The current Narendra Modi led NDA government has rolled out many significant initiatives including Make In India, Swachh Bharat, Digital India and others. But there are several initiatives of the Modi Government that have made a significant impact on the country and yet have received far too little attention.
Here are five changes which are comparatively lesser known but are likely to produce strong positive impact in the long run.
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)
For long, Industrialists could borrow as much as they wanted from banks and default without any impact
As explained in this article earlier, IBC (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code) is a significant reform which is effectively addressing Bank NPAs worth INR 10 lakh crores ($150 billion) and bringing the money back into the system.
Aspirational Districts
For the ‘Aspirational Districts Programme’, 115 districts of the country that are socially and economically backward have been selected. At each district level, data is collected on 49 indicators across five core dimensions.
The 5 dimensions are:
- Health and nutrition
- Education
- Financial inclusion
- Agriculture & water resources
- Skill development & basic infrastructure
This ground level data is then used for tailored policy-making and development. Districts are encouraged to first catch-up with the best district within their state and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country, by competing with and learning from others.
Aspirational Districts program has resulted in a series of social and infrastructure development activities in some of the most backward pockets of the country that host more than 20% of the country’s population.
Bio-toilets in Trains:
The Indian Railways has gone through a transformative change under the Modi Government. Another initiative which has received less attention in the process is the installation of 1,25,000 bio-toilets in train coaches.
Jointly developed by engineers of Indian Railways and DRDO, these are modern technology mechanisms which convert human waste into water and gases before discharging them onto tracks. This initiative will go a long way in improving the hygiene and cleanliness of railway tracks across the country
Did you know that @RailMinIndia has installed 1,25,000 bio-toilets in train coaches? @PiyushGoyal @PiyushGoyalOffc pic.twitter.com/6RDBzgcwVr
— CNBC-TV18 News (@CNBCTV18News) April 21, 2018
Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL)
Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) have been set up in 2,500 schools across India. By exposing children in classes VI to XII to emerging technologies like the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT), sensors, robotics and 3D printing etc., the project aims to “cultivate one million children as innovators of tomorrow”
Performance Dashboards
For the first time ever, the government has implemented dashboards which show real-time data and progress of government projects.
For example, the real-time status of rural electrification can be tracked on GARV Dashboard and the status at each household level can be tracked on Saubhagya Dashboard. Even the real-time status of rural sanitation coverage can be tracked on Swachh Bharat Mission Dashboard.
A comprehensive dashboard showing real-time data and progress of all government projects including lengths of roads constructed, the volume of direct benefits transfer, number of village panchayats digitally connected by optical fibre network etc. is available.
This increased transparency has not only enabled people to evaluate the government on real numbers and data, it has also brought a corporate-like high performance driven work culture in government ministries
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) is likely to bring capital worth billions of dollars back into the system, Aspirational Districts may improve the lives of millions of Indians in some of the most backward areas of the country, Bio-toilets will improve cleanliness across the railways network, ATLs shall motivate millions of Indian children towards scientific innovation and performance dashboard will compel government ministries to perform and deliver actual results.
These changes are truly revolutionary and have the potential to transform the country in years to come.
