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Most of us have tried our hand at financial planning and come out feeling unsuccessful and a tad disappointed.To be successful at investing, one needs to craft out a personalised investment strategy.It is important to see your investment strategy and your final portfolio like a fingerprint. While your portfolio and strategy may look similar to that of your friend’s or neighbour’s at a glance, they must be intrinsically different.Your investment strategy should depend on the following factors:i) Your Risk Appetite (Psychological)ii) Your Risk-taking Capacity (Actual)iii) Your Investment Durationiv) Your Personal Monthly Incomev) Your Personal Monthly Expenses, and if they could be further reducedvi)Your Short-term & Long-term Financial GoalsFrom years of personal experience in investing, I’ve come to understand that there is no ‘one size fits all’ investment strategy out there. What works for a risk averse, conservative investor who is planning his retirement will be very different from what works for an aggressive, pro-risk, unmarried youth who’s looking to purchase a new motorcycle.If you rely on your banker for investment advice, the first thing to do is, really check for underlying motives that may cause biases. To be 100% sure, find yourself a good online or App based investment portal that is SEBI approved, and does not charge commissions. You want to opt for a platform that does not sell Regular Plan Mutual Funds.Regular Plans are those mutual fund investment plans that indirectly charge you trail commissions. These trail commissions appear miniscule in the short-term, but amount to really huge amounts of money in the long-run. If you’re looking to diversify your portfolio by investing strategically in mutual funds, the first Golden Rule is to go in for Direct Plans only.Below are some more useful guidelines for investors who are looking to create wealth, retire early, and fulfil various long and short term financial goals with ease. These investment guidelines will help you achieve financial freedom with significant ease:i) Evaluate your current net worth. How do your expenses and liabilities compare to your income and assets. If your liabilities outweigh your assets, your first goal should be to pay of debts and become liability-free. If your expenses outweigh your income, it’s a sign that you need to rework your spending patterns.ii) Determine your immediate financial goals (things you want to achieve within 1 year). Pen them down or type them out for more clarity. This could include a gadget you wish to purchase, or a vehicle that’s largely within your reach, e.g. a motorcycle. It is important to set reasonable goals that are in keeping with your monthly income and other expenses. Planning to buy something much more expensive than you can afford, at expensive EMI rates is unwise.iii) Determine your short and medium term financial goals (things you want to achieve within 3 to 5 years). This could include planning for a wedding, a slightly expensive vehicle, e.g. a car, or a home renovation.iv) Determine your long term financial goals (things you want to achieve within 10 to 15 years). This could include retirement planning, saving to start a new business, or large-scale wealth creation.v) Now, calculate the sum of money you need in the current market, to achieve all these goals. Think about how much money you would need if you were to buy all these things the next day. Now bifurcate this amount and allocate a sum to each individual goal. You can use the set a goal feature on the tarrakki app to check how much do you need to save monthly to achieve your financial goals.vi) On a reliable wealth management app like Tarrakki, take a Risk Profile Assessment Test, and start setting individual goals with specific durations. A good wealth management app like Tarrakki will tell you exactly how much money to invest where and for how long. Such apps also allow you to set-up an auto-invest mechanism so that a set sum of money gets invested in your selected mutual funds every month without your intervention. (You can stop this functionality whenever you want).*Ascertain that the App or platform you use is a Bank Grade Secure Portal and a SEBI Registered Investment Advisor.*Set reasonable financial goals for yourself based on your actual income. Never invest with borrowed money.vii) Do create an emergency fund which consists of approximately five times your monthly income. This is an investment you never redeem unless you actually face an emergency.viii) View credit cards as convenience devices, not as instruments that provide easy loans. If you are in the habit of making credit card purchases that you cannot afford to pay up for up-front, ditch your credit card until you develop better spending habits.ix) Consider investing in insurances. These are powerful yet highly underrated investment devices. Buy a TERM INSURANCE when you are young.If you have any questions, or need help making a financial plan, feel free to email us on info[at]tarrakki[.]com and we’ll be happy to help you.You can check out some Do’s and Dont’s of Mutual Fund investing from my answer here.

