As Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre completes nine years, here is a look at its major achievements.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Fuels LPG Revolution
India has achieved significant growth in LPG consumers in the past nine years. Nearly 17 crore LPG consumers have been added in the last 9 years. As per Ministry data, the active domestic LPG consumers in the country has increased from 14.52 crore in April 2014 to 31.36 crore as of March 2023.
This significant increase can be attributed to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) which has led to an increase in LPG coverage from just 62 per cent in 2016 to a whooping 104.1 per cent in the year 2022.
Holistic Growth with Rise in Higher Education Institutions
The government has taken significant measures to increase gateways to education for the youth by giving a boost to building Universities, IITs, IIMs, and similar institutions across the country. The number of universities in the country has seen a significant increase in the last 9 years, from 723 in 2014 to 1113 in 2023. In addition, 5,298 colleges have been built in the last 9 years (38,498 in 2014 to 43,796 in 2023), thereby increasing student access to education across the country.
It is noteworthy that 43 per cent of universities and 61.4 per cent of colleges are located in rural areas. In addition, With 7 IITs and 7 IIMs built over the last 9 years the Modi government has ensured the betterment of opportunities for students.
Impetus to Road Infrastructure under Bharatmala Pariyojana
India has about 63.73 lakh kilometres of road network, which is the second largest network in the world. The National Highways play a crucial role in enabling efficient movement of goods and vehicles, connecting people and has contributed a lot to the economic and social development of the country.
PM Modi’s government has taken several steps in the last 9 years to increase the capacity of National Highways infrastructure in the country. Through a corridor-based National Highways development approach, the speed of construction continuously increased between 2014-15 and 2021-22. From construction of 12 km/day in 2014, it had increased to 29 km/day in 2021-22.
Empowering Women: Transformative Decline in Maternal Mortality Ratio
The PM Modi-led government has laid special emphasis towards women’s empowerment. As a result, a transformative decline has been noticed in the Maternal Mortality ratio.
Making Quality Medicines Affordable for All
To make sure that quality medicines are affordable to all classes of people, the Modi government has taken several steps leading to a rise in affordability by the poor. Ayushman Bharat Yojana has been one of the pioneer steps in this direction.
Digital Revolution: Transforming India’s Economy through Digital Transactions
The PM Modi government has laid special emphasis towards digitisation, with ‘Digital India’ being the flag bearer scheme. This has resulted in the number of digital and UPI transactions skyrocketing between 2014 to 2023.
Revolutionizing Medical Education in India
The PM Modi government has also laid special emphasis on revolutionalising medical education in the country. As a result, a huge rise has been witnessed in the number of medical institutes in the country.
The Road to Peace: North East India’s Journey to End Insurgency
The North East region has experienced a road towards peace under the nine years of the Modi government. Insurgency has been eliminated in many areas, and the insurgent groups have been brought to the discussion table leading to the establishment of peace in the region.
Jal Jeevan Mission: Har Ghar Jal
The Modi government had set water availability as one of its major priorities. As a result, the number of houses with tap water connections has increased manifold in the last nine years. This also includes tap water connections in rural areas.
Record Growth in the Number of Airports in India
Record growth has been witnessed under the Modi government in the number of airports. The number has risen manifold from 2014 to 2023 leading to better commuting and travel facilities for the people and assistance in economic growth.
City Gas Distribution Network: Energizing Households
City Gas Distribution (CDG), Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and Compressed Natural (CNG) play an important role. The Natural gas pipelines help in promoting sustainable development, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing pollution.
In the year 2014, the reach availability of the CDG network was in only 66 cities. In 2023, this network reached 630 districts. Also, the number of PNG connections has increased from just 25.40 lakh in 2014 to 103.93 lakh in 2023.
From Endangered to Flourishing: India’s 9-year Wildlife Conservation Journey
India is home to 75 per cent of the world’s tiger population. Recently, a report on the Status of Tigers in India was released, indicating a growth in the tiger population to 3167 from 2226, thus a 42 per cent increase in the number of tigers, since 2014.
India currently boasts the highest number of leopards and tigers. The leopard population has increased by more than 60 per cent from 2014 to 2018. India is the only country in the world to have Asiatic lions, whose numbers have also increased in the past few years.
India’s Wetlands Wonder Multiply
India has one of the largest networks of Ramsar Sites in Asia. Wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability and overall human well-being. As part of dedicated efforts to preserve ecosystems, India now has 75 Wetlands of International Importance designated as Ramsar sites covering an area of 1.33 million ha across the country.
