New Delhi:| Vijender Gupta
The turnaround has come at the back of an honest, hardworking and grounded leadership
Eight years ago, the India story seemed on the verge of being written off. Large-scale corruption, frequent terror attacks, and a fragile economy clouded the future of a billion people. India’s global rankings were in a free fall. It was a time when Indian citizens were losing their trust in Government and institutions.
At that critical juncture, Narendra Modi took over the reins and reignited the nation’s collective spirit. Since then India has gone through unprecedented challenges, and each time it has risen above them, setting new gold standards in good governance for the world to follow. Be it managing a global pandemic, fighting terrorism, or rescuing citizens from the most hostile situations on foreign soil, the Modi Government has been leading from the front.
In fact, an overarching view of the past eight years would tell us how agile and sensitive the government has been towards the people, especially during a crisis situation. During the global pandemic, when multiple lockdowns were causing disruptions in people’s lives, especially the poor, the Modi Government ensured that no one goes hungry.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, announced in March 2020, more than 80 crore people were provided with 5 kilograms of foodgrains per month for free. The additional free grain is over and above the quota provided under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) at a highly subsidised rate of Rs 2-3 per kg. As per an IMF working paper, it was found that PMGKAY helped keep the percentage of extreme poverty at the lowest level, i.e. less than 1 per cent, in the pandemic year 2020-21. Even though the pandemic was a sudden occurrence, the government’s response to it was anything but arbitrary. At every level, the Modi government was picking up from the groundwork it had already done in the years preceding the pandemic. For instance, the digital push provided by JAM trinity proved to be a potent tool in delivering services to the person at the last mile.
India’s vaccination drive was systematic, transparent, and fast-paced. In a matter of a few months, all of the adult population received a double dose of Covid vaccinations, free of cost, hastening the pace of establishing normalcy. Its resounding success can be attributed to the technology-driven governance that has been the mainstay of the Modi era.
Just when the pandemic was subsiding, the world was confronted with the Russia-Ukraine war. Thousands of Indian students found themselves stuck in the middle of a war situation. The Modi government, without any delay, mobilised all resources and leveraged India’s relations with, both Russia and Ukraine, to carry out one of the trickiest and largest rescue operations. PM Modi sent Central Government ministers to the borders of Ukraine to ensure that the rescue operation is fast-tracked, as the war was looking to escalate.
It is because of the prompt response of the Government that 22,500 Indian students could return to safety and reunite with their families. In the last 8 years, several such large-scale evacuations, including the Vande Bharat mission, Operation Rahat, have taken place and each time the Indian Government has stood by its citizens like a rock, no matter how grave the circumstances were. Despite back-to-back disruptions, first caused by the pandemic and then by the Russian-Ukraine war, India has maintained its position as the most attractive investment destination. In 2021-22, foreign direct investment inflows surged to a record high of $83.57 billion, with the manufacturing sector registering the highest foreign equity inflows. There is a 23 per cent growth in the FDI inflows post-Covid, showing enhanced global confidence in India’s growth story. Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, India continues to be the world’s fastest-growing economy.
The turnaround from being among the fragile five to being among the most attractive investment destinations, in the last eight years, has come at the back of an honest, hardworking and grounded leadership that has been working with the motto of ‘Nation First.’ It is a sentiment which is reflected in PM Modi’s foreign policy as well. India, under him, is increasingly being seen as a voice of reason, stability and strength that has always stood for global good, without compromising on the well-being of its people.From Jan Dhan to Ayushman Bharat, from PM Kisan to PM Awas, from Swachh Bharat to Jal Jeevan, the philosophy of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabha Vikas, Sabka Prayaas’ as propounded by PM Modi remains the underlying force driving India’s transformation. If there is one emotion that could encapsulate the last eight years of the Modi Government, it would be the “spirit of seva”, or complete devotion to the welfare of the people. Most importantly, it is the restoration of trust that people now have in the Government and the power of Indian democracy that has been the biggest win since 2014.