Prof. Neelam Mahajan Singh
Happy New Year 2024 and best wishes to all my readers, journalists and co-workers. My love and blessings to all friends and your families! India is a democratic, social welfare state. It is necessary to assess PM Narendra Modi’s government’s performance of 2023.
It is important to study the achievements or non -completion of some tasks. As participants in a ‘social contract’, citizens entrust governments to provide services that they cannot obtain individually. Government’s liability is by nature, subject to ‘guarantees’ in this contract. In such a complex scenario, effective political leadership is important. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considered to be an example of strong and effective leader, who attempts to fulfill his promises. The contributions of all former Prime Ministers should be acknowledged. In the recent assembly elections, PM Narendra Modi recalled the distinguished history of Rajasthan. “The state’s past is replete with such examples where people have sacrificed even their lives to live up to their premises” he said.
Narendra Modi gave the slogan ‘Modi means every guarantee would be fulfilled’! ‘Modi’s Guarantee’ is becoming a symbol of commitment towards the aspirations of the common people. The proof of this, is seen in BJP’s resounding victory in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh. The ‘determination to serve the last man standingn in the que’, ie ‘Antyodaya’ popularized by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, has been reflected in the actions of the Modi government. The success of Chandrayaan by ISRO and the successful hosting of G-20 Summit in Delhi. There should be no political inference to this. The credit for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and its inauguration on 22 January 2024 also goes to Narendra Modi government.
‘Modi’s guarantees’ should extend to the basic needs. Despite 65 consecutive annual celebrations of India’s independence from British imperialism, yet most of the people in India are still deprived of the basic amenities of living. The task of nation building is always the endeavor of every government. Prashant Kishor influenced the common people in Narendra Modi’s campaign like ‘Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi’, ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ etc. The common man dared to dream!. Some achievements are documented, such as India’s transformation from being a net importer of food grains in the 60s to one of the world’s largest grain exporters today. In recent years, significant progress has been made in improving access to food and expanding the ‘food security cover’ for the economically underprivileged sections of the society.
It was during UPA government that the ‘National Food Security Bill’ was passed by full support of both the houses of Parliament. At a ‘Vijay Yatra’ rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “During Covid, the biggest concern of the poor was what would they feed their children with? Then I decided that I will not let any poor sleep hungry, so BJP government launched ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana”, declared PM Narendra Modi. 80 crore Indians are getting ration under this scheme. Important support has been given to the farmers and food providers of the country through ‘PM-Kisan Yojana’, which is beneficial to more than 11 crore farmers. According to studies, 13.5 crore people have been ‘lifted out of poverty’ under the current government.
This is a significant achievement; yet the road is still very far! On one hand, slogans of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi like ‘Garibi Hatao’, ‘Roti, Kapda aur Makaan’ have yet not actualized. PM Modi’s concern for the underprivileged, stems from his years of experience in public life and extensive travels across the country. As a result, according to PM Narendra Modi, his government has taken, ‘door-to-door delivery’ of services to the poor as its top priority, with the spirit of service. The recently launched, ‘Sankalp Yatra’ is an indicator of this. The journey will go through the complex realities of rural India. Hence the aim of this journey is to reach the ‘last mile’ and make people aware of various government schemes from which they can benefit.
It plans to cover 2.55 lakh gram panchayats and 3,600 urban local bodies by January 25, 2024. This initiative is titled ‘Modi’s Guarantee’ for the poor, mothers, sisters, farmers and youth of the country. By making the state of Jammu – Kashmir – Ladakh, into a Union Territory, by scrapping of ‘Special Status’ of J.K. vide Section 370 and 35-A, the Supreme Court of India, endorsed Narendra Modi Government’s decision. The constitutional bench comprising of, Justice Dr. Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice Sanjay Khanna, Justice B. R. Gavai and Justice Surya Kant have unanimously rejected all the petitions, declaring the decision of the Narendra Modi to be correct. This is a tremendous achievement of the Modi government. RSS and BJP workers have converted it into the slogan of ‘Modi’s Guarantee’.
