 "100 days of Modi 3.0: From infrastructure to agriculture and empowerment of women, the report card")
On June 9, Narendra Modi was sworn as Prime Minister of India for the third time.
On Tuesday, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government will complete 100 days in office – on the same day that Modi turns 74.
Modi on Monday said his government had in the first 100 days of its third term tried to address every sector and factor to help the country make rapid progress.
“In the first 100 days (of the Union government’s third term) you can witness our priorities, speed and scale. We have tried to address every sector and factor which are required for rapid progress of the country,” Modi said.
The prime minister was addressing the 4th edition of Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST 2024) in Gandhinagar.
“India’s diversity, scale, capacity, potential and performance are unique and that is the reason I say Indian solutions for global application,” he added.
India is preparing the base for development for the next 1000 years and the focus is not just to reach the top but to sustain the rank, Modi said.
He added that the world feels that India is the best bet for the 21st Century.
Let’s take a look back at the Modi 3.0 report card:
Infrastructure
Infrastructure has been one of the top priorities of the Modi government.
The BJP-led NDA government has approved infrastructure projects worth Rs 3 lakh crore with a focus on roads, railways, ports, and airways.
Source in the government say increasing capital expenditure to Rs 11.11 lakh crore will lead to job creation.
“We must understand that employment doesn’t mean govt jobs only as several long-duration projects are planned with a focus on creating jobs,” a source told the newspaper.
This includes linking 25,000 unconnected villages to road networks and building a mega port at Vadhvan in Maharashtra around 130 kilometres from Mumbai.
Modi in August laid the foundation of the Vadhvan port – which he said would be among the top 10 ports in the world.
The development came months after the Union Cabinet chaired by the prime minister approved the development of an “all-weather greenfield deepdraft major port."
Under the Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Scheme-4 (PMGSY-IV), approval was granted to the construction/upgradation of 62,500 km of roads and bridges to connect 25,000 unconnected villages, with central assistance of Rs 49,000 crore.
Many of these unconnected villages have a population of less than 100.
The government has also approved strengthening India’s road network with an investment of Rs 50,600 crore,
This includes a go-ahead for eight National High-Speed Road Corridor Projects spanning 936 kilometres.
Modi also carried out the first blast to mark the beginning of the construction of the Shinkhun-La Tunnel, to connect Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh.
Five new districts have been created in Ladakh (Zanskar, Dras, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang), making a total of 7 districts (including Leh and Kargil)
The government has approved eight new railway line projects for faster and convenient travel by train generating 4.42 crore human-days of employment.
In the civil aviation sector, the government approved the development of the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi and new civil enclaves at Bagdogra in West Bengal and Bihta in Bihar.
New airstrips will also be built at Agatti and Minicoy in Lakshadweep islands.
The government has also approved the expansion of Phase 3 of the Bangalore Metro, Pune Metro, and the Thane Integral Ring Metro Rail Project.
The government has also launched the Purvoday Scheme – a plan for the comprehensive development of Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh.
Agriculture
The Centre has also focussed on agriculture and improving the lot of farmers.
Modi began his third term by releasing the 17th installment of Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi wherein it distributed Rs 20,000 crore to 9.3 crore farmers.
Thus far, Rs 3 lakh crore has been distributed to a total of 12 crore and 33 lakh farmers.
The government increased the minimum support price for Kharif crops, removing the minimum export price on onions and basmati rice and hiking the duty on the import of crude palm, soybean and sunflower oils.
It said an increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops for 2024-25 has benefitted around 12 crore farmers.
The Centre has decided to remove the Minimum Export Price (MEP) on onions and basmati rice and reduce the export duty on onions from 40 per cent to 20 per cent which can likely benefit the farmers.
The government has initiated several agricultural schemes and development projects worth Rs 3,300 crore in Jammu and Kashmir.
During his first visit to Varanasi in June, PM Modi honoured 30,000 ‘Krishi Sakhis’ from self-help groups for their role in agriculture.
The Centre also approved Polavaram Irrigation Project in Andhra Pradesh at a cost of Rs 12,100 crore.
The Centre has also approved seven major schemes with a total outlay of Rs 14,200 crore, including: Digital Agriculture Mission to enhance efficiency and productivity in the agricultural sector.
The government has also launched a new fund named Agrisure, aimed at revolutionising the agricultural sector and supporting startups and rural enterprises.
The Centre has said it is putting the finishing touches on a national cooperative policy.
It had established a 48-member national level committee under the chairmanship of former Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu.
The policy envisages establishment of new multipurpose PACS or primary dairy/ fishery cooperative societies covering all the uncoveredPanchayat/ villages ofthe country in the next five years, through convergence of various GOI schemes, including Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF), National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Fisheries & Aquaculture Infrastructure Fund (FIDF).
The sources also mentioned that under a MoU between the National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) and the Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board, the NCOL will purchase organic produce from Uttarakhand’s farmers at rates for farmers.
“An appropriate share of the profits will be directly deposited into the farmers’ accounts,” they said.
“The conversion of cooperative sugar mills’ ethanol production units into multi-feed facilities will enable ethanol production from maize as well,” the sources added.
Empowerment of women and youth
The Centre has established over 90 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) for women.
This has helped 10 crore women to promote financial inclusion, digital literacy, sustainable livelihoods and social development measures.
