We need Action not Acts

Published By : Admin | May 14, 2014 | 14:31 IST


“The need of the hour is a bureaucratic shift!  Governments boast of giving people the new rights but the Constitution of India has already provided us with many rights. What we need are not more new Acts – we need action”

Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi is well known to be a man of action. He has repeatedly emphasized that decisive action is the need of the hour in our Country to ensure Good Governance. We have seen how over the past decade the Central Government has been merely content with just passing new Acts while being little concerned with whether these Acts had translated into concrete action on the ground.  Legislation is often a lengthy process and by the time a new Act is passed, the ground situation would have most likely changed significantly rendering it ineffective.

But unfortunately the focus of the UPA Government has been on legislating new Acts with scant regard to the ground level realities of India.

Narendra Modi has demonstrated out of the box thinking on various occasions on how tangible benefits may be delivered to the people by taking decisive action.

When Narendra Modi took over as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he observed that the school dropout rate was very high in Gujarat. He also felt the need to encourage and motivate students and parents with regard to the importance of education. A need was also felt to do a qualitative assessment of the large number of Government run schools. In such a scenario he came out with a multi-pronged effort, which transformed the education sector in Gujarat.

He came up with a novel idea of starting ‘Shala Praveshotsavs’ where all Government functionaries would go to the villages before schools re-open to boost and sustain student enrollment. Inspite of the scorching heat, all Government functionaries visited the remotest of villages and participated in Shala Praveshotsavs to make sure children start school in a festive mood. After analyzing the reasons for high female dropout rates in schools, it was discovered that the lack of toilets for girls was the main cause. Toilets for the girl child were built in schools all over Gujarat.

Narendra Modi also took the very novel step of introducing Quality Assessment in schools. It has been a norm in our country to analyze schools only through the prism of infrastructure i.e. size of classrooms, toilets and drinking water facilities. Narendra Modi went a step ahead and developed a school quality assessment programme called Gunotsav in Gujarat. Such an assessment had been done previously only in business schools in our country!

Narendra Modi, with his out of the box thinking also proved to be a change agent in the field of agriculture. While over 55% of our country’s population is involved in agriculture, growth in this field remains around 3% for the last decade. On the other hand Gujarat, which has never been an agricultural state, has seen a growth of around 11% in the field of agriculture in the last decade. Despite large arid areas and depleting water levels, Gujarat achieved a significant turn-around in agriculture. Again it was Narendra Modi’s innovative steps, which brought about the change.

One of the most important interventions in this regard has been the Agriculture Extension service in the form of ‘Krishi Mahotsavs’. With these Mahotsavs, the Government made sure scientific training and guidance was imparted to farmers in each district of the state. They were encouraged to use drip irrigation and other innovative methods. They were also given scientific advice on the use of fertilizers and pesticides. While the citizens of this country still do not have a universal health card, Narendra Modi made sure farmers got their soil samples tested and rated on Soil Health Cards, so that they could understand the characteristics of their soil. Even their cattle’s health problems were diagnosed and treated. He also made sure irrigation facilities increased rapidly and constructed a large number of check dams and similar structures.

Narendra Modi’s actions in the Energy Sector have revolutionized it and made sure citizens get uninterrupted 24-hour power supply, which is a distant dream in many other parts of the country. When he took over as Chief Minister, the Gujarat Electricity Board was running huge losses and people had to face a lot of power cuts. It is to Narendra Modi’s credit that he had the vision to think differently.In India, whenever a PSU is doing badly, either it is bailed out on tax-payers money, or is privatized. Narendra Modi chose a third option i.e. to professionalize the PSU. He divided the PSU into multiple units and special attention was given to cut down T&D losses. Electricity theft was punished severely and meters were installed in all rural areas. Today, not only is the company making a handsome profit, but people in the state have not seen a power cut for years.

Similarly it was observed that farmers in the state were getting power intermittently as in the case with rest of the country. Narendra Modi’s government came up with the Jyotigram Project, which bifurcated the feeders for agriculture and domestic use. As a result farmers get 24-hour electricity in their homes and a regulated 8-hour supply for their farms. The Centre even recommended this scheme to the other states.

Gujarat Empowers the Power Sector

These examples show how existing systems and processes can be improved and innovated upon to benefit the people of this country without the need for legislating laws. All one has to have is the will power and conviction to change things on the ground. Actions speak louder than Acts!

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PM Modi’s Vision Fuels Delhi’s Development
April 12, 2024

“Delhi has the good fortune to get an opportunity of keeping the flag of nations' prestige flying high.”
- PM Narendra Modi as Delhi prepared to host the G20 Summit

The last ten years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government have set in motion the creation of a New India—from rural to urban, from water to electricity, from houses to health, from education to employment, from castes to classes—a comprehensive plan bringing growth and prosperity to each doorstep.

