On May 30, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed nine years in office. On this day in 2019, PM Modi took oath as the head of the state for the second consecutive term. In these nine years, Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre has achieved many milestones and delivered on many manifesto promises. There were unprecedented challenges in between like the Covid-19 pandemic that put the country’s progress on hold for a few months but the country bounced back with flying colours, thanks to the strong leadership at the centre.
9 years of unwavering dedication to the nation’s growth.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 30, 2023
I invite everyone to visit this site https://t.co/jWxyZLPPcU to get a glimpse of our development journey. It also gives an opportunity to highlight how people have benefited from various Government schemes. #9YearsOfSeva
In these nine years, the Modi government has made sure to put out the numbers in real-time via several dashboards across departments and ministries. OpIndia had a look at the manifestos of 2014 and 2019 to check the achievements of the government based on the promises made by the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections as well as the challenges faced by the country.
Abrogation of Article 370 and annulling Article 35A
In its manifesto, BJP talked about its commitment to the abrogation of Article 370 and the annulment of Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. The promise was fulfilled in less than three months after coming back to power in 2019. On August 5, 2019, the Government of India announced the abrogation of Article 370 and annulled Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. With the decision, the government also transformed Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory and separated Ladakh to form another UT ruled directly by the central government. Since the abrogation, Jammu and Kashmir has seen rapid development in several sectors.
Ram Mandir and the development of holy sites
BJP talked about its commitment to building the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and the development of holy sites across the country in its manifesto. Cultural development was an important part of the BJP’s manifesto. On November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Hindu Paksha and gave disputed land to Hindus to build Bhavya Ram Mandir. Without wasting any time, the government of India formed the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust.
A special donation collection drive was initiated by the trust to collect funds for the construction and Hindus across the globe participated in it. On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Mandir and the construction of the Bhavya Ram Mandir in Ayodhya started. The Mandir will be open to the public in January 2024.
Furthermore, after PM Modi took charge, several projects to develop, renovate and rejuvenate sacred Hindu sites and other religious sites have commenced that include the development of Kedarnath, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, Mahakal Corridor, and more. As the PM won the election from Varanasi, he has worked extensively on the development of the holy city.
The Covid-19 challenge
One of the biggest challenges faced by the country during the second term of PM Modi was the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 started spreading in India in early 2020. In March 2020, the Government of India decided to impose a nationwide lockdown to control the spread. Though it contained the virus to some extent, the second wave hit India hard. We lost over 5,00,000 lives to the pandemic and thousands lost their livelihood. The direct and indirect impact of the pandemic on the people showed how unprepared our health sector was.
India did not have testing centres, sufficient ICUs, and not even made-in-India PPE kits. By the time pandemic hit India, we were importing a lot of products including PPE kits from China. As the pandemic originated in China, its supply chain suffered badly. As per reports, there were only 2.75 lakhs PPE kits available at that time in the country.
There was no time to find another source and the government of India pulled its sleeves right on time. From manufacturing almost zero PPE kits, India became a PPE manufacturing giant in the coming months. GoI worked on a war footing to ensure hospitals, doctors, healthcare workers, and frontline workers get the required supply of PPE kits. Within two months of the nationwide lockdown, India developed its own PPE kits. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Textile worked together with the industry to ensure seamless supply.
A similar case was with the N95 masks, hand sanitisers, and other products. India not only maintained supply for the local market but also exported and gifted products to other nations in need.
While capable minds across industries worked to ensure supply to the healthcare sector did not get hampered, the scientists in India worked extensively to create an indigenous vaccine. Simultaneously, the Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the country, started manufacturing the Covishield vaccine in India. Covishield was developed by AstraZeneca. The indigenous vaccine Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech was ready in record time.
There was a lot of pressure on the Indian Government to allow vaccines by Pfizer but owing to the conditions put on the table by the company, GoI decided not to go for it.
India also developed a state-of-the-art CoWIN platform to track the Covid-19 vaccination drive in real time. So far, 220.66 crores doses of vaccine have been administered in India. Over 95.19 crore people have received two doses of the vaccine and over 22 crore people have received a precautionary third dose. There are still 261 vaccination centres active across the country out of which 191 are being run by the government and 70 are private.
