Budget with the Union Budget, advancing the date of Budget presentation, promoting cooperative federalism, discontinuing Five Year plans and instead establishing a dynamic Three-Year Action agenda, the seven-year strategy and the 15-year vision have all proven to be profound designs in achieving the vision of a prosperous and developed State.
It is perhaps this temptation of an incorruptible, developed utopia that made voters respond the way they did in the 2014 mandate. Developmental aspirations do not necessarily imply the concept of westernisation of the society. Rather, it envelops a more nuanced definition of a lifestyle that is synchronous to an Indian way of life — a democratic, equal, just, law-abiding and law-enforcing society facilitated by means to ensure economic progress.
The deep-rooted trust in Mr Modi’s leadership and in his belief in India’s prospects for a rosy future are what drew people to reach beyond their socio-political alliances and vote for “Saath, Vishwas and Vikas.”
The writer is Leader of the BJP Legislature Party in the Telangana State Assembly
