(Image source from: How Modi's 30 days of sarkaar has fared so far?})
Exactly a month ago from today, Narendra Modi took over as the new Prime Minister of India amid universal adulation and a pool of promises. Just a month in office and the changes, no matter how miniscule, are palpable.
While his admirers laud his great start - from redeeming the unyielding hand of a government system that stalled progress to biting the bullet on tough decisions to salvage India's plummeting economy - the detractors trash his month-long efforts as “minor cosmetic tweaks” that marked no paradigm shift in India's destiny as Modi had promised.
In the history of a nation, a span of 30-days might seem like a spit in the sea. That said, even in the first month, the Modi government kicked off its endeavors with a bang, making all the right noises and ensuring that there is no death of action. From inviting South Asian leaders to his swearing-in ceremony to trying to mend the fence with neighboring nations and from enforcing an accountable government to giving a free hand to bureaucracy, Modi's first month in office had been nothing but eventful. Let's take a look at the major milestones met during the first month.
# 1: Modi's Strong Message to India's netas and babus
Someone has rightly said: “Change begins from home.” And Modi seems to be following exactly that.
As soon as Modi assumed office, the first thing he did was to put his Ministers and babus on leash. Stringent orders on arriving at work in time, working late, not pending files for more than two days and working on weekends have been issued. For India's quintessential civil servants, use to working in laid- back, leisurely and casual pace with their daily engagements marked by cocktail parties, long lunches and periodic official vacations, all that is history now. It is now time for hard work and that too with accountability and within defined time limits.
#2: Stringent Control over Foreign Tours of Babus and Ministers
All thanks to Modi, now ministers cannot embark on needless foreign travels in the name of official work. Not only ministers and bureaucrats will have to notify their itinerary 10 days before the scheduled foreign trip, but will also have to provide reports about the things implemented from their learning from their previous visits before getting a sanction for the next leave. This is a tremendous move towards boosting government accountability and withholding the dangerous inclination of the people in power through bold decisions which none of the prior government had the gumption to take.
# 3: Blanket Ban on Foreign Funding of NGOs
The critical decision of Modi Government to blanket ban the foreign funding of NGOs in India, based on a crucial IB report is laudworthy. According to its new directive, every foreign funding must be routed through MHA and would be subject to clearance. The issue of foreign funding of NGOs creating all kinds of nuisance, disruptions and resistance to all developmental works in the country needs to be dealt with an iron hand. Such sinister activism to obstruct any kind of industrialization or developmental project has been costing India 2-3% of GDP per year. For a nation with a colossal population to feed and offer jobs, there had to be an end to this.
# 4: Faster Clearance of Defence and Industrial Projects
The decision of the Ministry of Environment to speed up the environmental clearance process of projects including those related to the defense and security that have been lying in limbo is a welcoming step. The issue of sustaining and protecting the environment is fine but can never be a reason for creating massive impediments in the path of economic development especially when at stake is generation of employment and commodities for a huge population as well as the security of the nation.
# 5: Raising the Rail Fare and Rightly So...
The decision of the NDA Government to hike rail fares is an extremely positive step. The burden of subsidy and lower passenger fare has pushed the rickety Indian Railways to an unmanageable debt of Rs 26,000 crore. Yes, the railways is losing around Rs 30 crore per day. Unless steps are taken to salvage it, the Indian Railways might go the way of Air India — an eternally sick child surviving on tax payers' money.
#6: Forming SIT for tracking India's vast amount of black money
The decision to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for tracking and bringing back huge amount of black money stashed abroad too deserves kudos. If the government manages to bring back the amount of Indian black money stashed abroad, which runs into trillions of dollars, and use it in developmental work and payment of debts, things would never be the same for the country again.
AW: Suchorita Choudhury
