New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government marked its eighth year in office on Monday.
PM Modi has been leading the country since 2014, and in his second term, he was able to ensure that his party won the faith of the people by an even bigger margin.
The last three years in office in the second term have been full of challenges that were overcome with decisive leadership and strong political victory.
Here are the key eight achievements that stood out in Modi 2.0:
Abrogation of Article 370
On August 5, 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah passed the Bill in Parliament to abrogate Article 370 and to bring the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in the mainstream. Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated. The government also announced the split of the state into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Ram Mandir in Ayodhya
The construction of Ram Temple was in the manifesto of the BJP and the poll promise is now well on its way to being fulfilled. PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the new Ram Temple in August 2020 and as per the latest information available, it will be ready by 2023. It is set to be inaugurated on January 24, 2020 just a few months before the next elections. BJP is proud that Ram Lalla will be reinstated in the garbha griha fulfilling the emotions of crores of Hindus.
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
As India marks its 75th year of independence the government has launched an umbrella programme “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” that is being celebrated across the country recognizing all those who contributed to India’s struggle for freedom. The campaign highlights the contribution of unsung heroes of the nations.
Right from programmes being organized by the Ministry of Culture to the Film Festival at Cannes where India was the Country of Honour, India has shown its prowess as a democracy and also demonstrated its rich cultural heritage.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)
It was during the first wave of COVID that PM Modi announced free ration for the marginalized section of society. The scheme was then extended during the second wave and was extended for another six months till March 2022. Through this scheme, 80 crore beneficiaries were given free ration each month.
Vaccination for all and Ayushman Bharat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government launched the nationwide vaccination programme in the tough times of COVID-19. Said to be the world’s largest vaccination drive, India so far administered over 193 crore doses of the COVID vaccine. The country has also managed to vaccinate most of its adolescent population between 15 to 18 years of age. India has also been successfully running its campaign for precaution dose to its adult citizens.
India developed indigenous vaccines in the shortest time. The country not just vaccinated its population but has also extended a helping hand to neighbouring nations by providing vaccines through the Vaccine Maitri scheme.
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is a national public health insurance fund of the Government of India that aims to provide free access to health insurance coverage to low-income earners in the country. More than 22 crore people have registered in the scheme.
Rescue operations from Afghanistan and Ukraine
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, operation Devi Shakti was launched in Afghanistan to rescue stranded Indians after the Taliban took over Afghanistan. More than 700 people were evacuated from Afghanistan.
Another key achievement of the government has been the rescue operation carried out in war-hit Ukraine. The central government safely evacuated around 23,000 students including some foreign nationals. Four union ministers were sent as special envoys to the neighbouring nations of Ukraine to monitor the rescue operations.
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
Through this scheme, Rs, 6,000 is directly transferred to the bank account of farmers in three instalments of Rs 2,000 per year. The 11th instalment will be transferred to farmers on May 31 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Shimla.
Notably, the government has also withdrawn the controversial farm laws as a mark of gesture and respect for the farmers. The Prime Minister said that it was unfortunate that he was not able to explain the benefit of reforms to the farmers.
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana
This scheme that provides affordable housing to all, was launched by the Modi government in 2015. As per the available data till end of March 2020, more than 2 crore people have been provided homes under the scheme.
The BJP has also tasted electoral success in several states including forming government in Assam for the second time in a row. The party fared badly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala but was able to form a government in Puducherry. The BJP failed to realize its dream of winning West Bengal however the party saw a huge rise in its vote percentage and seats where it jumped from three to 75 seats. The year 2022 has been good for BJP in terms of electoral politics. The party registered a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh while coming back to government in Manipur, Uttarakhand and Goa.