I still remember those days when India and its aspirations fell brick by brick. India used to be news for every wrong reason—a falling economy followed by massive corruption, national security at stake and a weak delivery system. People were on the streets outraging against the policy paralysis of the Congress-led UPA government.
Everyone was worried about the present as well as the future of India. But as the saying goes, every darkness ends with a ray of light. This ray of light for we Indians came in 2014 when a person named Narendra Modi, who today needs no introduction, took the driving seat of our country. Many of us were sceptical about whether the dreams which Modi sold during his electoral campaign would get fulfilled or not.
But as prime minister Modi is well known for changing the perception and building new trends, he did something similar with time. Today he has completed his nine years in office leading our nation; believe me, everyone can sense the change in their lives. India has changed in every positive way, which looked impossible before 2014.
The stature of India globally today is tremendous. We can’t imagine a world without taking India into account. This is the new India that Modi promised us. He has his share of flaws, but who is perfect in this world? The answer is no one. But if there is someone near to perfection, then it is prime minister Modi and his vision-packed leadership that has done a lot to restore the lost glory of India.
The nation must appreciate a few significant achievements of the Modi government.
1) In 2014, when Modi took power, the speed of highway construction was 12km/day. Today in 2022-23, it has more than doubled, standing at 29 km/day. India is also witnessing the rise in new expressways and highways, making commuting easy.
2) In 2014, there were seven AIIMS in India. Today in 2023, there are 22 AIIMS, which has more than doubled, strengthening the health infrastructure of India.
3) The number of medical colleges has also increased exponentially. In 2014, there were 387 medical colleges, which has risen to 660.
4) Railways have also witnessed significant transformation. From 1947 to 2014, only 21,413 kilometres of railway tracks were electrified. Today in 2023, this has increased to a whopping 58,424 kilometres. This is almost 90% of the entire rail network in India.
5) Before 2014, the metro rail network in India was only about 229 kilometres operational in 5 cities. Today more than 20 cities have a metro rail network of 860 kilometres.
6) In 2014 India had only 74 operational airports, but today it has increased to 140—all thanks to the UDDAN scheme launched by the Modi government.
7) Financial inclusion was one of the significant challenges in India. Millions of people before 2014 were deprived of the banking system. But after 2014, under Jan Dhan Yojana, more than 55 crore people opened their bank accounts for the first time ever.
8) Remember when former prime Rajeev Gandhi once said that out of one rupee sent by the central government, only 20 paisa reach the people due to corruption? This is no longer the case today; direct benefit transfer linked with Aadhar is helping to stop leakages, and beneficiaries receive money directly in their bank accounts. Till now, 26.5 lakh crores have been sent to beneficiaries in their bank accounts.
9) With the help of AADHAR linkage to LPG connections, the Modi government gave a massive blow to the corrupt by eliminating a humongous 3.3 fake LPG beneficiaries. This step saves around 22,000 crores of taxpayers’ money in providing subsidies.
10) When we talk about the achievements of the Modi government, how can we forget to mention the UPI? Today this UPI is not just limited to India. It has become a global phenomenon. Now for every transaction, you don’t have to hold your wallet and take cash out of it. Take your smartphone out and scan the QR, and you are done with your transaction. Regarding digital transactions, today, India is at the number 1 spot.
11) The Modi government developed the idea of Jan Ausadhi stores to make medicines available at lower prices. Today almost all cities have Jan Ausadhi stores helping people to buy quality medicines at lower prices.
12) In 2014, the Indian economy was the 10th largest. Today in 2023, it is the fifth largest economy surpassing many bigwig nations like Canada and UK.
13) Regarding National security, one must note that Modi has done tremendously well. Before 2014, national security was gone for a toss. Bomb explosions and terror attacks had become the new normal. But today, intelligence units are working intensely, and India is in a safe environment.
14) The abrogation of Article 370 was a significant step in dealing with insurgency in Kashmir. It was also crucial for the all-round development of Kashmir. Modi government fulfilled this historic promise.
15) Another historic promise from a cultural perspective fulfilled by the Modi government is construction of the Rama temple at Ayodhya. Modi government made this a reality which was looking impossible before 2014.
16) Tightening the FCRA rules for foreign funding was also a masterstroke for India’s national security. Under FCRA, the Modi government cancelled the license of more than 20,000 notorious NGOs receiving foreign funding illegally.
The list can go on, and it will be challenging for any writer to mention all their achievements in one column. However, in short, Modi in history will go down as one of the best Prime Ministers India ever had who delivered fairly on our aspirations which took work.
