Achievements-
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy code
- Retaining the excise on petrol- Must be considered as a sin tax
- Infrastructure development- Roadways, Railways, Waterways, Airports- Incl North East
- Foreign policy with the west
- Managing Pakistan (offlate)
- Health insurance scheme
- GST
- Sanitation- Huge improvement on toilet/washroom adoption. But on the other hand, a person killed every 4 hours due to contaminated water.
- Ease of doing business significant jump in ranking
- Doing away with 5-year plans and creating Niti Ayog
- Research and development/Patents- Increase in numbers, however, rate still hugely low to US/EU/China
- Creating a credible national political alternative. But socially remains a very low trust society
- History- correcting the narrative of the freedom struggle- why we won and by primarily whom. Subhas Bose/WW II
- Sports (not just cricket) – Lots of positive, but miles to cover, can’t anymore happen incrementally
Developmental areas
- Political funding reforms
- GDP growth
- Smart city executions
- Foreign policy in Asia exl Bangladesh
- Managing China
- Hospital Capacity- quality and quantity
- Import Duty rationalization/improve manufacturing productivity
- Pollution/human dignity- Air, Sound, Water, Surface, Food pollutions. Civic Living/Human dignity/ road accidents- Basic minimum standards
- Structural reforms- Land, Labor, Police, Contract enforcement reforms and data privacy
- Perceived interference on institutions like ISI, CBI, RBI.
- Start-Up policy- That will bring in the real employment
- Perception of putting one language over other major regional languages
- History- Putting mythologies in the forefront to claim mythical scientific achievements
- Education- A hugely vital one for our very existence in future but didn’t get the requisite funding
Meets expectations
- Demonetization
- Fiscal deficits/trade/current/forex reserves
- Renewable energy progress
- Foreign policy with Africa
- Managing Saudi Arabia
- Direct Bank Transfer
- Tax collection
- Motor vehicle policy- Euro VI great thrust. But a person dies every 3.5 min on our roads and we might become a tourist destination for people to see how we honk on our roads.
- Foreign Direct Investments excl retail and e-commerce foreign investment policies, the two could create jobs, reduce farm distress, eliminate brokers and reduced consumer prices
- Trying to reduce election costs and policy pause by asking for state/central election at the same time (as much possible)
- Rapidly evolving technologies of Robotics, AI, Machine learning, Analytics, IOT, VR, ARs
- Safety and security specifically for girls remain the same- alarming, a girl reported raped every 30 min.
- The difference between patriotism and nationalism understanding at status quo
- Manufacturing- Made in India thrust
Notes
The biggest contribution to a nation-building based on rationality, human rights and human dignity came from our Hon Supreme Court in the form of Sec 377, Sec 497, Sabarimala verdict. Need its attention now on the colonial sedition law and to shorten our national electoral process currently stretching to 10 weeks.