Another shock that India received was the lack of medical oxygen during the second wave of Covid-19. The government took it as a lesson and the result came in the form of around 2,500 oxygen plants commissioned at government hospitals across the country by October 2021.
The advancements in the health sector
In the last nine years, the Government of India has worked extensively to improve the health sector in the country. When PM Modi took charge in 2014, there was only one fully operational AIIMS and six semi-operational AIIMS. Under the leadership of PM Modi, the government of India worked extensively on increasing the number of AIIMS across the country so that people can get the best medical care at affordable rates in their own states.
At present, apart from Delhi AIIMS, there are six fully operational AIIMS which are Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur, and Rishikesh. Ten AIIMS in Raebareli, Gorakhpur, Mangalagiri, Nagpur, Bathinda, Bibinagar, Kalyani, Deoghar, Bilaspur, and Rajkot are semi-operational where MBBS classes and OPDs are running. At Guwahati, Jammu, and Madurai AIIMS, MBBS classes have commenced. Awantipora, Manethi and Darbanga AIIMS are under construction. With operational, semi-operational, under construction, and newly announced AIIMS, the total has reached to 22. In March 2022, PM Modi said all 22 AIIMS will be fully operational by 2025.
Furthermore, the number of medical colleges has increased by 70 percent. There were 387 medical colleges in 2014, while in 2023, the number increased to 660.
The BJP-led central government launched a flagship healthcare scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna’ to ensure universal healthcare coverage for poor families. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which covers health records in digital form via Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts, made it possible to provide medical care to the needy.
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) has also played a vital role in enabling the marginalised section of society to access high-quality generic medicine. Under the scheme, over 9,000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) have been opened by the Government of India that provide generic medicines up to 70 percent cheaper than the market price.
These shops sell around 1,800 medicines and 280 surgical instruments at affordable prices. Similarly, AMRIT pharmacies have around 5,000 drugs, stents, implants and surgical disposables, and other consumables at up to 60 percent lesser prices compared to the general market. Not to forget, Jan Aushadhi Kendras sell sanitary napkins at just Re 1 making them easily accessible to women from marginalised backgrounds.
GoI has supported AYUSH and its off-shoot Ayurveda Aahara extensively to provide holistic healthcare facilities to the people of India. For women, several projects were started and pushed forward since PM Modi came to power. Programs like Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN), Mission Indradhanush (MI), PM POSHAN scheme, and other programs have provided women and children with better care during pregnancy and after birth. Maternal care was an important part of BJP’s manifesto and the government under the party has worked extensively in the field.
So far the government has created over 38 crore ABHA accounts. Over 18 crore patients have received care under the AYUSH doctrine. Over 3.9 crore pregnant women have received medical care under PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan. Over 9.55 lakh TB patients have been adopted by Ni-Kshya Mitras. Over 5.65 crore mothers and children have been protected because of Mission Indradhanush. Programs like e-Sanjeevani have marked the 11 crore milestone of teleconsultations.
LPG connections more than doubled in nine years
When the Modi government came to power, only 14.52 crore households had access to LPG connections. The government started Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to expand its reach and save women from harmful emissions. By March 2023, the number of LPG connections stand at 31.36 crore which means that in just nine years, the government has more than doubled the LPG connections. LPG coverage in India rose from 62% in 2016 (launch of the scheme) to over 104% in 2022.
The education Sector
In its manifesto, BJP talked extensively about improving the education sector. Digitisation of books and online courses has been a landmark decision of the Modi government. Under the present government, the education sector saw a lot of changes.
New Education Policy 2020 aimed at shifting the focus to providing a breeding ground for foundational thought from the very beginning. Notably, around 400 NCERT books have been digitised and are available for free to download. The government has opened new IITs and IIMs to provide students with better chances at higher education at affordable prices. Around 350 new universities have been established since 2014.
