Today, on May 26, 2015, ModiSarkar completes one full year in power. Clarity in its vision of holistic development and decisiveness in policy matters have been the hallmarks of Modi government in the first 365 days. While there has been stiff resistance from various political groups over policy matters and reforms, the Modi government’s consistent focus on proactive dialogue and deliberation has helped it to align regional goals and aspirations with national development objectives.
An analysis done by newspatrolling.com reveals that the primary focus areas of Modi government in the first 365 days include the fight against corruption; efforts to bring back the millions of black money alleged to have been deposited in foreign tax havens;transparency in governance; renewed disinvestment of government owned businesses; defense upgrades to counter balance the growing might of regional players such as China and also to protect our global assets; progressive tax reforms such as the Goods & Services tax (GST); enabling financial empowerment to the masses (successfully done via the jandhanscheme); and a slew of social security schemes (accident insurance, life insurance and pension plans).
Another key highlight of the first 365 days of ModiSarkaristhe foreign visits of Modi himself. Modi’s foreign visits have helped improve bilateral ties and get access to foreign investment opportunities. Japan has pledged to invest around USD 30 billion in DMIC (Delhi-Mumbai Investment Corridor) whereas China has pledged to invest around USD 22 billion spread across sectors such as iron & steel, power infrastructure, and renewable energy. With Australia, Modi has signed progressive deals to supply uranium. A similar deal has been signed with Canada as well. With the United States, Modi has managed to convince the country to drop the rule of nuclear fuel tracking, which will help in securing nuclear fuel for several upcoming nuclear power projects in India.Modi’s foreign visits have also helped spruce up relations with its smaller neighbors such as Bhutan, Nepal, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Mangolia.
Data available with newspatrolling.com shows some key developments such as increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by 40 percent during the last fiscal, increase in indirect tax collections, and improvement in the bad loan situation. The economy is currently at a growth rate in the range of 7.5 to 8 percent, which is likely to accelerate when the pace of reforms picks up in the coming years.
A lot has been done, and yet a lot still remains to be done. India has come a long way during ModiSarkar’s first 365 days, but it has still a long way to go in the next 4 years. Key challenges internally would be to handle the regular interference and opposition by regional political groups over policy matters, handling terrorism and Maoist insurgency, reducing poverty and promoting equality, land reforms, education, employment, etc. In the international arena, India would be expected to lend a helping hand to its smaller neighbors as well as to act as a counter weight to the growing clout of countries such as China, both economically as well as militarily. What ModiSarkar achieves in the future remains to be seen. We wish all the best to Modi government and hope that India rises to new heights socially, economically, and politically in the next 4 years. May the “acche din” become a reality for every Indian.
