THE IMPORTANCE OF NATION FIRST

With the General Elections 2024 having commenced on 19-04-2024, the nation is now geared up to see the results of the Elections that will be declared on 04-06-2024. This 2024 Elections to elect members of the Lok Sabha / House of People is said to be the largest-ever election in the Indian history as it will last for about 44 days.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that formed the Union Government, with Shri. Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India (PM) since 2014, has done a lot in the last 10 years and definitely helped India to change its image globally. But with the kind of demography and size of the country, no one can make sweeping changes in 10 years. There is no doubt that the present PM, who is known to be a workaholic, has put into place many policies that is shaping the future of India. The country has also started getting recognized as a developing economy and a strong contender for one of the important countries on the globe.

I feel, we as voters, while exercising our adult franchise should be completely focused on Nation First, as nothing matters more than to see our country progress rapidly. It is time that we Indians start thinking of the progress of Bharat Mata first and keep all individual preferences at bay. It is only when the entire nation starts looking at the larger picture that real growth and progress will take place.

There will always be disbelievers and critics who will criticize the efforts made by the present Government. However, the Prime Minister has no option but to rule the country with an iron hand in view of the fact that the country is so widespread with people having different mindsets. There is no way any leader can satisfy such a large and diverse population unilaterally and we have to have faith in the changes that have occurred in the last 10 years and are a forerunner for the future of India. I also feel that some of the bold decisions like abrogation of Article 370, completion and inauguration of Ram Mandir (using only donors’ funds and no use of Government funds), surgical strikes in Pakistan, return of Wing-Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan and safe evacuation and return of students from Ukraine, are acts that have to be recognized and respected.

Possibly the most important aspect of the Prime Minister is that he always advocates and acts in the interest of the nation and his often use of the word ‘Nation First’ sums up his patriotism. He has also been able to awaken patriotism in several people which is really important when it comes to progress of a nation.

For all those critics of Mr. Modi and the NDA, I feel reproducing some of the work that has been done, will help in stocktaking of the last 10 years that this Government has ruled. As mentioning all the progress would seem more like a Government propaganda, I am just highlighting the following points as a mark of respect to a Leader who is today recognized as a global leader.

The Government has in the last 10 years formulated and implemented several micro and macro level policies to bring about a visible change in the Indian economy and transform India into a transparent and corruption-free nation. Few of such policies are mentioned below:

1) Major initiatives like the Bharatmala Pariyojana that aims to upgrade and expand the road network, include the construction of expressways, greenfield corridors, economic corridors, greening and development of eco-friendly highways, etc.

2) Several innovative public-private partnership (PPP) models that have been promoted for development and expansion of roads and highways, flyovers, metro rail etc.

3) The National Logistics Policy 2022 that has been formulated to ensure efficiency in logistics i.e. transportation and handling of goods between points of production and consumption, storage, etc, with focus on integration of existing and proposed infrastructure development initiatives of different agencies, to ensure first and last mile connectivity, for seamless movement of people and goods, for efficiency in services (digital systems/processes/ regulatory framework), etc.

4) The National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016 that has been formulated for the growth of the civil aviation sector and to promote tourism, employment and balanced regional growth, enhance regional connectivity such as the Regional Connectivity Scheme or UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) Scheme and infrastructure development and enhance ease of doing business.

5) The Sagarmala Project, a flagship Scheme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, that has been introduced to promote port-led development in India by connecting ports and domestic production and consumption centres through rail, road, etc.

6) The PM Gatishakti National Master Plan (NMP) 2021 that has been launched to enhance multimodal connectivity infrastructure in various economic zones. It enables a streamlined planning, design, and monitoring of next-generation infrastructure projects and schemes such as Bharatmala, Sagarmala, UDAN etc under a single digital platform.

7) 35 indigenously designed Vande Bharat Express trains that have been introduced for a rapid rail transport system.

8) The 2020-21 COVID-19 Vaccination Drive that has administered over 2.2 billion doses of COVID Vaccine in India, as in 2023.

9) New Criminal laws that have been introduced in 2023 would replace the British-era laws i.e. the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860; the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, with effect from 01-07-2024.

10) Various socio-economic policies that have been implemented to promote education of girl child, women empowerment, boost agricultural productivity, allocate financial funding to villages, development of rural roads, water supply, housing, electrification of villages, ensuring access to various financial services like availability of basic savings bank account, need based credit, insurance facilities, etc.

11) The Make in India Initiative that has been launched to turn India into a global manufacturing hub and to facilitate investments including foreign direct investments (FDI), foster innovation, boost entrepreneurship, enhance skill development etc.

12) The Digital India Program that has been introduced to bring about a revolution in the digital and electronic sector, to connect every remote corner of the country to internet, to extend government services, social benefits and financial services through digital infrastructure, etc.

13) The Swacch Bharat Scheme that has been introduced in 2014 for construction of over 10 crore individual household toilets, to ensure sanitation facilities and achieve an Open Defecation Free nation.

14) Liberalization of tax policy and digitization of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Customs processes that have been undertaken for taxpayer facilitation and ease of doing business

15) Strengthening privatization and liberalization of the Indian economy by relaxing the FDI norms, simplifying the process and compliances for setting up a business in India, etc

16) Demonetization that has been undertaken for elimination of circulation of black money, counterfeit currency and unaccounted wealth, reduction of corruption and promotion of a shift towards digital transactions.

17) Digitalization of retail payments and going cashless

The above are few notable achievements of the current Government and I sincerely hope that the next term sees them in full strength so that they can make sweeping changes in certain sectors that really require change such as the legal and enforcement system. These changes will definitely help in taking India higher on the global scale.

Sushila Ram Varma
Chief Consultant
The Indian Lawyer & Allied Services