A Summary of PM Modi's Government Policies

 

A Summary of PM Modi's Government Policies

Since its reelection, the government has taken numerous policy initiatives. Some decisions such as revoking Jammu and Kashmir's special autonomy, criminalising triple talaq, building 36km highways daily, and passing citizenship legislation -- have proven contentious.

 

However, others have generally been welcomed: from building millions of toilets to end open defecation to providing affordable housing loans and subsidised cooking gas to poor families.

 

1. Make in India

 

Make in India is one of the government's key policies and is designed to encourage multinational and domestic firms to manufacture products in India, and encourage foreign investments across 25 sectors of its economy.

The goal was to increase manufacturing's contribution to the nation's overall economy, currently standing at 15%. Since services cannot alone achieve this feat, self-sufficiency in manufacturing must also be fostered in this country.

Since becoming PM, Narendra Modi has traveled around the globe to promote his program and attract investment, including persuading Airbus to explore manufacturing in India and meeting with US business leaders to encourage investment there. Furthermore, government policies have made doing business simpler by cutting red tape and streamlining license approval processes.

 Also Read: Make in India : Critical Analysis. 

 

2. Digital India

 

India has taken advantage of digital technologies by increasing internet penetration and offering affordable data plans, leading to technological disruption, increased public access to information and services and an explosion of tech start-ups.

The government has successfully been able to reduce costs associated with numerous projects, such as rural toilets and electricity provision. One of the world's prestigious medical journals praised Ayushman Bharat - a scheme that emphasizes universal healthcare coverage - for its success in doing this.

Jan Dhan Yojana is one such effort by the government that has shown tangible success: providing millions of poor families bank accounts and loans so that they may join formal economies, become more productive and reduce cash in circulation. Furthermore, its digital implementation has made India increasingly dependent on technology for efficiency and transparency purposes.

 

3. Skill India

 

This policy seeks to equip Indian youth with various skills so they can secure employment and improve their lives, thus contributing to economic development of India.

The Ministry of Skill Development oversees skill development efforts nationwide. This includes filling any gaps between demand and supply of skilled workers, creating vocational and technical training frameworks, up-grading existing abilities while developing new ones to suit current and future jobs.

This program seeks to offer everyone a chance at landing a blue-collar job and increasing productivity and decreasing poverty, benefiting rural populations as they will have the chance to earn more than their parents did while also experiencing greater dignity in life. It will bring positive change that will change people's outlooks on themselves and life itself.

 

4. Smart Cities

 

With 2.5 billion people projected to reside in urban areas by 2050, cities must focus on maintaining environmental, social and economic sustainability. Smart city initiatives provide one solution to accomplishing this: they allow citizens and local government authorities to initiate innovative projects using technology in order to enhance services.

Modi has pledged to build 36km of highways each day and has expanded funding for rural infrastructure by increasing funding to rural infrastructure programs like Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao. Furthermore, his radio talk show Mann Ki Baat can be heard nationwide.

 

5. Ayushman Bharat

 

Ayushman Bharat provides free or low cost health insurance to approximately 40% of India's population - landless households that depend heavily on manual casual labor for income, destitute households with no shelter and living off alms, manual scavenger families, primitive tribal groups and legally released bonded labor are among its beneficiaries.

This scheme consolidates the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna and Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme into one comprehensive system, offering cashless treatment at all government- and privately empanelled hospitals. Economists believe the plan will lead to greater household spending while simultaneously improving human capital in the long run.

Modi government priorities also include millions of toilets to reduce open defecation, housing loans and subsidies for cooking gas and piped water services. But its most groundbreaking initiative was undoubtedly its goods and services tax - an ambitious reform which reduced indirect taxes into one uniform tax rate.

 

6. Make in India Act

 

Modi began his efforts with the aim of turning India into an industrial powerhouse by initiating major national programs to boost manufacturing and attract foreign investment, including Make in India, GST reforms and key labour law reforms. Other notable programs are Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) which provided over 125.4 million bank accounts and Ujjwala Yojana which offered free cooking gas connections to poor households; both initiatives having a significant positive impact on people's lives.

Make in India was launched on September 25, 2014 as an initiative to revitalize India's manufacturing sector and diversify the economy. It aims to raise manufacturing's contribution to 25% of GDP; to achieve this, government is working alongside industry as an enabler rather than regulator; creating an entirely different dynamic between business and government interactions.

 

7. Digital India Act

 

After winning election in 2014, Modi unveiled schemes geared toward helping ordinary Indians while expanding India's international diplomatic relations. He even introduced paradiplomacy - giving federal states and cities freedom to strengthen relationships with countries or regions of their choice - while at the same time expanding India's diplomatic engagements abroad.

But the 23-year-old Information Technology Act cannot keep pace with an ever-evolving digital economy and increasingly sophisticated forms of cybercrime such as revenge porn, cyber stalking and trolling. To meet this challenge, an updated Digital India Act could set global standard cyber laws; regulate anticompetitive market practices from Big Tech; create data protection principles; etc. 

 

8. Smart Cities Act

 

Modi won the 2014 elections and immediately appointed Sushma Swaraj as India's foreign minister, forging closer ties with world leaders and emphasizing paradiplomacy - in which states and cities are allowed to build special relations with countries or regions of interest.

One major policy initiative was the launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July 2017. This reform reduced tax burdens while simultaneously cutting leakages, increasing GDP growth, and helping address an agrarian crisis weighing down on the economy - its sources may include outdated labour laws as well as low levels of agricultural expertise among farmers; inaction by government may exacerbate it further as it previously pledged during an election campaign to raise minimum support prices for staple crops such as wheat.

 

9. Digital India Policy

 

India, as the fastest-growing digital economy in the world, presents numerous opportunities for technological innovation. The government is focused on encouraging the use of digital technologies and has been working hard to promote greater digital adoption among citizens.

As one example, the government has reduced data prices in an effort to encourage more people to use mobile phones for internet access and increase user numbers while streamlining transactions between government bodies and businesses.

Nigeria is also making strides towards greater economic efficiency through online banking, allowing more small businesses and unbanked individuals to enter formal economy with no-frill bank accounts, creating greater transparency for government spending, as well as providing new services like telemedicine that reduce costs while improving healthcare quality - services which should make an enormous impactful difference on national economies.

 

10. Make in India Policy

 

After taking office, Modi launched the Make in India campaign which seeks to attract investments into manufacturing and exports by improving the business environment, increasing skills training, developing infrastructure quickly and fostering innovation - with an aim of increasing manufacturing's contribution to the economy while creating employment for young, skilled workers.

India's economic development will likely benefit greatly from this innovative plan. But its government must avoid making sudden announcements without having the ability to implement them; doing so could prove counterproductive, especially in sectors that rely on labor such as automotive, electronics and pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, identifying and nurturing sectors where India excels - such as technology or IT - is important in building a more diversified economy.