Narendra Modi’s I-Day promises: No mere jugglery with words

New Delhi,Iftikhar Gilani: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort last year was extempore and overarching. Unlike his immediate predecessor, he looked into the eyes of crowd and spoke without a bullet-proof cage. The speech, reflecting concerns for the country, was padded up with a host of announcements.

Narendra

The major ones were launch of Jan-Dhan Yojana, Skill India Mission, Make in India, Digital India drive, Clean India Mission and Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. The appraisals submitted by the departments concerned to the PMO mostly reflected success stories even as the government faltered on taking along all sections of the society. dna takes a look at the promises and the delivery status.

1. ‘Swachh Bharat’ (Clean India) – launched on October 2. This entailed building toilets in all schools, including separate toilets for girls. He said by August 15, 2015 there should be no school without a toilet.

Report Card: Out of 4.39 lakh toilets to be built in schools, 1.41 lakh are complete. There is a flurry of activity to compete another 2.45 lakh toilets as soon as possible.

2. Pradhanmantri Jan-Dhan Yojana is seen as most effective programme that has helped financial inclusion of 16.73 crore marginalised people.

Report Card: Of these, 29 lakh accounts have reported having zero balance. But overall the programme has been a roaring success.

3. Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana whereby every member of Parliament was asked to adopt a village and develop it as an ideal/model village.

Report Card: 682 MPs have adopted villages, 103 yet to. MPs apprehensive as there are no special funds and they have to spent MPLADS amount on a select village which may not go well with rest of constituency.

4. Digital India

Report Card: Two programmes – E-governance and creation of digital infrastructure & digital literacy initiated. E-governance is being promoted in a big way in ministries and departments.

5. Skill India Mission: Target was to train over 40 crore people over the next 7 years

Report Card: The agriculture ministry could skill 11.4 lakh persons. No data from rest of ministries. But the programme as National Skill Policy was redesigned only last month. The ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises has asked all the PSUs under it to prepare modules and provide training to youths in their respective sectors, for which funds would be allocated to them.

6. Make in India

Report Card: 25 sectors identified where new initiatives are being taken to facilitate investment, foster innovation and protect Intellectual Property Rights and build in manufacturing infrastructure. 9,336 serious queries have been received on the portal of which 9,190 were answered. As per the Dept. of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) records, the FDI inflows grew by 24% increase during last one year 1018 investment proposals. 1.7 lakh crore proposed investments (till June), proposed employment 2.6 lakh.

7. Promotion of tourism to provide jobs to the poorest of the poor

Report Card: Modest 10% increase in arrival of foreign tourists over past year till July, leading to earning of $9.7 million forex.

8. Manufacturing sector to be strengthened

Report Card: As in month of May manufacturing sector grew by 2.3%, factory output by 2.7% and capital goods by 1.8%

9. Self-reliance in electronic goods

Report Card: No progress. As per the Commerce Ministry, the imports of electronic goods rather increased by 13%.

10: ‘Zero Defect; Zero Effect’: PM called on industry to manufacture goods with zero effect that they should not have a negative impact on the environment

Report Card: The Central Pollution Control Board issued 68 notices to polluting industries

11. Shun communalism, casteisim. “Let’s resolve for once in our hearts, let’s put a moratorium on all such activities for ten years, we shall march ahead to a society which will be free from all such tensions.”

Report Card: No let up in communal incidents. Campaigns like ‘Ghar wapasi’, ‘Beti bachao-bahu lao’, ‘love jihad’ etc vitiated atmosphere

12. Replacing the Planning Commission:

Report Card: Replaced with the National Institution for Transforming India or NITI Aayog, a think-tank chaired by the PM