Leading international agencies have noted that under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, India has been eliminating poverty at record pace. This is attributed to a series of pro-poor decisions taken by the Central Government
Shri Narendra Modi was sworn-in as India’s Prime Minister on 30th May 2019, marking the start of his second term in office. The first ever Prime Minister to be born after Independence, Shri Modi has previously served as the Prime Minister of India from 2014 to 2019. He also has the distinction of being the longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat with his term spanning from October 2001 to May 2014.
In the 2014 and 2019 Parliamentary elections, Shri Modi led the Bharatiya Janata Party to record wins, securing absolute majority on both occasions. The last time that a political party secured such an absolute majority was in the elections of 1984.
Inspired by the motto of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, Shri Modi has ushered in a paradigm shift in governance that has led to inclusive, development-oriented and corruption-free governance. The Prime Minister has worked with speed and scale to realise the aim of Antyodaya, or ensuring last-mile delivery of schemes and services.
Leading international agencies have noted that under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, India has been eliminating poverty at record pace. This is attributed to a series of pro-poor decisions taken by the Central Government.
Today, India is home to the world’s largest healthcare programme, Ayushman Bharat. Covering over 50 crore Indians, Ayushman Bharat provides top quality and affordable healthcare to the poor and neo-middle class.
Ayushman Bharat
The Lancet, considered among the most prestigious health journals in the world has lauded Ayushman Bharat, stating that this scheme attends to the larger discontent about the health sector in India. The journal also noted PM Modi’s efforts to prioritise universal health coverage.
Understanding that financial exclusion was a bane for the poor, the Prime Minister launched the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, that aimed at opening bank accounts for every Indian. Now, over 35 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened. These accounts have not only banked the unbanked but also opened the doors for other avenues of empowerment.
Going a step ahead of Jan Dhan, Shri Modi emphasised on Jan Suraksha, by giving insurance and pension cover to the most vulnerable sections of society. The JAM trinity (Jan Dhan- Aadhaar- Mobile) has led to elimination of middle men and ensured transparency and speed, powered by technology.
In a first, over 42 crore people associated with the unorganised sector now have pension coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Man Dhan Yojana. During the very first Cabinet Meeting after the 2019 election results, a similar pension scheme for traders was announced as well.
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, launched in 2016 provides free cooking gas connections to the poor. It has proven to be a major game-changer in providing smoke-free kitchens to over 7 crore beneficiaries, most of whom are women.
18,000 villages that were without electricity even after 70 long years of Independence have been electrified.
Shri Modi believes that no Indian should be homeless and to realise this vision, over 1.25 crore houses were built between 2014 and 2019. The pace of house construction remains as quick to fulfil the PM’s vision of ‘Housing for All’ by 2022.
Agricultue
Agriculture is a sector that is very close to Shri Narendra Modi. During the interim budget of 2019, the Government announced a monetary incentive for farmers called the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. In almost three weeks, on 24th February 2019, the scheme was launched and instalments have been paid regularly since then. During the first Cabinet Meeting of PM Modi’s second term, it was decided to extend the PM Kisan benefits to all farmers, removing the 5 acre limit that was present earlier. With this, the Government of India would be devoting almost Rs. 87,000 crore per year for farmer welfare.
Path-breaking Initiatives
Shri Modi has also focused path-breaking initiatives for agriculture ranging from Soil Health Cards, E-NAM for better markets and a renewed focus on irrigation. On 30th May 2019, PM Modi fulfilled a major promise by creating a new Jal Shakti Ministry to cater to all aspects relating to water resources.
On 2nd October 2014, Mahatma Gandhi’s Birth Anniversary, the PM launched ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ a mass movement for cleanliness across the nation. The scale and impact of the movement is historic. Today, sanitation coverage has risen from 38% in 2014 to 99%. Several states and Union Territories have been declared open defecation free (ODF). Substantive measures been taken for a clean Ganga.
The World Health Organisation has appreciated the Swachh Bharat Mission and has opined that it would save three lakh lives.