Prime Minister Narendra ModiThe EconomyDuring his election campaign in 2013-14, Modi raised expectations of a great economic revival, high growth and tens of millions of new jobs for the ever-growing workforce. The new government hit the ground running and the first two years were action-packed with new programmes and plans – until he took the arbitrary decision to demonetise 86% of the currency in circulation. At the end of his term, there are many hits as well as major misses.Goods and Services TaxThe GST is the indirect tax that subsumed a variety of central and state levies and replaced a cascading and complicated tax system. It transformed India’s 29 states into one market with one set of tax rates. The UPA government had sought to pass the GST law, but it was the NDA government that managed to do so. The GST Council, formed with the states having two-third vote and the Centre a one-third vote, is a rare example of cooperative federalism. Where the government faltered was its implementation. It has since realised that it made the system exceptionally complicated, with five tax slabs and a complex filing process, all of which alienated small traders and businessmen, especially coming close on the heels of demonetisation. To their credit, the government and the GST Council have been responsive and have resolved many issues and simplified the tax slabs and procedures. It’s still a work in progress.Insolvency and Bankruptcy CodeThe government inherited a banking system burdened with huge bad debt. The non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks had risen for a number of reasons – from bad credit decisions to poor monitoring, connivance of bank employees, as well as cyclical business downturns. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), proved to be a game changer as it took NPAs head-on. The code allows either the creditor or the borrower to approach the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to initiate insolvency proceedings and obtain time-bound resolution. While it’s still early days, the recent interest shown by reputed domestic and global businesses to acquire bankrupt companies with large bank NPAs but good underlying assets points to the success of the IBC code. This should restore the health of banks somewhat and enable them to start lending to viable projects. Banks have recovered over 1.1 lakh crore through IBC since 2017-18.Fugitive Economic Offenders ActThe Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA) came into force in April 2018. The Act was needed as the number of large fraud cases reported by banks rose alarmingly in the last few years, with over 30 people accused and under probe for various financial scams/frauds fleeing the country to escape the law. Under the law, if an economic offender flees the country to avoid due process, he/she can be declared a ‘fugitive economic offender’ and their properties can be confiscated. Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya have been declared as economic offenders. Their property, including art collections and cars, can be auctioned off to recover part of their debt.DemonetisationOn November 8, 2016, Narendra Modi sucked out 86% of the currency in circulation by value in the Indian economy. The decision was taken against the advice of two successive RBI governors, Raghuram Rajan and Urjit Patel. It was done on the wrong premise – that there was too much cash in the economy (12% of GDP); that the currency withdrawn – Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 -- were very high-value notes (and, instead, Modi introduced Rs 2,000 notes!); that the move would eliminate all black money in the system as well as fake currency. We know what actually happened: 99.7% of the currency in the system came into the banks, and so there was no ‘black money dividend’ – the Rs 3 lakh crore that the government expected – to be had; instead, millions of jobs were lost (3.5 million in the year following the move, as per CMIE data, and continuing job losses to this day as thousands of SMEs never recovered, the construction sector slumped and farmers were hit hard as it came just before a sowing season. Demonetisation must stand out as one of the most arbitrary decisions ever by an elected leader in a democracy.Farm CrisisBy all accounts, India’s farm crisis has worsened in the Modi years. Although the government tried introducing some new ideas at the beginning of the term, such as neem-coated urea, soil health cards and crop insurance, such tinkering did not help. It was only in the fourth year of the government that it began to realise that it had not been able to do much about the farm crisis. While it had won big in the UP elections with a combination of demonetisation and a promise of a loan waiver, it was closer to the December 2018 elections in the Hindi heartland that it conceded the demand for a higher minimum support price. Still later, after losing those elections, it thought of the PM-KISAN Rs 6,000 a year dole for farmers. What it failed to do in these five years was to bring in reforms in the sector, starting with ensuring higher prices for farm produce. As a result, its promise of doubling farmers’ incomes by 2019 (now pushed to 2022) remains just a pipedream for farmers.InfrastructureThis is the one bright spot in the government’s record. The speeding up of highway construction, the new Bharatmala and Sagarmala projects, the building or revival of regional airports and regional air connectivity, and much work on modernising and expanding railways are all achievements that the Modi government can claim. Similarly, it can count some success in revitalising the coal and power sectors. The claim of having electrified all of India “while the Congress had done nothing in 70 years” is exaggerated. India has more than six lakh villages. The Modi government electrified the last 18,000 of