There is no doubt that after winning the election; Modi started working for towards first 100 days plan. As PM Narendra Modi braced for a second term with a historic mandate, herculean economic challenges await him. Modi government has become more appreciative and encouraging of wealth creators.
PM Modi has described the first hundred days of BJP government as “development, trust and big changes.” He said 130 crore people inspired his government to take significant decisions in this period.
PM Modi has been bolder and has taken important decisions in his second innings. In the first 100 days of the Modi 2.0, the special status of Jammu and Kashmir stands altered, triple talaq is a law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act has been amended and the Right to Information Act diluted.
In a big victory, the Modi government finally managed to successfully turn the triple talaq bill into an Act. The law that allows triple talaq is one such law and was needed to be abolished. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment. The Triple Talaq bill bans and criminalizes the practice of instant triple talaq among Muslims.
The abrogation of Article 370 which stripped off the special status enjoyed by the people in Jammu & Kashmir was a massive success in favour of the Saffron party. In a smart move, the party militarised the state and removed the article 370. The BJP had earlier in its ‘Sankalp Patra’ promised to annul the controversial clause – a long pending demand of the RSS. The Government also passed the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganization) Act, 2019, under which J&K was bifurcated into two Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without a legislative assembly.
The government announced the merger of 10 state-owned banks to form four large banks. The move was aimed at providing relief to banks from rising NPAs and better banking facilities to consumers. The aim was to create the 2nd largest, 4th largest, 5th largest and 7th largest PSBs in India. Now the total number of public sector banks in India stands at 12, down from 27 in 2017. The bank mergers are expected to reduce the cost of lending, enhance profitability and boost the economy.
Apart from passing 36 bills in one session, PM Modi at the start of the budget session said that the country is looking towards a $5 Trillion Economy by 2024. To reach the promised economy, the centre also merged ten of the biggest public sector banks (PSBs) into four entities.
The third most contentious bill to pass was the RTI (Amendment) Bill, 2019. This bill seeks to amend the RTI Act, 2005. It was passed in the upper house by a voice vote amid a walkout from the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the other opposition parties.
The government has also simplified the GST refund process. All pending GST refund due to MSMEs will be paid within 30 days. The government also announced linking of Repo rate to interest rate, thus, reducing EMI for housing and car loans. The government has attempted to simplify lives by making labour laws more transparent. The government has approved the Code on Wages, Bill 2019 to provide fixed minimum wages to the entire workforce.
The government has extended the PM Kisan Scheme to another 3.44 crore farmers, taking the total number of beneficiaries under the scheme to 6.37 crore. The Parliament passed the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act 2019, paving the way for efficient, safe and corruption free transport system in the country. The law also aims to improve road safety and help citizens in their dealings with the transport departments.
There is no doubt that Modi has captured the keys to India’s Parliament by outlining an aspirational agenda for the country viz. creating millions of jobs, building world-class infrastructure and eliminating corruption. Modi government has managed to package and sell the policies to their young voters with ease. The magnetism of a decisive leader has proved more important in the development policies of the country.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
