15 landmark initiatives of Modi sarkar in 2015
The BJP-led NDA government at the Centre remained in the news during 2015 for several wrong reasons, such as the polarising comments of fringe elements, party functionaries, MPs and even some Union ministers. Some issues like beef ban, cow slaughter, Dadri lynching, award wapsi and the intolerance debate were blown out of proportion. However, in the midst of the dust raised by these controversies, the Modi government took several initiatives, which, if pursued with gusto, can change the fate of the country.
1. Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (One India, Supreme India)" for the first time on Sardar Patel's birth anniversary on October 31 with the aim to unite and integrate the nation as well as promote diversity and tolerance. Under this, every state is asked to choose another state each year and promote its language and culture. The scheme also involves a student exchange programme.
2. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
In order to save girl children and promote their education, Modi launched the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save your daughter, educate your daughter) scheme on January 22. The national campaign is primarily aimed at arresting the continuous decline in the Child Sex Ratio (CSR) since 1961. India has seen a sharp decline in the CSR from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001 and further to 918 in 2011. The objectives of this initiative are prevention of gender-biased sex selective elimination, ensuring survival and protection of the girl child as well as ensuring their education and participation.
To make parents feel proud of their daughters, Modi also launched the social media campaign #SelfieWithDaughter, which received a resounding response not only nationally, but also internationally. The campaign went viral and it became an international movement of sorts.
3. Mudra mission
In order to support 5.75-crore small entrepreneurs, Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (Mudra) Yojana on April 8. While only 1.25 crore people find employment in large industries, 12 crore people are employed in small enterprises. The scheme focuses on these 5.75 crore self-employed people who use funds of Rs 11 lakh crore, with an average per unit debt of merely Rs 17,000 to employ 12 crore Indians. The scheme is aimed at “funding the unfunded” through the Mudra mission. The Mudra mission will disburse loan to small businesses through different stages of growth termed as Shishu, Kishor and Tarun. The Shishu stage encompasses the start of the business. The loan cover in this stage is up to Rs 50,000. An entrepreneur is eligible for a loan ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh under the Kishor stage, while one gets loan up to Rs 10 lakh in the Tarun stage.
4. Skill Develpoment scheme
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)’s flagship Skill Development scheme was launched by the PM on July 15 to open up job opportunities for a vast majority of young Indians who acquire skills through informal channels or work in the unorganised sector. This outcome-based skill training scheme aims to incentivise young people to enrol in skill development initiatives by providing a monetary reward to every young person who successfully completes an approved skill training programme, with an affiliated training provider. Under the scheme, 24 lakh youth across India will be trained in one year.
5. Digital India
A programme to transform India into a digitally-empowered society and knowledge economy and prepare her for a knowledge future. The focus is on making technology central to enabling change. It is an umbrella programme covering many departments. There are nine pillars of Digital India: (1) Broadband Highways (2) Universal Access to Phones (3) Public Internet Access Programme (4) E-Governance – Reforming government through Technology (5) e-Kranti – Electronic delivery of services (6) Information for all electronics manufacturing (7) Electronics manufacturing (8) IT for Jobs (9) Early harvest programmes. The last one aims at providing services like Wi-Fi in all universities and creation of public Wi-Fi hotspots in cities with the population of over one million, as well as tourist centres in order to promote digital cities. Besides, all schools will be converted into e-books. SMS-based weather information and disaster alerts and a national portal for missing children will also be provided under this.
6. Smart Cities mission
For core infrastructure needed for decent living in urban areas, the Centre has launched Smart Cities mission to set in motion the process of urban transformation to enable better living and drive economic growth. With the aim to achieve “inclusive growth”, the mission promotes integrated city planning. It focuses on area development through retrofitting, redevelopment and green field development or a combination of these with pan-city solutions as a mandatory component. The government has selected 98 cities which together have a population of about 13 crore, accounting for over 35 per cent of the country’s urban population. Along with the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Smart Cities Mission will benefit 80 per cent of total urban population with enhanced quality of life.
8. Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)
“Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)” was launched on December 5 as a nation-wide flagship campaign for achieving universal accessibility that will enable persons with disabilities to gain access for equal opportunity, live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life in an inclusive society. The campaign is aimed at achieving accessibility of built environment, transport, and an information and communication eco-system. It seeks to make at least 50 per cent of all government buildings in the national capital and state capitals “fully accessible” for the differently-abled by July 2018. Deadlines have also been fixed to make airports and railway stations accessible for the differently-abled, whom the PM in his latest "Mann ki Baat" monthly radio programme described as "Divyang" (people with extraordinary abilities) instead of "viklang" (handicapped).
