Shefali Vaidya
I was in Kerala on May 16, 2014, the day India’s destiny changed forever. I watched the news with increasing delight as state after state demonstrated the effects of a massive Modi wave; Kerala was the only major state that bucked the national trend. When the final numbers came in, I couldn’t stop smiling. The BJP-led coalition under the leadership of Narendra Modi had won an incredible 333 seats! My host was a dyed-in-the-wool Communist and a ‘party’ worker. ‘Why are you so happy?’ He demanded. ‘I am happy because I really wanted Narendra Modi to become the PM of India’, I replied. ‘Let us see if your happiness lasts after two-three years’, he sneered. I merely smiled in reply.
It has been three years since that fateful day. It was no ordinary mandate. It was not just a change in the government that people wanted. They wanted a change in attitude. They wanted a change in their fortunes. They wanted a change in India’s image in the international arena. The people of India had spoken loud and clear. They did not want a scam ridden, ineffective government at the Centre; they desired a strong government that would bring in radical changes.
Three years later, Narendra Modi has certainly shown that he is not afraid of taking bold decisions. Demonetisation was one of the most audacious steps taken by any Government in recent years. Despite some hitches in the implementation, it was hailed by the people as a bold step that would control black money. While the jury is still out on how much real impact it had on curbing black money, it is true that demonetisation resulted in several good effects on the economy like pushing cashless transactions, ensuring greater financial inclusion and affecting the funding of Maoists and Separatists.
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is arguably the most important scheme launched by the Modi Government. It has ensured that over 20 crore people are now into the banking system. While the numbers are staggering, what is even more impressive is the feeling of empowerment that the Jan Dhan Yojana has given to ordinary people. I know a lady who works as a domestic help in our neighbourhood. Earlier she had to be paid in cash as she did not have a bank account. All her money was controlled by her alcoholic husband. She now has a bank account which she operates herself. She now insists that all her salary is deposited into her bank. She has her own RuPay card and for the first time in her life, enjoys full access to her own money. She now has a saving of over 30,000 rupees in that account, and the feeling of control that she enjoys over her own money is priceless. Mudra bank loans have helped thousands of small business owners across the country to expand their business without resorting to loan sharks and money-lenders. Other related schemes like the Atal Pension Yojana and the PM Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana have helped the poor and the marginalised to have financial cover during their illness and old age.
Prime Minister Modi has worked tirelessly in the last three years, putting in 16 hr a days, without taking a single day’s break. Senior bureaucrats are expected to work at the same punishing pace and deliver results or pay the price. The Prime Minister’s personal charisma and the tireless efforts of the Ministry of External Affairs has ensured better relationships with other countries of the world. Infrastructure has seen a much needed push. Railways, Roads and Power Ministries are headed by very capable Ministers who have delivered a major change in the pace of infrastructure development.
In the last three years, India has climbed up to 26th position in the World Bank’s electricity accessibility ranking from 99th spot in 2014. Around 96,000 km of roads are being laid across India annually and Indian Railways have undergone a sea change under the leadership of Suresh Prabhu. Almost 7.7 km new lines are being commissioned per day. There is tremendous focus on cleanliness in keeping pace with the Swachh Bharat campaign. Facilities like Clean my Coach Service are launched and third party cleanliness audits are conducted for stations.
Passage of the GST bill has been a landmark move for the country. Even though its implementation is likely to lead to some confusion and will be inflationary in the short time, the full impact of GST will be felt from financial year 2019.
Even the rain Gods have been kind to the PM, with the country enjoying a good monsoon last year. Inflation has reduced to about half. Even though part of the credit for that goes to low global oil prices and a good monsoon, core inflation at 4.9 per cent is in a reasonable range and is a sign of a robust economy. GDP growth of 7 per cent + is one of the highest in the world.
While the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan hasn’t been as successful as PM Modi would have liked it to be, one does observe a significant change across India as far as sanitation and public hygiene is concerned. I have seen new toilets being built and used under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in places as far flung as Sikkim, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and coastal Karnataka. Women in particular, have taken the lead in building and using the toilets. Open defecation free India is slowly, but surely becoming a reality.
The Prime Minister continues to be the tallest leader on the Indian political scene today, with an amazing connect with ordinary people. Through his radio programme Mann Ki Baat, Narendra Modi has tackled the issues which no PM of India had even dared to acknowledge. Such is Modi’s popularity that over 1 crore Indians have voluntarily given up their gas subsidy on his appeal alone. Over 2 crore women have now access to cooking gas under the Ujjwala Yojana. From the most productive way for students to spend a summer vacation to empowering our daughters, PM Modi has talked about everyday problems that people of India face.
The achievements of this government stand out all the more when you compare them to the scam-ridden UPA that misruled India for ten long years. When PM Modi took over, he had inherited a policy paralysis, a listless bureaucracy and a huge weight of popular expectations. Three years later, his government is free of scams, most of the key Ministries are being led by capable ministers and the bureaucracy is working like never before. The Opposition is in complete disarray. The Congress is
completely clueless, regional parties like SP, BSP and BJD are increasingly getting irrelevant. AAP is unraveling under the weight of its own Karma.
In fact, the only challenge to the Modi Government comes from the media-academia cabal that manufactures dissent on a daily basis and keeps churning out disproportionate selective outrage on issues like cow vigilantism and intolerance. However, all this negative campaigning seems to have only helped to raise Narendra Modi’s popularity in the eyes of the people.
One of the major challenges for the Modi Government lies in the area of internal and external security. Kashmir is on the boil once again and this time it is open Islamism that is driving the Valley towards the brink. The BJP-PDP alliance doesn’t seem to be capable of handling the unrest adequately. It is time to take some tough steps to tackle the Kashmir problem. Surgical Strikes seem to have infuriated Pakistan into launching reckless, heinous attacks on our forces. In the so-called ‘red corridor’, the Maoists are becoming more audacious in their attacks on the forces. ISIS seems to be spreading its tentacles in the country and that is a serious cause for concern. After the departure of Manohar Parrikar to Goa more than a month ago, India is without a full time Defence Minister, a situation we can hardly afford.
The government that came to power on the poll plank of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ has to be able to drive private investment. Without an increase in private investment, future growth will be imperiled. Gross Fixed Capital Formation/GDP ratio has fallen from 31.2 per cent in FY 2015 to 29.2 per cent in FY 2017. This could have a serious negative impact on employment generation in future. Bad loans are a big problem. Total gross NPAs are almost 12 per cent of total loans and advances of the banking system. This could be a major drag on the economy going forward. An insolvency and bankruptcy code is the need of the hour to tackle this problem.
Overall, however, this government continues to enjoy tremendous goodwill and trust among the people. People are willing and ready to collaborate with the government, even if it involves temporary hardships. This is a powerful change from the past, when the government was viewed with great mistrust. In a recent survey conducted by Local Circles, it has been observed that over 61 per cent of the people who polled their votes are satisfied with the performance of the Central Government. This is a huge achievement for the first time Prime Minister.
Over the next two years, the government will enjoy a majority in the Rajya Sabha as well and will decide on the new incumbent of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. With the Opposition in complete disarray, this is a golden opportunity for Narendra Modi to make far-reaching changes in the country’s governance. Three years later, it seems to me that the glass is more than half full, but there is a lot more to be done. If the disgruntled comrade from Kerala were to ask me today ‘Are you happy with Modi after three years?’ I would unhesitatingly say, ‘yes’.
(The writer is a senior columnist)
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