Amit Shah
The developmental journey of India in the last six years under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been amazing, unimaginable and really praiseworthy. This time, in contrast to the atmosphere of anxiety, stagnation, and hollow promises of pre-2014 era, the public has seen the ability to reach targets ahead of time with strong leadership, trust in people, their cooperation and self-confidence.
In the history of the country, the six-year tenure of the Modi government will be written in the golden letters. Similarly, the first year of Modi Government 2.0 is also the story of India’s never-ending classic footprint on the inscriptions of the time that no one could have imagined. Undoubtedly, the Modi government has bridged the gap of six decades in six years and has laid the strong foundation of a self-reliant India.
Making India the world’s foremost economy from the “Fragile Five”, taking India out of the shadow of terrorism and preparing the country for a decisive fight against this menace, making sanitation a habit and culture of every Indian, pledging to transform the villages and lives of poor farmers in the true sense, India has now seen its ability to convert challenges into opportunities in the very first term of the Modi government. The first year of the second term has assured the people of the country that their dreams would be realized.
Nothing is impossible when there is courage and determination to do something, having a Prime Minister like Shri Narendra Modi. The BJP led Central Government has implemented every promise in its manifesto. So far, the people of the country used to consider the election manifestoes to be just a bundle of lies to deceive and mislead the public by some political parties. The resolution of Central Government has not only validated the importance of manifesto, but also has strengthened the roots of democracy.
Several milestone and historic decisions like abolition of Sections 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir, paving the way for construction of Shri Ram Temple, liberating Muslim women from the curse of triple talaq and also giving citizenship rights to the deprived sections of society through the Citizenship Amendment Act, (who were suffering for the past 70 years) on one hand: the Modi government has rectified the historical mistakes after independence, on the other hand.
Through the world’s largest health insurance scheme ‘Ayushman Bharat’, about 50 crore poor people of the country are relieved of the burden of treatment, empowerment of crores of poor women through Ujjwala scheme, financial assistance of Rs 6,000 annually to farmers, housing to every poor and access to banks through Jan-Dhan account are some of the all-encompassing decisions of a New India.
In this way, the Modi government has become an unprecedented example of coordination between ‘creation and reform’. It must be kept in mind that all the important Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament, despite BJP not having majority in the Rajya Sabha. This demonstrates that our democracy has become quite mature.
The decisive assault on terrorism and corruption by the Modi government has instilled a different kind of confidence in the country. Terrorism has been blunted through the UAPA and NIA Act. India’s aggressive Foreign Policy and Defense Policy have put the country in the front row and there has been a complete change in the world view about the country.
In the first year of the second term of the Modi government, many decisions were taken giving a boost to India’s economy in spite of the global recession. These include paving the way for FDI in civil aviation, reducing corporate tax, merger of banks, moratorium on NBFC loans, reforms in the Companies Act, easy loan arrangements for the development of MSME sector among others.
The Bru-Reang Refugee problem pending for years was also resolved in the first year of Modi government 2.0, under the Bodo Accord. Similarly, the landmark decision was taken to create the post of Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), again pending for decades.
The interests of farmers and businessmen of the country were protected by opposing the RCEP, whose importance is further underlined by China’s role in the coronavirus situation. Foreign investment was not only attracted by creating a Defense Industry Corridor, but it has also saved millions of crores of foreign exchange.
The Modi government, working on the principle of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Biswas, made “social upliftment” as its core mantra. Pension Schemes for farmers, labourers and small entrepreneurs, creation of a new Ministry of Jal Shakti, one Country – one Ration Card, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the decision to increase the MSP of crops more than one and a half times, developmental scheme for Aspirational Districts , Ujjwala and Saubhagya Yojana as well as the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for Open-Defecation free India have established that economic growth, especially in terms of GDP, can also be achieved with the help of welfare schemes for the poor.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has learned to take problems as a challenge and turn them into opportunities. The mention of Modi Government 2.0 cannot be complete without mentioning its decisive battle against Corona. The decisive leadership of Narendra Modi has shown a different path to the world to overcome this pandemic.
The Modi Government has announced special economic package of more than Rs 20 lakh crore for people, economy, employment, agriculture and industries affected by lockdown that has been imposed to prevent corona virus infection and this has heralded a New Dawn for a Self-Reliant India. So far, more than about 60 thousand crore rupees have been transferred to the accounts of the poor, labourers, farmers, widows, elderly and differently-abled people in just two months through various schemes. A provision of free ration for the poor for five months has been made and a separate provision of Rs 40,000 crore rupees have been made under MNREGA. Through this, the Modi Government has prepared a blueprint to realize not only a strong ‘New India’ but also the resolve of a self-reliant India.
A glimpse of self-reliant India was also seen in the last one and a half month as to how India is capable of overcoming challenges. While we were completely dependent on imports for PPE kits, ventilators and N-95 masks in early April, today we are able to do mass-production of the same. Now, around five lakh PPE kits and 2.5 lakh N-95 masks are being made in the country every day. The indigenous versions of the ventilator are being manufactured by many institutions in the country at prices much lower than the market price. More than a million corona beds have been made available and we have also achieved a capacity of one and a half lakh tests per day.
In times of crisis, we have supplied essential medicines to more than 55 countries of the world, which have been appreciated by all the countries. India has succeeded in stopping the spread of corona to a great extent due to the lockdown at the right time. In order to smoothly run the economy of the country during the corona crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has awakened the soul of the country by giving a slogan of swadeshi and self-reliance. At the same time, he has advocated for promoting local enterprises by giving the slogan of ‘Vocal for Local’.
Under the leadership of our Prime Minister, we are constantly taking our steps forward in every field which will make India truly independent. Under his leadership, India is moving towards becoming a nation where there will be no exploitation. Equal and right opportunities for education, employment, medical facilities and advancement will be available for everyone. In the last six years, India is moving fast towards becoming a self-reliant nation by bridging the gap of six decades, and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is the hero of this Journey.
(The writer is Union Home Minister)
