The three year governance of BJP-led NDA deserves cheer, with Prime Minister Modi ushering in a new epoch for growth
Call it the permanence of fallacy of human kind, skepticism has been at the core of our existence. And as Bertrand Russell had rightly said, “Dogmatism and
scepticism are both, in a sense, absolute philosophies; one is certain of knowing, the other of not knowing. What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of knowledge or ignorance.” For the past 36 months, ever since Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister, the certainty of ignorance or denial has barely dissipated.
Scepticism of a tiny yet vocal minority has continued to flourish in monstrous abundance despite the big thumbs by people to all that Modi does. As he completes three years, it may not be out of context to enlist three major paradigm shifts that Modi has engineered. And wouldn’t that be akin to three cheers to India's most admired, dynamic and visionary Prime Minister — much to the chagrin of the scepticsIJ
Shitalaben Bavalbhai Miyani of Jharavaliya gram panchayat in Barwala tehsil of Ahmedabad district is one among lakhs of women who are celebrating a unique freedom — freedom from smoke in their homes which perennially choked their lungs and kept their eyes moist. They just got rid of an age-old practice of cooking on old chullah, which got replaced by lPG cylinders under the ambitious Ujjawala programme.
Raghav Singh of Bihar can't hide his glee at the fact that he can get his angioplasty done at Rs 30,000 at a premium hospital in New Delhi; a dream come true. Anju Negi of Rishikesh is pleased as punch at the fact that she is able to get medicines for her ailing husband at much lower cost than she paid in the past. She is among over 19 lakh families who are getting hugely subsidised medicines at Government-run Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) Stores.
In last two years, 83 AMRIT stores have sprung up across the country offering branded medicine at discounted prices and saving patients an estimated Rs 100 crore. Ensconced in a dogmatic world, the tiny vocal skeptics are not inclined to appreciate the massive social benefits accruing to millions of silent Indians. Social empowerment is fast turning into entitlements, and that's a huge paradigm shift that one must credit the Modi Government with.
Bobby has featured in this column earlier. Shooed away by old-styled manager of a Government-run bank from opening an account under the Jan Dhan Yojana, he had approached this writer and his problem found resolution through two tweets. Digital enablement has got a major boost under Prime Minister Modi and that augur so well for the future of India. For many years we have heard stories of digital divide without finding any concrete solutions.
Today we find sincere, concerted efforts in this direction. What else would explain the tie-up of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology better known as MeitY with tech giant Google for initiatives like Digital Unlocked, that aims to train one lakh artisans per year across the country and enable them to tap into newer markets through improved visibility of their products on internet. This second paradigm shift is too glaring to ignore.
And the third shift is rather tectonic, with accountability and accessibility of the Government finding a new idiom today. Modi's ministers are in constant dialogue with people and use all possible mediums to reach out, inform, update and educate. Information is massively democratised.
Modi takes the lead through his Mann ki Baat and makes sure to share his ideas and vision but not before he has created extraordinary celebrities in ordinary people by glorifying their unique efforts. Not sure if in past our systems ever allowed a Prime Minister to go beyond conventional framework and engage with people so intensely.
There is little doubt we have seen unprecedented change in both style and substance of governance besides, of course a massive cultural and psychological overhaul. For a country yearning to turn into a super power, these changes mean a lot, and undoubtedly Modi as the trigger and driver, deserves three big cheers. Sceptics be damned!
(The writer is a strategic communications professional)