The government had released a Rs 2,500 crore Community Investment Fund that had benefitted 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh SHGs and further approved bank loans worth Rs 5,000 crore, benefiting 25.8 lakh members of 2,35,400 SHGs.
The Prime Minister has awarded certificates to 11 lakh new lakhpati didis.
According to government figures now more than 1 crore lakhpati didis earn more than Rs 1 lakh per year.
“Those questioning the govt on jobs, the emergence of lakhpati didis in such a number is an answer to them,” a senior government functionary told The Times of India.
The MUDRA loan has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.
The Centre also declared a package of Rs 2 lakh crore to promote employment and skill development among the youth.
The goal is to benefit 41 million youth over the next 5 years.
The Centre says 1 crore youth will receive internships at top companies, along with allowances and one-time assistance.
The target is to skill 20 lakh youth, with improvements to 1,000 industrial training institutes.
The central government has made over 15,000 new appointments.
“When you see the achievements across segments, you find a beautiful picture emerging,” an official told The Tribune.
Ease of Doing Business
The Centre has improved the Ease of Doing Business by abolishing the angel tax for investors of all classes.
The angel tax – which refers to the income tax that the government imposes on funding raised by unlisted companies, or startups, if their valuation exceeds the company’s fair market value – was introduced in 2012 by the then UPA government.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had said the move would mainly help emerging sectors like deeptech, artificial intelligence, clean energy, among others, which require a large amount of capital at an early stage.
The Centre also brought down the rate of corporate tax from 40 per cent to 35 per cent to attract foreign capital flow.
It is setting up a Rs 1,000 crore venture capital fund for space sector startups.
Approval has been given for the Gen-Next Support for Innovation Startups (GENESIS) program to support Start-Ups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
The government has made 140 changes to the Goods and Services Tax to help businesses.
The government will provide financial and tax incentives for startups and MSMEs.
The government has also integrated the e-Shram portal and the development of 12 industrial nodes to promote new industries and create employment.
Income tax reforms
In benefits to the middle class, no tax will be levied on income up to Rs seven lakh and salaried individuals can save up to Rs 17,500 in taxes.
The standard deduction increased to Rs 75,000 and the exemption limit for family pension was raised to Rs 25,000.
A comprehensive review of income tax rules will be conducted within six months to make them concise, clear, and easy to understand.
Benefits for employees
For government employees, a Unified Pension Scheme has been implemented wherein employees with 25 years of service will receive 50 per cent of their average basic salary as a pension.
For the first time, employees covered under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will receive an incentive amount of up to Rs 15,000 that will be provided in three installments.
Employees earning up to Rs 1 lakh will also benefit from the government’s contribution to EPFO.
The third iteration of the One Rank, One Pension scheme will be implemented for security forces and their families.
Housing, energy and environment
Under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’, 3 crore houses were approved which include one crore houses under the urban scheme and two crore homes for construction in rural areas.
Till date, 4.27 crore houses in both urban and rural areas have been built under the scheme.
Under ‘PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana’, solar energy systems have been installed in over 2.5 lakh homes between June and August 2024.
An environmentally-friendly public transport system will be developed through the ‘PM-eBus Sewa’ scheme and approval has been given for the purchase of e-buses with assistance of Rs 3,400 crore.
According to sources, the Centre has approved Rs 2,000 crore “Mission Mausam” to create a weather- and climate-resilient India.
Healthcare
The Union cabinet recently approved free health insurance of Rs 5 lakh for all senior citizens aged 70 and above under the the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
The AB PM-Jay is the world’s largest government-funded health insurance scheme.
This benefit will be extended to citizens ‘irrespective of income.’
Those aged 70 and above in families already covered by the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana would get a a top-up of Rs 5 lakh per year for themselves.
“We are committed to ensuring accessible, affordable and top-quality healthcare for every Indian. This scheme will ensure dignity, care and security to six crore citizens!” Modi wrote on X.
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said the decision would help 4.5 crore families in India.
The Centre has added 75,000 new medical seats.
This will help make the healthcare system more effective and reduce dependence on foreign medical education.
The National Medical Commission is preparing a National Medical Register to create a centralised repository of doctors in the country.
Defence and security
After three decades of violence, a peace agreement was made with NLFT and ATTF in Tripura.
Under this, 328 armed cadres renounced violence and joined the mainstream of society.
Disaster management
The Centre has launched the Urban Flood Management and Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Risk Mitigation Projects.
It has allocated Rs 6,350 crore for these projects.
The government, introducing the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, had approved Rs 12,554 crore for states to combat natural disasters.
Tribals
Under the Prime Minister’s Developed Tribal Village Campaign, 63,000 tribal villages will be developed.
This will improve the socio-economic status of 5 crore tribals.
As per India Today, the Centre has expanded its Namaste scheme to include waste pickers alongside sanitation workers.
This will improve their social standing and empower them economically.
Cybercrime
A ‘Samanvay’ platform has been introduced for all stakeholders dealing with cybercrime. In the next 5 years, 5,000 cyber commandos will be trained.
The Cyberdost mobile app has been launched for reporting cybercrimes.
In collaboration with banks and financial intermediaries, an advanced ‘Cyber Fraud Mitigation Center’ (CFMC) has been established at I4C. A suspect registry has been created, including mobile.
With inputs from agencies
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