‘‘Make in India’
Shri Modi believes that transportation is an important means towards transformation. That is why, the Government of India has been working to create next-generation infrastructure be it in terms of more highways, railways, i-ways and waterways. The UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) Scheme has made aviation sector more people-friendly and boosted connectivity.
PM Modi launched the ‘Make in India’ initiative to turn India into an international manufacturing powerhouse. This effort has led to transformative results. For instance, the number of mobile manufacturing units has risen from 2 in 2014 to 122 in 2019. India has made significant strides in ‘Ease of Doing Business’, improving its ranking from 142 in 2014 to 77 in 2019. The Government of India rolled out the GST during a historic session of Parliament in 2017, which has realised the dream of ‘One Nation, One Tax.’
During his tenure, special attention has been paid to India’s rich history and culture. India is home to the world’s largest statue, the State of Unity, a fitting tribute to Sardar Patel. This Statue was built through a special mass movement where tools of farmers and soil from all states and Union Territories of India were used, signifying the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.’
Climate Change
PM Modi is deeply passionate about environmental causes. He has time and again called for closing of ranks to create a clean and green planet. As Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Modi created a separate Climate Change Department to create innovative solutions to climate change. This spirit was seen in the 2015 COP21 Summit in Paris where PM Modi played a key role in the high-level deliberations.
Going a step ahead of climate change, PM Modi has talked about climate justice. In 2018, Heads of State and Government from several nations came to India for the launch of the International Solar Alliance, an innovative effort to harness solar energy for a better planet.
Recognising his efforts towards environmental conservation, PM Modi was honoured with the United Nations ‘Champions of the Earth Award.’ Fully sensitive to the fact that climate change has made our planet prone to natural disasters, Shri Modi has brought a new approach to disaster management, harnessing the power of technology and the strength of human resources. As Chief Minister, he transformed Gujarat that had just been ravaged by a devastating earthquake on 26th January 2001. Likewise, he introduced new systems to combat floods and droughts in Gujarat that were internationally lauded.
Justice for Citizens
Through administrative reforms, Shri Modi has always given priority to justice for citizens. In Gujarat, he spearheaded the start of evening courts to ensure people’s issues are resolved. At the Centre, he began PRAGATI ((Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation) to expedite pending projects that were delaying growth.
Shri Modi’s foreign policy initiatives have realised the true potential and role of world’s largest democracy. He began his first term in office in presence of all Heads of States of SAARC Nations and invited BIMSTEC leaders at the start of the second. His address to the General Assembly of United Nations was appreciated across the world. Shri Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to embark on a bilateral visit to Nepal after a long period of 17 years, to Australia after 28 years, to Fiji after 31 years and UAE as well as Seychelles after 34 years. Since taking over, Shri Modi attended UN, BRICS, SAARC and G-20 Summits, where India’s interventions and views on a variety of global economic and political issues were widely appreciated.
Honours
PM Modi has been conferred various honours including the highest civilian honour of Saudi Arabia Sash of King Abdulaziz. Shri Modi has been also been conferred the top awards of Russia (The Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First), Palestine (Grand Collar of the State of Palestine), Afghanistan (Amir Amanullah Khan Award), UAE (Zayed Medal) and Maldives (Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen). In 2018, PM received the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize for his contribution to peace and development.
Narendra Modi’s clarion call for marking a day as ‘International Day of Yoga’ received an overwhelming response at the UN. In a first, a total of 177 Nations across the world came together and passed the resolution to declare 21st June as the ‘International Day of Yoga at the UN.’
Shri Modi was born on 17 September, 1950, in a small town in Gujarat. His family belonged to the ‘other backward class’ which is among the marginalised sections of society. He grew up in a poor but loving family ‘without a spare rupee’. The initial hardships of life not only taught the value of hard work but also exposed him to the avoidable sufferings of the common people. This inspired him from a very young age to immerse himself in service of people and the nation. In his initial years, he worked with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a nationalist organisation devoted to nation building and later devoted himself in politics working with the Bharatiya Janata Party organization at National and State level. Shri Modi completed his MA in political science from Gujarat University.