9. Nationwide registration of organ donors
India is suffering an acute shortage of organ and tissues leading to death or permanent disability of a large number of people who could not only have survived, but would also have led a normal life. On November 27, the Union health ministry launched a nationwide registration of National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) in view of the huge gap in demand and supply of organs like kidney, liver and heart transplantation. The donation of other organs and tissues like lungs, pancreas, small intestines, blood vessels, bones, bone marrow, cartilage, connective tissues, eyes, heart valves and skin has too remain at a very low level. Donation of critical organs and tissues is the need of the hour and the government should take this up even more vigorously throughout the country. A sustained campaign to ward off superstitions and appealing to people to come forward voluntarily to donate organs is very much required at this stage.
10. LED-lighting programme
Modi had symbolically replaced one bulb in South Block with an LED bulb on January 5, launching a scheme for LED bulb distribution under the domestic efficient lighting programme in Delhi; and the National Programme for LED-based Home and Street Lighting. Describing the LED bulb as a “Prakash Path” (way to light), he had rightly called for making energy conservation through its spread a people’s movement. The government's efforts have borne some fruit and a general awareness has happened in the cities to replace CFL and general bulbs and tubelights with LED bulbs. The initiative is part of the government’s efforts to spread the message of energy efficiency in the country. LED bulbs have a very long life, almost 50 times more than ordinary bulbs, and 8-10 times that of CFLs, and, therefore, provide both energy and cost savings in the medium term. The prime minister had launched a web-based system to enable consumers in Delhi to register requests for procuring LED bulbs under Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP). Consumers can register either through the programme website (www.eeslindia.org/Delhi-Launch). The entire project of installing LED bulbs for domestic and street-lighting in 100 cities is targeted for completion by March 2016.
11. Auction of mines
The Centre amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957 through the MMDR Amendment Ordinance, 2015, which was promulgated on the January 12, 2015. The MMDR Amendment Bill, 2015 to replace the MMDR Amendment Ordinance, 2015 was later passed by the Parliament and has come into force. The most important provision of the MMDR Amendment Act, 2015 is the grant of mineral concessions for major minerals including iron ore, through auction by competitive bidding. This is a transparent and non-discriminatory method and which will also obtain for the state governments its fair share of value of the mineral resources. As per the MMDR Amendment Act, 2015, state governments will conduct auction for grant of mineral concessions. The central government prescribes the terms and conditions, and procedure, subject to which the auction shall be conducted, including the bidding parameters for the selection. This has done away with any scope for corruption and accrue earnings to the nation.
12. India-Bangladesh border agreement
July 31 was a historic day as more than 150 enclaves were swapped between India and Bangladesh after 1947. People living in these pockets got to choose their citizenship. While about 37,000 people lived in 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh, 14,000 lived in 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India along the 4,000-km porous border between the two countries.
13. 33 per cent quota for women in police
The government reserved 33 per cent of the police strength for women in the lower levels of seven Union Territories of India. The decision was taken in view of the rising crimes against women. Besides checking these crimes, the initiative also aims to increase the representation of women in the police force and gender-sensitise it. That the situation is heavily weighed against women can be gauged from the fact that of 80,000 personnel in Delhi Police, women make up for just 10 per cent(8,000), which is among the best in the country. Though Bihar has agreed to follow it in principle, other states should also emulate the Centre.
14. Declassification of Netaji files
The Centre submitted the first lot of 33 classified files related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to the National Archives of India on December 4. In all, the PMO will release 58 files in its possession on January 23, 2016 - Netaji's birth anniversary. Soon after Modi met 35 members of Netaji's family at his 7 Race Course Road residence in the capital on October 14, he had announced about the Centre's decision to declassify all the files related to the leader. This will bring to an end a mystery around Netaji's disappearance and bring to light the several conspiracy theories, one of them being India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's role. The files have the potential to malign the Congress and particularly the Nehru-Gandhi family, and change the course of Indian politics.
15. International diplomacy
This has been one of Modi sarkar's highest points. Just before the year drew to a close, the prime minister pulled a coup of sorts by making an unscheduled stopover to Pakistan on his return from Kabul on Nawaz Sharif's birthday on December 25. Except for the Congress, Modi's initiative was praised by every party - even the Opposition parties in Pakistan and other countries. This was preceded by a meeting between Modi and Sharif on the sidelines of the COP21 climate change conference in Paris on November 21, NSA-level talks in Bangkok and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to Pakistan earlier this month.
The developments are being viewed positively. India's ties with other countries like the P5 - the US, the UK, France, China and Russia - have seen improvement and so have its relations with others, be it African countries, Australia, Japan, Southeast Asian, Central Asian and West Asian countries.
Our relations with other neighbouring countries have also strengthened during the past year. Better ties with all these countries will not only ensure larger investment, but also lead to successful implementation of schemes like Make in India.