As per the data available, 43 percent of the universities and 61.4 percent of the colleges are now located in rural areas. Modi government opened 7 IITs and 7 IIMs since it came to power in 2014. When PM Modi took charge in 2014, there were 723 universities in the country and the number now stands at 1,113. Furthermore, there were 38,498 colleges in India in 2014 which has increased to 43,796 in 2023. That means, in just nine years, new 5,298 colleges have been built in the country which would not have been possible without Government’s intervention.
The road infrastructure
For any country to progress, road infrastructure holds the utmost importance. The government emphasised extensively connecting the country via the road network. India has around 63.73 lakh kilometres of road network which is the second largest in the world. In the last nine years, using a corridor-based National Highways development approach, the construction of roads has increased from 12 KM a day in 2014 to 29 KM a day in 2021-22.
GoI has also concentrated on building border infrastructure. Notably, in the last five years alone, the GoI has built over 13,525+ KM of roads connecting borders.
Connecting rural areas to cities improves connectivity and helps in the transportation of goods between the two sides. Keeping in mind the importance of rural connectivity, GoI has built over 3.28 lakh KMs of rural roads since 2014 under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna. In the 2019 manifesto, BJP talked about connecting rural areas to the cities under Rural Road Upgradation Programme and worked extensively to fulfill the promise.
Digital revolution
There was a time when the opposition laughed at the Modi government’s plan to bring the digital revolution into the banking sector. No one believed when the government aspired to see roadside vendors using digital transactions. With commitment and one step at a time, the Modi government made it possible and emphasised extensively improving digital infrastructure.
From Jan Dhan Accounts to Aadhar connectivity, promoting Rupay cards and UPI, the Modi government’s initiatives helped in increasing digital transactions. In its manifesto, BJP talked about promoting and increasing digital transactions which it did. To put things in perspective, there were 21 banks linked to UPI in August 2016 and the number of digital transactions stood at 0.09 million worth 3.09 crores. In April 2023, 414 banks are connected to UPI.
Furthermore, the Modi government emphasised Direct Benefit Transfer or DBT under which monetary benefits were directly transferred to beneficiaries’ accounts. In nine years, the government has transferred over 29 lakh crores under different welfare schemes cutting out middlemen and plugging leakages. The government has saved over 2.23 lakh crores by transferring funds through DBT.
Saubhagya and Har Ghar Jal
Two important missions under the Modi government, named, Saubhagya and Har Ghar Jal have benefitted crores of Indians. Over 8 crore households have benefitted from Jal Jeevan Mission and received tap water connections. Over three crore households have been electrified under Saubhagya Yojana ensuring 99.9 percent coverage of electricity. Both schemes were part of BJP’s manifesto.
Other important achievements of the Modi government in nine years
BJP aimed at improving the lives of farmers in the country. Under welfare schemes like Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), GoI has provided free food grains to over 80 crore people. Food subsidy amounting to a total of Rs 4.04 lakh crore has been released to the states. Rs 14.48 crore has been released to FCI. The free food grains scheme under NFSA that started during Covid has been extended till December 31, 2023.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban) has resulted in an 800 percent increase in Urban Houses. Records suggest over 8.04 lakh houses were completed between 2004 and 2014 under the scheme. 2015 on wants, over 74 lakh houses were constructed.
Rs 7,558 crore+ worth of loans has been sanctioned under Stand Up India to SC/ST communities.
Rs 5,182 crores have been disbursed in 42.87 lakh accounts under the PM SVANidhi scheme.
Over 48.9 crores of Jan Dhan Accounts have been opened.
Over 4 crore houses have been sanctioned under PM Awas Yojana.
Over 28.90 crore unorganised workers are now registered on E-Shram Portal.
Over 11 crore toilets have been constructed.
Over 33.48 crore people have been enrolled under PM Suraksha Bima Yojana.
Over 27.7 crore collateral-free loans have been sanctioned under Mudra loans.
Welfare schemes for farmers including short-term collateral-free loans, pension schemes for old farmers, subsidised seeds, and fertilisers are some of the benefits this government has brought on the ground. Furthermore, the soil card, Fasal Beema Yojna and Kisan credit card have helped crores of farmers across the country.
More details can be seen at Performance Dashboard of GoI.
