 "PM Modi")
Marking its ninth anniversary on Friday, the Narendra Modi government described its rule at the Centre, from the time it took the oath of office on May 26, 2014, to now, as that of “seva (service), sushasan (good governance), and garib kalyan (the welfare of the underprivileged)”.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership indicated that in the remaining 10 months of the 17th Lok Sabha, until the notification for the 2024 polls, the Modi government would focus on welfarism, with emphasis on implementing schemes for the poor and women, and hope to win a third successive general election on the back of the PM’s continued popularity among the people. It also noted the government’s strides in infrastructure development and establishing universities and medical colleges, with India emerging as the fifth-largest economy.
The government, however, steered clear of controversial issues like the 2016 note ban, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and the repeal of three farm laws.
Union minister Smriti Irani, in charge of the women and child development portfolio, presented the government’s report card at an event in the national capital to mark the Modi government’s nine years, which BJP national president J P Nadda, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Anurag Thakur, and Rajeev Chandrasekhar attended. Nadda said India had seen “all-round development and inclusive growth” under Modi.
A government-published booklet distributed at the event stated: “In stark contrast to the earlier piece-meal approach to development, the Modi government has brought in a culture of holistic development that leaves no one behind.”
Irani highlighted the government’s programmes and policies for the underprivileged and women, stating that the PM’s vision was to ensure security and dignity for the poor.
She listed the government’s achievements such as ensuring food security for 800 million people, financial inclusion under Jan Dhan with 483 million accounts, of which 265 million are of women, and an estimated Rs 25 trillion disbursed under the direct benefit transfer (DBT) with the linking of Aadhaar of 1.3 billion people.
The booklet talked about the government’s measures for tribals, reservations for economically weaker sections, states allowed to make their OBC lists, and making triple talaq illegal.
It also mentioned the schemes for farmers, such as PM Kisan Nidhi and the PM crop insurance scheme. The government spoke about the PLI scheme, which it said would create 6 million jobs in the next five years, and the commitment to invest Rs 1.97 trillion across 13 sectors.
The Congress demanded the PM’s apology for what it said was a “betrayal” of the people. It demanded he mark the day as “maafi divas”, and released a booklet titled ‘Nine Years Nine Questions’. It demanded answers on inflation, unemployment, the “clean chit” given to China on June 19, 2020, the sale of public property to crony capitalists, and the failure to deliver on the promise of doubling farm incomes.
