The Narendra Modi government will complete 9 years in office in two successive terms on 30 May. Bharatiya Janata Party has planned a month-long mass reach-out programme across the country.
Amid the celebrations of the 9th year anniversary of the govt, social media users are posting their top 9 picks for the achievements of the Modi government in the last nine years. The hashtag #9YearsOfModiGovernment was trending on Twitter as a result;
PM Modi today quote tweeted some of the tweets, saying that since morning he has been seeing many tweets on the hashtag #9YearsOfModiGovernment, in which people are highlighting what they have appreciated about the government since 2014.
Since morning, I am seeing many Tweets on #9YearsOfModiGovernment in which people are highlighting what they have appreciated about our Government since 2014. It is always humbling to receive such affection and it also gives me added strength to work even harder for the people.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 27, 2023
“It is always humbling to receive such affection and it also gives me added strength to work even harder for the people,” he added. The PM then quoted several tweets from people who have picked the top 9 achievements of the Modi government.
“We have covered much ground in the last 9 years and we want to do even more in the times to come so that we can build a strong and prosperous India in the Amrit Kaal,” he said, quoting such a tweet.
PM Modi said that his government has been able to deliver because people elected a stable government. “This unparalleled support is a source of great strength,” he said. Responding to another tweet, he wrote, “You have highlighted key infrastructure and ‘Ease of Living’ projects which have been very impactful at the grassroots level.”
We looked at the tweets posted under hashtag #9YearsOfModiGovernment by users with considerable followings and engagements, apart from the tweets quoted by PM Narendra Modi, to gauge which accomplishments of the Modi government are most popular among Twitter users. Here are the top 9 achievements of the government in the last 9 years, on the basis of the tweets posted by people.
1. Abrogation of Article 370
Abrogation of Article 370, along with Article 35A, the two articles in the Constitution of India that gave a special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir. The special status implied that Jammu and Kashmir was different from rest of the country, and was instrumental in fuelling separatism. The two articles were abrogated by the Modi government in 2019, fulfilling a poll promise.
Article 35A gave the state the right to determine who is a permanent resident of the state, which was added to the constitution by a presidential order, not by an amendment. Article 370 said that all the provisions of the Constitution of India do not apply to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and had listed the provisions that applied. While article 35A was abrogated and it no longer exists, article 370 was amended, and it remains in the constitution, saying that all the provision of the constitution also applies to the constitution.
Along with this, the state of Jammu and Kashmir was also bifurcated into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
2. Ram Mandir construction, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor and others
For BJP, the construction of a grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and freeing other ancient Hindu temples converted to mosques by Islamic rulers always have been a major promise. The dream of crores of Hindus came true on 2019, and the Supreme Court of India delivered its verdict in decades on Ram Janambhoomi – Babri Masjid title dispute, handing the entire disputed premises to Hindu parties.
Following the order, while the Hindu petitioners started the construction of the temple, the Modi govt contributed by facilitating the process. Less than a year later in August 2020, Narendra Modi conducted the Bhoomi Poojan of the Ram Mandir.
Another important achievement of the Modi government, according to social media users, was the freeing the Kashi Vishwanath temple and its surroundings from encroachments. The Kashi Vishwanath corridor was inaugurated in December 2021, which connects the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple with the holy ghats along the river Ganga.
During the demolitions for the project, several ancient temples were also discovered, which was hidden by constructions around them. Some such constructions were done deliberately to hide the Hindu temples so that they are not demolished like the original Kashi Vishwanath temple by Islamic rulers, but with time, those hidden temples were forgotten.
The Modi government has also taken up projects rejuvenate many other old temples across the country, which has been listed as an achievement by people.
3. Covid handling, vaccine
Almost all people who listed achievements of the Modi government thinks that its handling of the Coronavirus pandemic was a success. They appreciated how the govt acted swiftly after the pandemic hit the country, and how several vaccines were developed in the country with active participation of the government.
After that, the government of India ran world’s largest free immunisation program, under which over 200 crore doses of made-in-India Covid-19 vaccines have been administered. The Cowin platform developed to administer the vaccination program has been another success.
The Covid pandemic also saw India becoming self-reliant in medical items like personal protection equipment, which mainly were imported earlier.
4. UPI, digital economy
Social media users have pointed out that India’s transformation into a digital economy, primarily led by UPI of the NCPI, is one of the major achievements of the government. Today, India leads in terms of using digital translations, where even roadside vendors accept digital payments even for very small amounts.
The QR code which has become an integral part of India’s retail businesses have been widely covered by international media, marvelling how one can shop anything in India without the use of cash. People also listed demonetisation as one of the successes, as the temporary shortage of cash after withdrawing ₹500 and ₹1000 notes had accelerated the growth of the use of online transactions.
Today UPI is the most successful payment system in the world, with millions and users and billions of transactions every month.
5. Financial inclusion
The next achievement of the government, according to social media users who listed top 9 achievements of the govt, is the various steps taken by the govt for financial inclusion of people, most of those who were not associated with the banking system earlier. The JAM trinity, Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile, has been one of the major successes of the govt in bringing people into the formal financial system.
Under Jan Dhan Yojana, almost 50 crore people have got their bank accounts made. Apart from this, people also listed the Mudra loan scheme, and the Direct Benefit Transfer of subsidies as other achievements in the sector.
One major instrument in financial inclusion has been the Rupay card, which has been able to displace global majors like Visa and Mastercard in payment systems.
6. Infrastructure
Another major achievement of the government that most people have included in their lists is the massive development in the infrastructure sector in the country. People have noted the rapid construction of highways, expressways and other roads, massive expansion of the railway network and introduction of the made-in-India Vande Bharat Express train, and the Udaan scheme in civil aviation.
7. Swach Bharat, Jal Shakti
From day one in the office, PM Modi has been stressing on sanitation, clean water, and end of open defecation. According to people, the government has succeeded in its mission of cleaning India and providing clean water to people.
Under the Swachh Bharat mission, over 3 lakh villages have declared open defecation free, over 2.5 lakh villages have liquid waste management facilities, and almost 2 lakh have solid waste management arrangements.
Several schemes have been launched under Jal Shakti to improve the availability and quality of water in the country.
8. GST, Economy
Many people believe that the govt has succeeded in reforming the financial system and improving the economy. Implementation of the GST was a major milestone, which made doing business much easier by removing several different taxes and included them in Goods and Services Tax. It also eliminated barriers to inter-state trade by removing taxes.
Similarly, the PLI and other schemes have been lists as successes by the people in enhancing investment in the country. Several people have included financial stability, increasing GDP as major successes of the government.
9. Welfare schemes
Successful welfare schemes have a major hallmark of the Modi government, and many people have included it in their top 9 achievement lists. Schemes like the Ujjwala Scheme, Ayushman Bharat scheme, Housing scheme, monetary benefits given to farmers have benefited large number of people.
Apart from these nine picked by most people, many also listed development and better inclusion of northeastern states, foreign policy, indigenisation of the defence sector etc as the major achievements of the govt.
