“What is the secret of this success in Gujarat? What is the basic factor that is responsible for the all round development of the State ?” I raised this question during my conversation with CM of Gujarat Shri Narendra Modi. Shri Modi said “the people of Gujarat are responsible for this. Without people’s participation, the impact of government run schemes would be lost upon. Therefore, we involve people in all development programmes. We have converted adversity into opportunity.” Shri Narendra Modi has indeed initiated a stable, all round development of the State with power and passion.
Gujarat was always a water scarce State. Water sector has been traditionally characterised by less rain fall, faster run off into the sea, few perennial rivers, uneven distribution of water across regions, low ground water levels, salinity and desertification. Because of these challenges, harnessing of water was given utmost importance. Priority was given to completion of multipurpose Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project. At the same time a mega project of constructing 400 km long recharge canal to carry extra flood water to dry areas was undertaken. These efforts were supplemented by interlinking of rivers of the State and water conservation was made a people’s movement. More than three lakh check dams, village and farm ponds, borihunds have been made in recent years. The age old step wells which were defunct are also being revived. The results are revealing: underground water tables are rising every year, drinking water is no longer required to be supplied through lorries or tankers. A major work to supply water to areas like Kutch district through Narmada has been completed by laying bulk line and distribution of water. Gujarat has successfully interlinked a dozen rivers including Sabarmati. Because of this effort, water can be seen flowing in the river which had dried long back.
BJP government in Gujarat, also paid full attention to the energy sector. Government provided new investments in the power generation, transmission and distribution facilities. New transmission lines covering 58,599 km were laid down. New transformers numbering 12,621across 18,000 villages were incorporated. New power plants have been launched. The biggest achievement of Narendra Modi government is 24 hour uninterrupted three phase electricity to all the 18,000 villages and their households. It has not only brightened the lives in the households but has also energised the economic activities in the villages. Its effects are enormous. The rural productivity has gone up and the migration to urban areas has come down. In the whole of India, in the energy sector, Gujarat is number one State which adds the maximum mega watts in electricity generation. Also, renewable sources of energy have been developed including wind and solar energy.
Chief Minister along with his Cabinet Ministers went to remote villages to encourage parents to enroll their children in school. Young children in lakhs got enrolled in standard 1 all over the State. People of Parent Teacher Association, self help groups, donors presented the newly enrolled children, with school bags, slates, text books, note books and uniform as gifts. To motivate the parents of the girl child, the government has introduced a scheme called “Vidya Laxmi”. This scheme provides a fixed sum when a girl gets admitted to standard 1st and 8th which can be encashed after the girl child has passed standard 5th and 12th respectively. In addition, the State also provides insurance cover to all the school and college students worth Rs one lakh. Similarly, the State is giving attention for higher education, technical, medical, engineering and other institutions of excellence to ensure better quality.
Narendra Modi launched a special scheme to improve health service by evolving the private medical doctors to undertake safe deliveries of pregnant women. This approach has allowed the poor mothers to undergo safe delivery at the clinics of private medical practitioners who are reimbursed by the government. This has led to substantial increase in safe deliveries and drastic reductions in the mortality rate of mothers and the new born. In Gujarat, if a house is registered in a woman’s name the government exempts it from stamp duty. Gujarat Government attracts investments to the tune of lakhs of crores of rupees in various sectors of industry and infrastructure from domestic as well as foreign investments through a special campaigning programme called Vibrant Gujarat.
Law and order situation is far better. According to the annual report published by the National Crime Records Bureau, the crime rate is less in Gujarat as compared with other states of the country.
Gujarat handles public grievances with a humanitarian approach. In the State capital every month on 4th Thursday, applications of the aggrieved persons are invited; their grievances are registered and instantly transmitted online to the concerned authorities at the secretariat level as well as district level. Then the authorities feed their replies. In the afternoon, the CM personally listens to the applicants one by one. The grievances as well as replies of the concerned authorities are available on his screen online. Through video conference facility. CM Modi on the spot interacts with the concerned authorities at the district level in the presence of the applicant. At this time, the applicants are free to interact or interrupt the authorities. Since the Chief Minister interacts personally, the administration is on the toes. This has been proved as a very effective system of grievance address.
At the district and taluka level, concerned authorities hear the public grievances on the same day and redress them.
Unfortunately, malicious lies about Gujarat have been spread throughout India and the world, that Muslims are severely discriminated against and persecuted in Gujarat. It is an attempt by anti-Gujarat elements motivated by political enmity, to break the fast pace of good governance led Shri Narendra Modi.
In 2006, Prime Minister appointed a committee headed by Shri Rajinder Sachar. This committee made a detailed study of the economic, social and educational conditions of Muslims in the whole of India. This report shows that Muslims are the happiest in Gujarat. Muslims receive mainstream education. Their literacy level is fast improving. The proportion of Muslims in high government services are better as compared to UP or West Bengal. Economic prosperity of average Muslim is far better than in any other State. Per capita income of Muslims in Gujarat is also highest in the country. The Sachar Committee too accepted that Muslims of Gujarat are on firm socio-economic footing.
Even the worst critic of Modi, acknowledge that corruption in the State machinery has come down.
The model of governance which Narendra Modi has evolved is based upon performance not appeasement. When it came to fixing rational electricity charges, Shri Modi went by the professional advice given by the Electricity Regulatory Commission. Even in the midst of farmers’ agitation, he did not buckle. Instead he assured the farmers that he understood their requirements. In the following years, he implemented surface water schemes.
In brief one can say that development of Gujarat is all inclusive, all nourishing and all pervasive.
