Looking at Modi’s 16 months in office...

It been 16 eventful months since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India. Obviously, his stewardship of India’s governance is being viewed very closely both by his critics and admirers as well as dispassionate observers of various professions. While his critics even go to the extent of calling Narendra Modi a “great event manager “ and his admirers describe him as an honest crusader for India’s cause, the dispassionate observers have mixed feelings. Such dispassionate observers are now keeping their fingers crossed as to how Modi’s governance would shape in the coming months.

During the past 16 months Modi has been talking about the need for economic development and has been trying to give an impression that every step he takes has been to improve economic and industrial activity in the country and achieve global standards. Obviously, Modi thinks that lack of economic growth has been the basic reason for all the problems faced by the country and growth in industrial, services and agricultural sector is the only way of building a strong and resurgent India. Certainly, not even the pledged critic of Modi can find fault with such objectives, which Modi claims is the focus of his governance.

The ‘Make in India’ campaign is an imaginative exercise, to bring focus of the investors and entrepreneurs to make India a manufacturing hub. Opening of the bank accounts for millions of poor Indians is a laudable initiative that makes the poor people in the country think that they are part of mainstream national life. This will also enable the government to transfer the monetary support to the poor people in a transparent manner and eliminating middle men and corruption.

Certainly, even the dispassionate observers are disappointed that Modi’s promise to bring back black money from abroad has not been met. Even though Modi government has taken some steps, it does not look like it is happening now.

The disappointment is that Modi is yet to punish corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen in a way that would create fear in the minds of the other corrupt persons. This has certainly disappointed the masses, particularly belonging to middle and lower income group.

— The reader is an Indian founder trustee of an NGO based in Chennai, India.