Modi's NDA 365
We want everyone’s progress and development but it is as important that we take everybody along with us. This election symbolized new hope, I have such able colleagues with me and with guidance from my senior leaders, I have full faith that the responsibility which was given to me on September 13, 2013 and which was completed on May 16, 2014 and with the new responsibility given to me today, I assure you that when we meet in 2019, I will place before you my report card. I will try and achieve the pinnacle of perseverance and hard work.
- PM Narendra Modi in his speech in the Central hall of Parliament on May 19,2014.
It has been a year since the NDA government assumed office. It is agreed that one year is short for analyzing the performance of a government since the first year is mostly a continuation of policies of the previous government and at least three years are necessary for a concrete outcome. Nevertheless, the last year has been quite eventful to guess where the government will take the country in 2019.
The Parliament:
Equipped with a clear majority in the Lower House the NDA has been able to push legislations but has come under severe opposition in the Upper House where it doesn't have the necessary numbers. Since, any bill needs to be passed in both the houses to become a law, there is difficulty in enabling laws at will by the government.
The bias of the Speaker towards the ruling party is not new but there has been instances where few decisions were undemocratic - like the rejection of the post of Leader of Opposition.
Governance:
A significant change is the abolition of the Planning commission and the establishment of a new body called the ''NITI Aayog" which is seen as a measure to promote federalism where in the states will have a greater say in the planning process. Though the blue print of the new body looks promising its effectiveness will be felt only after it begins to formulate and function.
Participation of people in the governance process has been given a thrust by the establishment of ''mygov.in'' wherein people share their ideas and discussions take place on specific issues of governance.
But the transparency of the government has come in question evident from the fact that the Chief Information Commissioner ( Chief responsible for overseeing RTI applications ) post has been lying vacant for nearly a year.
The projects Jan dhan yojana which facilitated opening of more than 10 crore bank accounts for financial inclusion of the poor and Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG cylinders are significant achievements. On the other hand the success of the government's ''Clean India'' mission will largely depend on behavioral attitude of the citizens which needs a different kind of approach. Apart from there are many schemes with fancy names but time will tell whether they can be effective.
Legislations:
The Bill which has been debated most widely in the last one year is the amendments to the ''The Right to fair compensation and rehabilitation bill on Land Acquisition''. In a nut shell, the amendments are to do away with the (1)Social Impact Assessments and (2)consent of people before acquiring land, for specific projects as they are the prime reasons stated by the industry for stalling.
Though the amendments are to strike a balance between the farmers and the industry( the Bill promises 4 times the price on the market value of the land acquired ) the inability of the government to justify this argument has cast a cloud on its pro-farmer campaign preceding elections.
The monsoon session will hold the answer for the landmark Goods and Service Tax Bill which hopes to bring about a common indirect tax regime in the country.
Economy:
With the international oil prices going in for a steep fall, the government has delinked the petrol prices. Though the benefits has not been completely passed on to the consumer, there has been a fall in general price level.
The growth rate of 7.1% as projected by the government is severely contested by several agencies. Many feel that the rise in the number is due to changes in calculations and doesn't present the true picture of the economy whereas the government contends that the changes in calculations are more comprehensive.
The greatest debacle for the NDA was its goose chase of the black money trail. The government has been trying to find a few names by setting up a special investigating team but nothing comprehensive has been revealed.
There were two domains where there was significant change which could be visualized- Social and Diplomacy.
Social:
Right from the call to make the 'Bhagavat Gita' the text of the nation to an MP calling for women to bear more children, there was no dearth of avoidable polarizing irrational statements during the one year in the Parliament.
Beyond parliament the rise of communal elements was very visible. There were few attacks on minority institutions, government functioned on the religious festival of minorities. Conversion to other religions on rationality is accepted but there were reports that there were large scale forcible conversions and reconversions.
There were irresponsible statements which were made during the science congress too, where there was marriage of mythology to science on unacceptable proportions, with a paper claiming that aircraft has been invented before two centuries! and the honorable PM himself talking about India's expertise in plastic surgery by quoting the example of a Hindu god , Ganesha!
There will be real threat to the social fabric and the scientific temper of the country if such incidents continue. But it is the most expected from an alliance which believes in right wing ideology.
Diplomacy:
Diplomacy is the domain where the new regime has infused a positive vibrancy across the globe. One has to credit the honorable PM for the global positive outlook which India has gained in the last one year.
There has been a slew of economic and strategic agreements with USA, Japan, Australia, Canada, France and Germany. The President of the country visited Vietnam, Norway, Russia and Finland. Evacuation of many foreign nationals during the Yemeni crisis is laudable.
The government has been rightly cautious in dealing with the neighbors. With the passage of the long standing Land Boundary Agreement, relationships with Bangladesh should smoothen and should pave way for solving issues of illegal migrants.
The change of government in Sri Lanka should enable India to gain some foothold which it lost during the tenure of its former President.
There hasn't been any significant thaw in relationship with Pakistan. It would be made possible only when Pakistan resolves its internal conflicts.
But the greatest threat comes form China. With its ''one road, one belt'' initiative it tries to circumspect the Indian ocean region and undermine India's presence. China has also scored over India in the friendship with Russia, Iran and Afghanistan.
Balancing China in the next four years will be the greatest challenge for the Modi government.
It is widely agreed that so far it has been a one-man show. The honorable PM has overshadowed his colleagues and is seen as the driving force of the country. If he is the driving force and could take credit for the diplomatic initiatives, then his silence on the issues of disruption of communal harmony is deafening. The government should remember that progress is possible only when all the entities of the nation prosper. Growth must be inclusive, not just in economics but in other spheres too. Winning the applause of the Indian diaspora would not help if the citizens of the country are in despair over unseasonal rains and in fear over uneasy comments.