‘People’s Leader’,
Narendra Modi is a ‘People’s Leader’, dedicated to solving their problems and improving their well-being. Nothing is more satisfying to him than being amongst the people, sharing their joys and alleviating their sorrows. His powerful ‘personal connect’ with the people on ground is complemented by a strong online presence. He is known as India’s most techno-savvy leader, using the web to reach people and bring about change in their lives. He is very active on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, Linkedin, Weibo and other forums.
Beyond politics, Narendra Modi enjoys writing. He has authored several books, including poetry. He begins his day with Yoga, which strengthens his body and mind and instills the power of calmness in an otherwise fast-paced routine.
Take Photo of Shri Narendra Modi swearing in ceremony in 2019
Nataraja in Bharat Mandapam
Chandrayan 3
Jan Dhan Scheme
Vande Bharat
TRACK RECORD & CONTINNUING STORY
“Our Mantra should be: ‘Beta Beti, Ek Samaan’“Let us celebrate the birth of the girl child. We should be equally proud of our daughters. I urge you to sow five plants when your daughter is born to celebrate the occasion.” -PM Narendra Modi
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) was launched by the Prime Minister on 22nd January, 2015 at Panipat, Haryana. BBBP addresses the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of women empowerment over a life-cycle continuum. It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.
The key elements of the scheme include Enforcement of PC & PNDT Act, nation-wide awareness and advocacy campaign and multi-sectoral action in select 100 districts (low on CSR) in the first phase. There is a strong emphasis on mindset change through training, sensitization, awareness raising and community mobilization on ground.
The NDA Government is trying to bring about a transformational shift in the way our society looks at the girl child. PM Modi in his Mann Ki Baat lauded the Sarpanch from Bibipur in Haryana who started a ‘Selfie With Daughter’ initiative. PM also urged people to share their selfies with daughters and it soon became a world-wide hit. People from across India and the world shared their selfies with daughters and this became a proud occasion for all those who have daughters.
Since the launch of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao , the multi-sectoral District Action Plans have been operationalized in almost all states. Capacity-buiding programmes and Trainings have been imparted to Trainers to further strengthen capacities of district level officials and frontline workers. Nine set of such trainings have been organized covering all States/UTs the Ministry of Women & Child Development from April-October, 2015.
Some Local Initiatives
JAM vision, will serve as the bedrock of many initiatives to come. For me, JAM is about Just Achieving Maximum:Maximum value for every rupee spent.: Maximum technology penetration among the masses. – Shri Narendra Modi
67 years after Independence, India still had a large part of the population who had no access to banking services. This meant, they had neither any avenues for Savings, nor any opportunity to get institutional credit. PM Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana on 28th August to address this fundamental issue. Within a matter of months, this scheme has radically transformed lives and futures of millions of Indians. In just over a year, 19.72 crore bank accounts were opened. 16.8 crore Rupay cards have been issued so far. There have been deposits worth Rs 28699.65 crores. A record 1,25,697 Bank Mitras (Bank Correspondents) have also been deployed. It also set the Guinness World Record for most bank accounts opened in one week -1,80,96,130.
While opening millions of bank accounts were a challenge, inducing a behavioural change to get people start using their bank accounts was another major challenge. The no of zero balance accounts have registered a steep fall from 76.8% in September 2014 to 32.4% in December 2015. More than Rs 131 crore has also been availed as overdraft so far..
All this was possible because of PM Modi’s thrust and his power of galvanizing masses and the government machinery. This enormous task was taken up in mission mode and achieved with an exemplary partnership and participation of the government and public.
‘It’s my destiny to serve Maa Ganga’ said PM Modi when he was elected in May 2014 to Parliament from Varanasi, situated on the banks of Ganga in Uttar Pradesh.
