The country is going to be a developed country by 2047; free from poverty, unemployment and deprivation
In the counting of votes held on December 3, 2023, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is going to form government in three of the four big states, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and Congress has won in only one state, Telangana. BJP has often been raising issues of vote bank politics, corruption, dynasty politics etc. in the elections. Issues like the construction of the Ram temple, the abrogation of Article 370, and communal violence, were widely discussed. But history is witness to the fact that even though these issues are important if a party or the government does not work for the welfare of the people, then they will be summarily rejected.
In 2014, India's economy was among the five most fragile economies, facing the tragedy of declining investment and a continuously declining growth rate. But in less than 10 years, India has moved from the tenth to the fifth largest economy of the world.
Today India has also become the fastest growing economy in the world. In such a situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given new wings to the aspirations of the common people of the country by pledging to become a developed nation before the completion of the first 100 years of independence.
A New Welfare State
Till now, the distribution of money through employment schemes, free or cheap electricity and water, subsidy on petrol, diesel and gas, cheap ration, government expenditure on education and health etc. were considered to be the essence of a welfare state. But over the last 9 years, the definition of the welfare state itself has changed and seems to be improving, which has also received public support.
Firstly, there has been an attempt to ensure the genuineness of expenditure on the housing scheme, by using technology, in a unique housing scheme.
In just a few years, about 3 crore houses have been constructed, for which Rs 5 lakh crore was given by the Central Government and Rs 15 lakh crore was spent by the beneficiaries themselves, who built better houses for themselves in rural and urban areas; and started enjoying a respectable life. Under the Ujjwala scheme, 10 crore poor women were given free LPG connections and later those poor women got cylinders refilled, at their own expense.
Today, on average, Ujjwala beneficiaries get more than three cylinders filled in a year. By providing electricity to almost all the villages in the country, not only has the standard of living improved but the government has also been successful in taking the communication and internet revolution across the country.
The target of providing tap water to all the houses is almost achieved, due to which women do not have to go far to fetch water, which saves their time. Construction of toilets in every house has freed us from the curse of open defecation, pictures of which foreigners often used, to show India as a backward nation. Improvement in primary care and most importantly free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Yojana is proving to be a boon for the less resourceful people.
If seen, all these schemes are for the targeted beneficiaries. Beneficiaries have got relief with the help of the government. According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in just five years from 2015-16 to 2019-21, the index of multidimensional poverty has decreased from 0.122 to just 0.69. Today, the changing circumstances are giving birth to new dimensions to politics in the country, and the country is moving towards becoming a developed country by 2047, free from poverty, unemployment and deprivation.
(The author is Professor, PGDAV College, University of Delhi; views are personal)