- PM Narendra Modi in his speech in the Central hall of Parliament on May 19,2014.
It has been a year since the NDA government assumed office. It is agreed that one year is short for analyzing the performance of a government since the first year is mostly a continuation of policies of the previous government and at least three years are necessary for a concrete outcome. Nevertheless, the last year has been quite eventful to guess where the government will take the country in 2019.
The Parliament:
Equipped with a clear majority in the Lower House the NDA has been able to push legislations but has come under severe opposition in the Upper House where it doesn't have the necessary numbers. Since, any bill needs to be passed in both the houses to become a law, there is difficulty in enabling laws at will by the government.
The bias of the Speaker towards the ruling party is not new but there has been instances where few decisions were undemocratic - like the rejection of the post of Leader of Opposition.
Governance:
A significant change is the abolition of the Planning commission and the establishment of a new body called the ''NITI Aayog" which is seen as a measure to promote federalism where in the states will have a greater say in the planning process. Though the blue print of the new body looks promising its effectiveness will be felt only after it begins to formulate and function.
Participation of people in the governance process has been given a thrust by the establishment of ''mygov.in'' wherein people share their ideas and discussions take place on specific issues of governance.
But the transparency of the government has come in question evident from the fact that the Chief Information Commissioner ( Chief responsible for overseeing RTI applications ) post has been lying vacant for nearly a year.
The projects Jan dhan yojana which facilitated opening of more than 10 crore bank accounts for financial inclusion of the poor and Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG cylinders are significant achievements. On the other hand the success of the government's ''Clean India'' mission will largely depend on behavioral attitude of the citizens which needs a different kind of approach. Apart from there are many schemes with fancy names but time will tell whether they can be effective.
Legislations:
The Bill which has been debated most widely in the last one year is the amendments to the ''The Right to fair compensation and rehabilitation bill on Land Acquisition''. In a nut shell, the amendments are to do away with the (1)Social Impact Assessments and (2)consent of people before acquiring land, for specific projects as they are the prime reasons stated by the industry for stalling.
Though the amendments are to strike a balance between the farmers and the industry( the Bill promises 4 times the price on the market value of the land acquired ) the inability of the government to justify this argument has cast a cloud on its pro-farmer campaign preceding elections.
The monsoon session will hold the answer for the landmark Goods and Service Tax Bill which hopes to bring about a common indirect tax regime in the country.
Economy:
With the international oil prices going in for a steep fall, the government has delinked the petrol prices. Though the benefits has not been completely passed on to the consumer, there has been a fall in general price level.
The growth rate of 7.1% as projected by the government is severely contested by several agencies. Many feel that the rise in the number is due to changes in calculations and doesn't present the true picture of the economy whereas the government contends that the changes in calculations are more comprehensive.
The greatest debacle for the NDA was its goose chase of the black money trail. The government has been trying to find a few names by setting up a special investigating team but nothing comprehensive has been revealed.
There were two domains where there was significant change which could be visualized- Social and Diplomacy.
Social:
Right from the call to make the 'Bhagavat Gita' the text of the nation to an MP calling for women to bear more children, there was no dearth of avoidable polarizing irrational statements during the one year in the Parliament.
Beyond parliament the rise of communal elements was very visible. There were few attacks on minority institutions, government functioned on the religious festival of minorities. Conversion to other religions on rationality is accepted but there were reports that there were large scale forcible conversions and reconversions.
There were irresponsible statements which were made during the science congress too, where there was marriage of mythology to science on unacceptable proportions, with a paper claiming that aircraft has been invented before two centuries! and the honorable PM himself talking about India's expertise in plastic surgery by quoting the example of a Hindu god , Ganesha!
There will be real threat to the social fabric and the scientific temper of the country if such incidents continue. But it is the most expected from an alliance which believes in right wing ideology.
Diplomacy:
Diplomacy is the domain where the new regime has infused a positive vibrancy across the globe. One has to credit the honorable PM for the global positive outlook which India has gained in the last one year.
There has been a slew of economic and strategic agreements with USA, Japan, Australia, Canada, France and Germany. The President of the country visited Vietnam, Norway, Russia and Finland. Evacuation of many foreign nationals during the Yemeni crisis is laudable.
The government has been rightly cautious in dealing with the neighbors. With the passage of the long standing Land Boundary Agreement, relationships with Bangladesh should smoothen and should pave way for solving issues of illegal migrants.
The change of government in Sri Lanka should enable India to gain some foothold which it lost during the tenure of its former President.
There hasn't been any significant thaw in relationship with Pakistan. It would be made possible only when Pakistan resolves its internal conflicts.
But the greatest threat comes form China. With its ''one road, one belt'' initiative it tries to circumspect the Indian ocean region and undermine India's presence. China has also scored over India in the friendship with Russia, Iran and Afghanistan.
Balancing China in the next four years will be the greatest challenge for the Modi government.
It is widely agreed that so far it has been a one-man show. The honorable PM has overshadowed his colleagues and is seen as the driving force of the country. If he is the driving force and could take credit for the diplomatic initiatives, then his silence on the issues of disruption of communal harmony is deafening. The government should remember that progress is possible only when all the entities of the nation prosper. Growth must be inclusive, not just in economics but in other spheres too. Winning the applause of the Indian diaspora would not help if the citizens of the country are in despair over unseasonal rains and in fear over uneasy comments.
Nice one!
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, first year is not as successful as projected during elections.
Thanks Vinodh, I do agree with you. We'll still have to wait and see how things shape up in the upcoming years
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