With Prime Minister Modi entering his 10th year in power, the government released a brochure on Saturday entitled “Seva, Sushasan, Garib kalyan” to highlight key initiatives and achievements of the 9-year NDA rule.
The 143 pages are a “comprehensive compendium of India’s transformation under Prime Minister Modis’ visionary leadership across 14 aspects of decision-making, ranging from infrastructure to foreign policy to social justice,” he said.
here are the 9 key highlights from the book…
Initiatives for the poor and marginalized
The book said that serving the poor and marginalized was the underlying promise of the Modi government since he came to power, with the ideology that “no one should be left behind”.
He said that from MUDRA to Stand Up India, the Modi government has launched and implemented various welfare programs to empower Indians over the past nine years.
He said 80 million people have received free cereals under Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana since the pandemic hit the country.
He said that over 11.8 million households received tap water hookups while 11.72 million toilets were built under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
“The welfare schemes of 2014 were motivated by the Antyodaya principle (no one is left behind). It means that the government aims for 100% saturation in every scheme,” he said.
He further said that more than 48 crores of Jan Dhan accounts have been opened by the government. He also highlighted how millions of people have been provided with LPG connections, electricity, insurance, DBT, etc.
Peasant welfare
The book said that in the past nine years, there has been a paradigm shift in the Indian agricultural sector, making it modern, scientific and prosperous.
“Today, the Indian farmer is not just farming for India but confidently looks to the world as a market for his wide-ranging produce,” he said.
He noted that there has been a new momentum in the sector, led by Prime Minister Modis Beej Se Bazaar Tak’s approach.
“The government has extended income support under Chief Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi, providing farmers with guaranteed cash transfer of Rs 6,000 annually through direct benefit transfer,” he said.
He said that since 2014, there has been a 5.7 times increase in the agricultural budget, while over 11 crore of farmers have benefited from PM-KISAN MSP peak payment for paddy field.
He also highlighted various other initiatives undertaken for farmers, including market plug-ins such as eNAM and the granting of aid for agriculture-related start-ups.
Foreign policy
The book details how the Modi government has consistently implemented a dynamic foreign policy essential to responding to the opportunities and challenges of today’s world.
“National security has been a top priority for the Modi government. This can be seen in the rescue operations conducted outside India, adopting zero tolerance against terrorism policy at home, as well as a significant reduction in extremism by left,” he said.
He said that the main focus of India’s foreign policy remains its immediate neighborhood under the Neighborhood Policy.
Giving some key numbers, he said that India has rescued thousands of citizens from various war-affected countries under the government. Most recently, it brought back over 3,000 citizens from Sudan.
He said there has been a 334% growth in defense exports over the past 5 years and 75% of the capital acquisition budget has been earmarked for domestic production in FY2023-24.
He also stressed that India recently passed the milestone of 100 G20 meetings under his presidency.
He said he regarded the historic decision to remove Article 370 and Article 35A in J&K as a highlight of the Modi government, adding that it resulted in a reduction of terrorism-related incidents in the region from 228 in 2018 to 125 in 2022 .
Female emancipation
The book noted that women have gotten stronger and stronger in the 9 years of Modi rule, adding that their success is seen in the significant increase in female police personnel, the laurels won by sportswomen for the country and the enrollment of women in STEM fields.
She said that for the first time the sex ratio favored women, adding that there are now 1,020 women for every 1,000 men, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
The book said that under Modi’s rule, paid maternity leave increased from 12 to 26 weeks, more than 3 crores of women were paid under Chief Minister Matru Vandana Yojana, over 27 crores of pads were provided to Jan Aushadi Kendras and over 27 crore Mudra loans were given to women beneficiaries, among others.
She also noted that the government has pioneered the Standing Commission on Women in the Armed Forces.
Fighting the Covid pandemic
There were several references to India’s fight against the Covid pandemic in the book.
He said India’s rapid and effective response to the Covid-19 pandemic was supported by its launch of the world’s largest vaccination campaign and also the use of home-developed vaccines.
“In a sea change from the past, when citizens had to wait decades for vaccination campaigns to start, Prime Minister Modi has assured the government of administering more than 2.2 billion doses of the Covid vaccine in a short span two years’ time,” he said. .
