A leader like no other…

Over the past 23 years, no other global leader has used adversity as an opportunity for growth. The extraordinary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seva bhav as head of government has led to revolutionary changes at both the state and national levels. Modi's rise from chief minister of Gujarat to prime minister of India (he is now in his third term) has been marked by bold initiatives, technological advances and a reinvention of India's role on the world stage. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will complete 23 years in public office, a term marked by a series of ambitious plans and initiatives widely seen as transformative, first in Gujarat and then in India, particularly in the areas of economic reform, sanitation and infrastructure and environmental protection.

When he became chief minister of Gujarat in 2001, he had to deal with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Kutch district. Many people died and those who survived were left destitute. Modi traveled to Kutch and oversaw the rehabilitation of the economy and people's lives. Under the creative leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the Raan of Kutch has emerged as a major tourist attraction.

A natural preference of the rural population, Modi dealt with the incessant power outages by separating domestic consumption from agricultural sector consumption and solving the problem of power outages. With a desire to keep the tribal children in school, Modi introduced solar power in all schools. Building on this and understanding the need for clean energy in his state, Modi introduced the “Rent a Roof” program, a way for people to get access to solar panels without having to bear the initial cost of owning them in order to use them to promote solar energy. The avant-garde rural electrification program Jyotigram Yojana ensured round-the-clock power supply to villages in Gujarat. The success of this program led to the launch of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana in 2015 when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister. The aim is to provide rural India with continuous electricity.

In fact, various projects launched during Narendra Modi's time as Chief Minister of Gujarat have since been successfully copied across India and have gained international recognition. These initiatives, ranging from sanitation and infrastructure to social welfare and community engagement, demonstrate his imaginative approach. The fact that the programs developed in Gujarat were eventually scaled up across the country demonstrates their relevance, scalability and adaptability – and shows how the interventions that benefited Gujarat residents have been effectively implemented across the country.

Nirmal Gujarat, for example, laid the foundation for the nationwide Swachh Bharat Mission launched in 2014, an initiative to improve sanitation that also aimed to eliminate outdoor defecation. The sanitation landscape in rural and urban areas has changed dramatically with over 120 million toilets built across India. Another example that has brought life-enhancing benefits was the transformation of the state-wide Jal Mandir initiative in Gujarat to the national level of the Jal Jeevan Mission, which has connected more than 151 million people. Households have been able to receive tap water since 2014. The Swajal Dhara program, introduced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure as chief minister of Gujarat, also focused on ensuring community participation in the management of rural water supply systems and emphasized the importance of clean and accessible drinking water for all. This initiative laid the foundation for the nationwide Har Ghar Jal Mission, launched under the Jal Jeevan Mission, which aims to provide piped water to every household in rural India by 2024.

The Mukhya Mantri GRUH Yojana (MMGY) forms the nationwide Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (2015) and Gramin (2016) and demonstrates Prime Minister Modi's government's commitment to building and providing pucca houses to transform the living conditions of the poor People in rural and urban areas. So far, 4 crore houses have been sanctioned under the scheme.

Gujarat's Kanya Kelavani Yojana has been converted into the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme, which focuses on preventing female foeticide and ensuring the survival, protection and education of girls.

The success of Mukhya Mantri Amrutam Yojana (2012) prompted the Prime Minister to launch Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in 2018 – the largest health insurance scheme in the world with coverage of up to Rs. 5 lakh per family and Year for hospitalizations in primary, secondary and tertiary care.

For example, the Digital India Mission has improved internet access and digital literacy across the country. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has transformed digital transactions, establishing India as a pioneer in real-time payments and providing a payment option to various countries in the Global South without the need for international payment aggregators. Digital India has also played an important role in the government's efforts to improve financial inclusion, supported by the Prime Minister's Jan Dhan Yojana, which opened 533 million new bank accounts. India's poverty rate has fallen from 55.1% in 2005 to 16.4% in 2021, lifting 415 million people out of poverty.

The digital initiative also includes StartUp India, which has created a vibrant startup environment with over 140,000 startup-recognized companies and provides direct employment to more than 1.5 million.

During his 23 years in office, Prime Minister Modi has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the India First strategy, a core tenet that guides his actions across all sectors. This ideology has shaped his approach to India's growth and development at home and abroad. It has also influenced its foreign policy initiatives, highlighting its strategic partnerships and role in building the world order.

Viksit Bharat lays out a vision for the country's future, including long-term development goals and an improved global status. This vision is based on India's 100th anniversary of independence in 2047, when he expects the country to attain the position of a developed nation.

(The author is a national spokesperson of BJP)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author