Prime Minister Modi Seeks Solutions To India’s Fundamental Issues – OpEd

India has vast landscape, enormous natural and mineral resources, various soil and climatic conditions that enable cultivation of several types of agri products. India also has enormous traditional wisdom and deep rooted ancient philosophy on way of life. In spite of such favourable factors, India has not been able to forge ahead to the level of it’s full potential.

While the country has achieved several milestones in the last seventy years of independence, the overall happiness index in the country is much lower than the desirable level.

When Mr. Modi became the Prime Minister of India four and half years back, his objective was not only to push the country towards industrial and economic developments that can promote material affluence but also to introduce fundamental solutions for India’s basic issues which are mostly related to the mental make up of the Indians.

Three basic deficiencies

The strategies and schemes introduced by Mr. Modi in the last four and half years obviously point out to his seeking solutions to overcome the following fundamental deficiencies amongst Indians:

• Lack of cleanliness in maintaining the surroundings, which inevitably lead to unhealthy conditions and multiple diseases, apart from attitudinal issues.
• Lack of pride and faith in traditional practices of India and failure to observe the healthy norms for way of life as propounded by ancestors , amongst large section of Indians.
• Lack of commitment to probity in public life ,which has resulted in not only extensive corrupt practices in government machinery and business houses and even educational and religious institutions but also widespread tolerance towards corruption.

Mr. Modi has taken up the task of finding solutions to the above basic issues and he has accepted the challenges to tackle them with characteristic courage of conviction. While such problems cannot be overcome in a short period, positive and healthy beginning with clarity on targets is very important and certainly Mr. Modi has achieved this task of initiating the mission in spectacular manner.

Campaign for cleanliness

Mr. Modi’s clean India campaign was ridiculed by many critics, when Mr. Modi himself took the broom and started cleaning the road. While the critics were of the view that it is not the task of the Prime Minister to take the broom, the discerning observers appreciated the purpose, spirit and need for this exercise. While even after four and half years of clean India campaign, many public places in India continue to remain unclean, certainly wide awareness has been built amongst huge population in the country about the importance of cleanliness. Mr. Modi’s efforts to build thousands of toilets in rural areas and villages on a national scale is the most laudable initiative that Mahatma Gandhi would have applauded.

Yoga movement

To inculcate a sense of discipline and good health in personal life of Indians, Mr. Modi gave impetus to the yoga movement,. He himself participated in the yoga event which again was criticized by section of people as a task which Prime Minister of the country need not undertake.

However, the yoga movement has caught the imagination of not only Indians in a big way but around the world with United Nations Organisation declaring Yoga day in a year. The yoga practice certainly help in building discipline and healthy life. While it is not as if all the Indians are practicing yoga now, the fact is that the essence of yoga movement has been made a central theme in public discourses on healthy way of life. Certainly, the yoga movement will forge ahead and Mr. Modi’s contribution for this great exercise will be very much appreciated by history.

Building anti-corruption mindset

The level of corruption in India and tolerance towards corruption amongst cross section of people is a matter of very high concern, as government’s welfare projects are not reaching the people adequately due to siphoning of the funds and merits get neglected in several sphere of life where corrupt money is used to get jobs and even admission in educational institutions,. Parallel economy has caused huge setback to the fair distribution of income in India. Mr. Modi has sought to tackle this corruption menace by taking the bull by the horns.

Several measures initiated such as demonetization, anti-benami act, digitization, opening of the zero balance account for millions of poor people in the bank to facilitate transfer of welfare funds directly to their accounts are some of the very significant steps initiated to root out corruption. Of course, the anti corruption movement in India has still very long way to go but Mr. Modi has made the anti corruption drive as an essential act of the governance by introducing meaningful systems instead of indulging only in moral preachings.

India needs Modi’s governance

Four and half years is too short a period to bring around positive and visible changes in the basic issues, which essentially revolve around the mindset of Indians.

While the task has been initiated , what is needed is sustained thrust to take forward the efforts with determination. Obviously, Mr. Modi needs five more years to make a significant dent on the above three fundamental issues faced by India.

The wisdom of Indian voters would stand tested in the forthcoming 2019 parliamentary election, when Mr. Modi would seek one more term.