2 Years of Modi Government: First Class with Distinction

16 May 2014 – a day which will be remembered as one of the most important days in Indian history forever. Whether you like Narendra Modi or hate him, whether you agree with him or not, his coming to power with an astounding majority changed the course of the national politics, and of course, the nation. There were (and still are) many expectations from the man whom many consider as a man with magic wand! Though that is harsh on our part to expect him to act like a magician, his hard work, dedication, grit, resolve, perseverance, honesty and integrity are unquestionable. In the last 2 years as the Prime Minister, he has worked 14-15 hours a day without taking a single day off. What are the results? Has there been any positive change ?

Let us briefly go through the major achievements of the Modi Government in 2 years:

1. JANA-DHANA YOJANA: This is undoubtedly the most important achievement of the Modi government to provide the poorest section of society access to banks, thereby relieving them from clutches of moneylenders and frauds. In last 2 years under this scheme, 21.74 crore new bank accounts have been opened which have Rs. 37,500 crore deposited in them.

Source:  http://www.pmjdy.gov.in/

2. ATAL PENSION YOJANA: Under this scheme, poor people can deposit money per year and the Modi Government will deposit some amount. Depending on the amount deposited, the beneficiary will get a pension after the age of 60. This will change the lifestyle of daily wage earners who didn’t have source of income after they grew old.

Source:  http://www.thebetterindia.com/54901/atal-pension-yojana-pension-scheme/

3. PM JEEVAN JYOTI BEEMA YOJANA: Under this scheme of the central government, on the payment of Rs. 330 annually (Less than Re.1 per day), the beneficiary gets an amount of Rs.200,000 during the time of crisis (death/health)

Source:  http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/jan-suraksha-social-security-for-masses-pricing-woes-for-insurers-115050900786_1.html

4. SWACHHA BHARAT SCHEME: This is another pet scheme of the Modi Government which has yielded visible results. Public places, railway stations, bus terminals, streets etc. are much cleaner than before. Railways have introduced cleaning on sms facility which is working effectively.

5. COAL AUCTION: The transparent coal auction has earned the Modi Government about Rs. 10,00,000 crores. This has also ensured that every amount of coal being mined is accounted for. Due to this, coal production was at its highest. India has saved about Rs.40,000 crore PER YEAR because India no longer exports thermal coal.

Source:  http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2016-04-15/news/72350967_1_coal-india-ltd-coal-production-coal-and-power-minister

6. NATIONAL HIGHWAYS: National Highways construction rate has gone up to its ever highest at about 23 km/day. The national highway network has expanded really fast in the last two years. By next year, the Modi Government is targeting to increase it to a further whopping 44 km/day.

Source:  http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/new-nh-target-is-44kmday.html

7. RAILWAYS: Well, I don’t think I will be able to write about the massive changes that has occurred in Railways in just 2 years. The construction of new railway lines, electrification and doubling of lines are at all-time high. Railways is pro-active on social media and every help is answered and every problem promptly solved. More focus is being laid on strengthening of tracks, auditing of train running, decentralization of power to Zonal offices for prompt action to name a few. Also, Dedicated Freight corridor work has been massively speeded up and is nearing completion.

8. UREA PRODUCTION: Urea Production has been at its all-time high with 245 MT being produced in 2015-2016. Due to Neem coating of urea, the corruption and crisis of urea has almost come to an end since neem coated urea is not suitable for industries

Source: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=138461

9. LPG SUBSIDY: Just on the call of the PM, 1.13 Crore Indians have voluntarily given up their subsidies. This, along with PAHAL (Direct benefit transfer to the bank accounts), Modi Government of India is saving 21,000 CRORE ANNUALLY. Because of this, 3 crore poor households who couldn’t afford LPG have been given LPG Connection. Modi Government has sanctioned another 8000 crore for providing LPG Connection to 5 crore more families in next 3 years.

Source:  http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/govt-saves-rs-21-000-crore-in-lpg-subsidy-116050400363_1.html

10. RATION CARDS: 1.6 CRORE fake ration cards and 3.5 crore fake beneficiaries have been DELETED under JanDhan-Adhar-Mobile scheme, due to which Government of India is saving Rs. 27,000 CRORE ANNUALLY

Source:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Aadhaar-helped-plug-Rs-27000-crore-leakage-in-FY16/articleshow/52214915.cms

11. BLACK MONEY: You may keep whining and taunting about 15 lakh, but the Modi Government has unearthed tax evasion and illegal money stashed abroad to the tunes of Rs. 71,000 CRORE. It has also recovered another ~40,000 crore in the last two years.

Source:  http://www.ibtimes.co.in/indirect-tax-evasion-worth-rs-50000-crore-over-two-years-detected-678189

12. ELECTRIFICATION: Under the ambitious plan to electrify 18,500 villages in India within the time frame of 1000 days, Power ministry is working on a war footing to brighten the lives of millions of people. As of now, 7,766 villages have been electrified. This can always be tracked on http://garv.gov.in/dashboard

13. LED Scheme: 10,45,00,000 LED Bulbs have been distributed by the Modi Government which has saved Rs. 5400 CRORE per year by saving 14,000 MWh energy ANNUALLY. You can track this on the official website of UJALA

Source:  http://www.ujala.gov.in/

14. SAGAR MALA PROJECT: To dramatically improve India’s business by modernizing and constructing ports all along the 7500 km of coastline, Modi Government has started to work in order to modernize the ports.

Source:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/infrastructure/government-to-mobilise-rs-10-lakh-crore-investment-under-sagarmala-project/articleshow/51176301.cms

15. NO CORRUTION: The last two years have been corruption free. There has been NO SCAM at the central government level. Due to installation of Biometric attendance, babus and public servants are on time. Senior Bureaucrats are being prosecuted, kicked out and fired for non-performance.. 105 officers have been fired/retired in last few months

Source:  http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/for-good-governance-finance-ministry-fires-72-tax-officers-retires-33-more-116050600022_1.html

I don’t know what people mean by “Achhe Din”, so I will leave that up to you whether it is achhe din or not. But definitely, the last two years of Modi Government have been a prime example of good governance, efficiency and hard work to lead the nation on the path of development!

Mailed by Kshitij Mohan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kmohandeoghar
Email: kmohandeoghar@gmail.com
PhD Scholar, Germany