While, from 1982 to 2013, a total of 26 sites were added to the list of Ramsar Sites. From 2014 to 2023, the country added 49 new wetlands to the list of Ramsar Sites. During 2022 itself, a total of 28 sites were declared as Ramsar Sites, the ministry stated.
Laying Down the Tracks of Development and Connectivity
The PM Modi government has taken up construction of two Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) namely the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) from Ludhiana, Punjab to Sonnagar, Bihar (1337 Km) and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal, Maharashtra to Dadri, Uttar Pradesh (1506 Km).
Starting from scratch in 2014, 886 km of work (66.27 per cent) on EDFC, and 863 km of work (57.30 per cent) on WDFC have been completed (as on March 22, 2023). The remarkable progress can be gauged from a 9.6 times increase in expenditure incurred (including land for these projects) from Rs 10,357 crores in 2013-14 to Rs 99,872 crores as on March 22, 2023.
Railway Electrification: Paving the Way for a Sustainable Future
Railway electrification offers a sustainable and efficient mode of transportation that is free from environmental pollution and dependency on fossil fuels. Between India’s independence and 2014, only 21,413 route kilometres (RKMs) of railway tracks were electrified as per the ministry.
However, over the past 9 years, the pace of electrification in India has accelerated significantly, with a record-breaking 37,011 Route kms (RKM) of tracks being electrified in the last nine years alone. A total of 58,424 RKMs have been electrified, which accounts for 90 per cent of Indian railways.
Rejuvenating India’s Cultural and Spiritual Heritage
The PM Modi government is committed to bringing antiquities and artefacts from all over the world. Through the ages, innumerable priceless artworks with deep cultural and religious importance were stolen and smuggled to foreign countries.
As per ministry data, India has received 251 priceless antiquities of Indian origin back from various countries by April 24, 2023. Of these, 238 have been repatriated since 2014. In addition, about 72 items are in the process of being repatriated from various countries.
From Idea to Innovation: Igniting the Startup Landscape in India
Under the PM Modi government, startups are undergoing rapid development. As a result, India becomes the country with the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world. Since the inception of the Startup India program, the number of startup units has increased by 225 per cent.
While in 2016, there were only 442 startups in the country, now the number has increased to 99,371 (by May 14, 2023), according to ministry data. At present, at least one startup is operating in every State and union territory of the country. More than 100 unicorns are also operating in India. This has also resulted in the creation of 8.93 lakh jobs in the country since the start of the program.
Enhancing Urban Mobility: India’s Metro Rail Transformation
The Modi government has focussed on the metro rail transformation to deal with the problems of rapid urbanisation and rising population.
Before 2014, only five cities in India had a 229 k m rail network. By April 2023, 860 km of metro rail network is operational in 20 cities. Before 2014, the monthly average of metro lines started was 0.68 km, which has increased to 5.6 km per month.
India’s Techade: Broadband Connections Grow Exponentially
Broadband services have expanded rapidly in the last 9 years under the Modi government, which has resulted in a positive impact on the economy and society.
As per the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India had 6.1 crore broadband connections in 2014. Now, the number has increased to 83.22 crore in 2023 (Till December 31, 2022). Out of these, 79.98 crore connections are wireless while 3.23 crore are wirelines.
India’s Commitment to Food Security: Ensuring Availability and Accessibility for All
The Modi government is committed to ensuring foodgrain availability and nutrition for its people. To ensure no one sleeps hungry, the Central Government provides subsidized food grains to States under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and other welfare schemes, including Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
As per the Ministry, over the last 9 years, food subsidy amounting to a total of Rs. 4.04 lakh crore has been released to DCP states, while Rs. 14.48 lakh crore has been released to FCI. The Modi government has also decided to provide free-of-cost foodgrains to around 80 crore NFSA beneficiaries for one year from January 01, 2023, to December 31, 2023.
PMAY(U) results in over 800 per cent Increase in Urban Houses
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), which was launched in 2015 is bridging the urban housing shortage among the lower income group (LIG) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category and providing affordable housing to eligible urban households
As per the Ministry, between 2004 and 2014, only 8.04 lakh houses were completed. While, 2015 onwards, more than 74 lakh houses have been constructed (by May 24, 2023). There has been a significant growth in central assistance, which was only Rs 0.20 lakh during the period 2004-2014, and now stands at Rs 2.01 lakh crores.
This report is filed by ANI news service.