The River Ganga is important not only for its cultural and spiritual significance but also because it hosts more than 40% of the country’s population. Addressing the Indian community at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014, the Prime Minister had said, “If we are able to clean it, it will be a huge help for the 40 per cent population of the country. So, cleaning the Ganges is also an economic agenda.”
Empowering Farmers : Recent Initiatives
Multiple steps taken to give a major boost to Agriculture
Farmers have always been the back-bone of our country & the NDA Government is striving to strengthen this back-bone of the country through innovative and solid measures.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana will give a boost to productivity by ensuring irrigation facilities. The Vision is to ensure access to some means of protective Irrigation to all agricultural farms. Farmers are being educated about modern irrigation methods to give ‘Per Drop More Crop’.
In the wake of the recent unseasonal rains, the NDA Govt pro-actively announced that the farmers will be eligible for input subsidy if 33 percent or more of their crop is damaged.
Unprecedented Transparency
While the past decade has seen many tales of arbitrary decision making, corruption and discretion rather than policy dictating crucial decisions, the past year has been a welcome change.
n the spectrum auctions the Govt’s approach ensured massive gains, in stark contrast to the zero loss theory of the past. The complex issue of defence band identification pending since more than seven years was resolved quickly & good quantity of 2100 MHz released by the Defence Ministry was put into the auction.Spectrum in 4 various bands – 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz were put into simultaneous and multiple rounds of auction for the first time, so that the operators could take informed decision. As against the approved reserve price of Rs 80277 crore, the auction fetched a record Rs.109875 crore.
In an innovative step to ensure transparency, Environment Ministry has started process of online submission of applications for Environment approvals. It is no longer needed to come to Ministry for approvals. Applications can be tracked online.GIS based Decision Support System (DSS) to facilitate informed, transparent, expeditious and predictable decisions on forest approval applications
On the Black Money front, SIT was constituted on the first day of office. Government is working in coordination with Swiss Government & getting information of cases investigated by IT Department. The Government approved the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill 2015. Provisions of the Bill include severe penalties & punishment for undisclosed foreign income and assets. It is also mandatory to quote PAN for purchase /sale of above Rs. 1 lakh.
Towards a Bright Future
Various unique measures have been taken to augment the quality and reach of education. A fully IT based Financial Aid Authority to administer & monitor all education loans and scholarships through Pradhan Mantri Vidyalakshmi Karyakram. Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Mission for Teacher Training has been launched to enhance the quality of teaching.
Global Initiative of Academic Network (GIAN) has been initiated to invite eminent faculty, scientists, and entrepreneurs from premier educational and scientific institutions across the world to teach in the higher educational institutions in the country during summer and winter breaks with a view to give international exposure to Indian students. SWAYAM will leverage Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to enable online education. National e-Library will facilitate universal access to educational material and knowledge sources. ShalaDarpan is a mobile technology to ensure that parents are connected to schools, enabling them to monitor the progress of their children.
UDAAN is dedicated to the development of girl child education, so as to promote the admission of girl students. Ishaan Vikaas seeks to bring selected school children and students of Engineering College from the North-Eastern states into close contact with IITs, NITs and IISERs during their vacation.USTTAD has been approved to upgrade the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/ crafts. The scheme aims to build capacity of traditional artisans/craftsmen, standardization of the traditional arts/crafts, their documentation and establishing market linkages.
The importance PM Modi attaches to Skill India is no secret. The Government created a dedicated ministry of Skill Development immediately to empower our youth. Dedicated Ministry created for skill development. 76 lakh youth have been provided skill training so far under various programs.
Amendments to Apprenticeship Act is paving way for more opportunities for on-the-job training. Government will support one lakh apprentices in next two and a half years by sharing the 50 % of the stipend. Govt plans to have more than 20 lakh apprentices in next few years against present number of 2.9 lakh. National Career Centres have launched to provide nation-wide opportunities& act as one stop shop for online services. They will also help the youth with rich career related content& self-assessment tools. A network of counsellors will also be available for the youth.