The National Capital Territory of Delhi has emerged as a pivotal part of this dynamic developmental momentum spearheaded by PM Modi throughout this transformative decade.

The city has been at the heart of the infrastructural shift that has given a dedicated facelift to the entire nation. Today infrastructural marvels like Atal Setu, Chenab Bridge, Statue of Unity, and Zojila Tunnel dot India’s ever-evolving landscape.

With its focus on revamping transportation networks, upgrading urban amenities, and expanding digital infrastructure, the Modi government has launched an array of transformative initiatives. From railways, highways to airports, these initiatives have been key in galvanising inclusive and sustainable development across the length and breadth of the country.

The impressive expansion of the metro rail network has revolutionised urban commuting in India. From a mere 5 cities in 2014, the metro rail network now serves 21 cities across the nation—expanding from 248 km in 2014 to 945 km by 2024, with 919 km of lines under construction in 26 additional cities.

The Union Cabinet has recently approved two new corridors of Delhi Metro Phase-IV—Lajpat Nagar to Saket G-Block and Inderlok to Indraprastha. Both the lines have a combined length of over 20 kms with a project cost of over Rs. 8,000 crore (funding being sourced from the Union Govt, Govt of Delhi, and international agencies). The Inderlok- Indraprastha line will play a significant role in enhancing connectivity to the Bahadurgarh region of Haryana. Additionally, India’s first Namo Bharat train, operating on the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor further underlines the Modi government’s commitment to enhancing regional connectivity and upgrading its transportation infrastructure.

Further, the Bharatmala Pariyojana envisages improved logistics efficiency and connectivity via the development of nearly 35,000 km of National Highway corridors. 25 greenfield high-speed corridors have been planned under the plan out of which four intersect with Delhi’s growing infra capacity: Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Expressway, and the Urban Extension Road-II. The total project length sanctioned for Delhi is 203 km with an allocation of over Rs. 18,000 crore.

Over the past decade, the Modi government has consistently dedicated efforts towards augmenting capacity and decongestion of airports. After the IGI Airport Delhi became the first airport in the country to have four runways and an elevated taxiway, the expanded state-of-the-art Terminal 1 has also been inaugurated recently. In addition, the upcoming Noida International Airport (Jewar) shall further contribute to decongestion of the Delhi airport which is serving millions of passengers annually.

Besides, the inauguration of the New Parliament has further added civilisational yet modern connotations to the city’s landscape. Inauguration of the Yashobhoomi (India International Convention & Expo Centre) has given Delhi India’s largest convention and exhibition centre, offering a mixed purpose tourism experience. Along with Yashobhoomi, the Bharat Mandapam, a world-class convention and exhibition centre, showcases India to the world.

In terms of welfare, the Modi government has launched several schemes benefitting people hitherto on the margins of growth and development. Women’s safety in Delhi has been a key concern. To address the same, the Modi government strengthened the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 by increasing the quantum of punishment for rape, including capital punishment for rape of a girlchild below the age of 12.

The Union Home Ministry established a separate Women Safety Division back in 2018. One-stop centers, Sakhi Niwas, Safe City Project, Nirbhaya Fund, SHe-Box, Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences, and Cri-MAC (Crime Multi-Agency Center) among others are significant additions in the government’s campaign towards women safety.

In addition, Swachh Bharat Mission, PM Ujjwala Yojana, PM Matru Vandana Yojana, and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao have further led to the empowerment of Nari Shakti in India.

As India becomes the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world, Delhi is also contributing significantly towards this development. Today over 13,000 DPIIT-recognised startups are functioning in Delhi even as the government is promoting self-employment through PM MUDRA Yojana with over 2.3 lakh loans sanctioned worth over Rs. 3,000 crore for FY2023-24 (as on 26.01.2024).

PM SVANidhi, which provides collateral free loans to street vendors, is supporting over 1.67 lakh beneficiaries in Delhi. Further, under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana, launched in 2020 to incentivise employers for creation of new employment and restoration of loss of employment during Covid-19 pandemic, over 2.2 lakh employees benefitted in Delhi.

Further, nearly 30,000 houses have been sanctioned and completed in Delhi under PM Awas Yojana (Urban).

Air pollution has been a recurring problem for the people of Delhi. Conscious of this reality, the central government has launched the National Clean Air Programme as a national level strategy to reduce air pollution level across the country.

The Modi government's tenure over the last decade has brought about a remarkable transformation in Delhi across various fronts. From infrastructure development to governance reforms, from education to employment, the government's initiatives have left an indelible mark on the capital city. As Delhi continues on its journey of progress and development, the contributions of the Modi government are set to shape its future trajectory for years to come.