Speaking at the launch of the Vijay Yatra, PM Modi said his government has sanctioned more than 4 crore houses under the ‘PM Aawas Yojana’ and it is a ‘unique guarantee’ towards housing for all. Instead of choosing easy targets, the ‘welfare government’ should focus on long pending issues and make efforts, for benefitting the common man. 100% electrification of villages, which were earlier doomed to live in obscurity, is a vivid example of this concept. ‘Water’; It was a fantasy for crores of families in India! Even after 66 years of India’s independence, women are at the forefront in carrying water, even during times of the illness or health problems. Gocernment has provided incentive and packages to enable women to become equal partners in India’s development.
The ‘Jal-Jeevan Mission’ of the Modi government is proof of this. “More than 13 crore tap-water connections have been provided today, taking coverage to 70% of households from just 17% a decade ago,” said PM Narendra Modi. Women have been at the forefront of bearing the brunt of sanitation crisis. Before 2014, sanitation coverage in villages was only 40%, whereas after the vibrant promotion of the government’s ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’, our country is 100% ‘open defecation free’. With 10 crore LPG connections approved under ‘Ujjwala Yojana’; The ‘government guarantee’ of smoke-free kitchens is near saturation. Almost 100% of villages in India have LPG connections. There has been a determination to redefine the contours of ‘healthcare’. ‘Ayushman Bharat’, ‘PM Jan Arogya Yojana’ has already guaranteed free health services up to Rs 5 lakh to more than 55 crore individuals every year. About 27.38 crore ‘Ayushman cards’ have been issued under this scheme. In a bid to reduce ‘out-of-pocket’ expenses, ‘Jan Aushadhi Kendras’ are providing affordable, quality medicines at a minimum discount of 75%, leading to savings of Rs 23,000 crore.
‘Child Immunization’ has increased its coverage to almost 100% in 6 States/UTs and 90% in 17 States.’Save the girl child, educate the girl child’, ‘Take care of the girl child’; Should be our mantra. The thought of ‘son and daughter being equal’ should be awakened. A request has been made to celebrate the birth of a girl child, by planting five tree saplings. We should be as proud of our daughters as we are of our sons. ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ was launched by PM Modi in Panipat, Haryana. The ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme has helped in curbing the decline in child sex ratio and their the life span. The Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile (JAM) approach will lay the foundation for the coming years. In this direction, ‘Women’s Reservation Bill’ got the support of all political parties (except AIMIM of Asaddudin Owaisi). Under the ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana’, development has been development oriented. There is a need to boost the morale of Indian entrepreneurs.
It needs to be, so that we move beyond being a job-seeking nation to becoming a ‘job-providing nation’. Narendra Modi’s NDA government is focusing on promoting entrepreneurship. The ‘Make in India’ initiative is based on promoting entrepreneurship in India. ‘Make in India’, ‘Ease of Doing Business’ etc. are important to promote entrepreneurship. After being elected MP from Varanasi, located on the banks of Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, PM Modi had said, “It is my destiny to serve Mother Ganga”. River Ganges, not only has cultural and spiritual importance but also 40% of the country’s population depends on river Ganges.
India has set an ambitious mission to provide electricity to 18,000 villages. The data on villages being electrified is available to the public through a mobile app and a web dashboard. Coming out of a period of depressed growth rate, high inflation and declining production, the NDA government has strengthened the macro-economic fundamentals. With ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana’; the yield will increase by ensuring irrigation facilities. According to this scheme, it is to be ensured that every farmer has access to some form of protective irrigation meathod. Transparent and ‘corruption free administration’ has been observed in the interest of the country in the last decade. The NDA government has taken concrete measures to promote education and skill development to increase the quality and accessibility of education. A fully IT based ‘Financial Assistance Authority’ has also been established to monitor the administration of all education loans and scholarships through the ‘Pradhan Mantri Vidyalakshmi Programme’. In retrospect, it is difficult to say that the task of building India, the world’s most populous country, into a strong, dedicated, dynamic country is easy! Nevertheless, all political parties should keep aside their ideological differences and ignite a ray of hope in the lives of Indians. Happy New Year again!
(Writer is Sr. Journalist, Author, Doordarshan Personality, Solicitor for Human Rights Protection and Philanthropist)