He also mentioned several innovative ways the government has taken to fight the pandemic, such as running 900 Oxygen Express trains to deliver liquid oxygen, using the Air Force to transport cryogenic tankers, converting more than 4,000 train carriages into isolated structures , the creation of makeshift structures for Covid management and the sanctioning of over 1,500 PSA systems.
He said the Modi government’s focus on healthcare was a crucial factor in India emerging victorious from a global pandemic.
Ease of life
The book states that the government, through various measures, has focused on improving the daily life of its citizens.
“This drive to improve the quality of life for all Indians is in line with the Chief Minister’s broader vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’,” he said.
He said the Modi government’s many welfare programs ensured that citizens from all segments of society have access to basic services such as banks, LPG connections, sanitation, electricity, tap water, affordable healthcare and quality education.
He also added that a cut in interest rates and the credit-related subsidy scheme of the Modi government under Prime Minister Awas Yojana has enabled people to buy their first homes.
He highlighted the government’s recent announcement of a comprehensive tax rebate for those with an income of up to Rs 7 lakh a year.
Among other things, he said that more than 21,800 government services are now accessible through the UMANG app, Rs 25,000 crore has been disbursed under the SWAMIH fund for stalled real estate projects, nearly 1.16 crore people have benefited from travel affordable airfare under UDAN, Metro network was expended from 5 cities in 2014 to 20 in 2023, Internet data cost decreased by 97%, more than 4,300 states got free open defecation status and more than 3 crore of urban and rural houses were provided under PM Awas Yojana.
Economy
The book notes that the Indian economy has witnessed a “remarkable transformation” over the past nine years, adding that its impact can be seen in the improvement of the quality of life for all Indians across various sectors of society.
He said the past few years have been difficult for the world, especially after the Russo-Ukrainian war, but India’s economy has continued to explore new horizons even amid the global turmoil.
“The robust increase in GST collections, rising capital spending and record export growth are indicative of a vibrant and growing economy that has recovered from the effects of the pandemic,” he said.
Providing some numbers to reinforce the point, he said that 46% of global real-time digital payments happened in India in 2022. He further added that Rs 27.1 lakh crore Aatmanirbhar package during Covid helped save the ‘economy.
“Monthly GST collections hit an all-time high of Rs 1.87 lakh crore in April 2023; record $770 billion of goods and services were exported in AF23; over Rs 6.6 lakh crore of bad debts are recovered; and there has been a 50% increase in exports of electronic goods, among other things.”
He added that India is now home to over 100 unicorns.
Furthermore, he said that India’s efforts to improve the ease of doing business are now being recognized on the global stage with the country’s ranking in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index rising from 142 in 2014 to 63 in 2019 .
Infrastructure
He said the government led by Narendra Modi has kept infrastructure at the heart of its development agenda.
“… over the past nine years, thinking big and implementing without delay have been the hallmarks of infrastructure development in the country. The Prime Minister has regularly monitored the progress of projects through the PRAGATI platform, which has led to the successful completion of several recently announced delayed infrastructure projects,” he said.
He said that since 2014 there has been a 500% increase in the budget allocation for road transport and motorways.
Providing other details to back up his claim, he said that 400 world-class Vande Bharat trains will be produced, with 17 of them operational.
“High-altitude construction speed has reached 37km/day, rural road network coverage is 99%, subway length has increased from 248km in 2014 to 860km in 2013, since 2014 have been made operational 74 airports and 111 waterways have been declared as national waterways.”
Health care
The book claims that India has made great strides in the healthcare sector since 2014.
He said that affordable and affordable quality healthcare has turned into a reality for Indian citizens.
Giving details of the various initiatives undertaken by the government, he said that in 2018, the Center launched the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the largest health insurance scheme in the world, which has benefited over 22 million people.
It said that more than 25 million individuals’ medical records have been linked to their Ayushman Bharat (ABHA) health accounts.
He added that the Modi government has made a crucial turnaround in medical education with the addition of 9,663 medicine posts since 2014. “In the past nine years, the Modi government has approved/established new AIIMS in several states and a large number of new medical colleges,” he said.
He said that over 9,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras have been added, over 1.59 lakh Ayushman Bharat centers have been set up across India, and over 37 crore of Ayushman Bharat healthcare accounts have been opened, among other things.