them.Rather, it should take credit for the successful Ujala LED bulb scheme. Although started by the previous regime, the Modi government expanded the scheme and benefitted from the economy of scale as it halved the price of each bulb.DisinvestmentThe government claims to have not only reached its disinvestment target of Rs 80,000 crore for FY19, but of having surpassed it by Rs 5,000 crore. However, it managed to do so not by ‘disinvestment’ proper but by getting one PSU to buy equity in another. This was the case when Rural Electrification Corporation acquired nearly 53% of Power Finance Corporation, and the government made a neat Rs 14,500 crore; or when ONGC bought the government’s stake in HPCL for Rs 37,000 crore. The government managed to list only five companies in FY19, garnering a paltry Rs 2,000 crore. It also raised Rs 8,000 crore from share buybacks by PSUs. The big failure was the bid to privatise Air India.Banking ReformsThe government started on the right path with aggressive recognition of NPAs and clean-up of balance sheets. It announced management reforms to be undertaken in the sector, such as hiring professionals laterally at least in five large banks. By early 2016, the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) was in place to recommend banking reforms. But the recommendations of BBB were not implemented and the reforms lost steam. The government did infuse much-needed capital of Rs 2 lakh crore into banks after kicking the can along for some time. But in the absence of reforms, the question is, is good money being thrown after bad?Petrol PriceThe Modi government was lucky as oil prices fell drastically soon after it came to power in 2014. This helped it to continue to deregulate diesel and petroleum prices that UPA had started and substantially reduce the subsidy bill. But the government did not pass on the benefit of lower oil prices, even when it touched as low as $30 a barrel in early 2016, to consumers. Instead, it raised excise duties to keep the price of petrol and diesel as high as it was during the UPA era when international prices were more than three times higher. The jury is out on whether this was economically good or bad. It helped the government raise Rs 2.3 lakh crore in taxes and helped it balance its fiscal numbers. But it forced consumers to tighten spending elsewhere.GDP, Jobs, InflationWe could praise the Modi government on maintaining economic growth at over 7% (although the latest data shows slowing growth, especially in the already stressed agriculture sector), we could praise the government for bringing down inflation and keeping it low, and we could praise it for maintaining fiscal discipline by and large, letting it slip only due to political desperation as elections approached. But, unfortunately, by its own revisions and re-revisions of GDP data to prove that the economy is indeed growing fast and by hiding the government’s own jobs data, the Modi government has come under question on all these numbers. So, we must really say that on these, the jury is still out.Flagship ProgrammesSwachh BharatThe Swachh Bharat Mission was announced to make India ‘open defecation-free’ by 2019. Over 9 crore toilets have been built, and coverage of rural sanitation has risen to 98% from about 40% in 2014. Many municipality areas in the country have been declared open defecation-free (ODF). The program brought discussion about cleanliness and sanitation to the mainstream. This may be the Modi government’s most successful program, and an important one, with effects on the health and dignity of the poor. However, ground-level reports from some areas show implementation failures -- toilets were built in a hurry with no proper water supply or drainage system resulting in unusable toilets.JAM and DBTThe ‘JAM Trinity’ – Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile – was first conceived by the Manmohan Singh government. By the time it went out of office, it had built the Aadhaar platform to an irreversible scale, and carried out pilots of Direct Benefit Transfer program. The BJP, especially Modi himself, had vehemently opposed Aadhaar while in opposition. Once in power, Modi not only continued with the program but expanded it vastly (though in doing so it began to raise concerns over the potential of Aadhaar to enable a surveillance state when linked to many aspects of a citizen’s life). Government claims that “Rs 2.8 lakh crore in subsidies were transferred directly into the bank accounts of authentic beneficiaries last fiscal, saving Rs 1.2 lakh crore in leakages over the last four years and eliminating almost 7 crore fake accounts in several schemes”. These figures, however, may not tell the whole story.Make in India‘Make in India’ was launched with much fanfare. However, despite opening up several sectoral caps for FDI and improving ‘ease of doing business’ ranking, manufacturing has not picked up as expected. Manufacturing value-added in Q3 2018 is estimated to have moderated to 6.7% ,sharply down from April-June’s 12.4%. The sector is facing headwinds from both demand and supply sides. Demand has softened as can be seen by growing inventory in the auto sector and softer sales figures of FMCG companies. The supply side is still limping back after the disruption of the informal SME sectors by demonetization and GST. The eight core sectors that make up about 40% of India’s total industrial output — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizer, steel, cement and electricity — cumulatively grew by only 1.8% in January 2019. Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy data on projects show that the value of new project investments has declined in Q3 FY2019. The government did not make any sincere effort to reform the arcane labour laws and retreated from the early bid to tweak the land acquisition law. Without these reforms, ‘Make in India’ is unlikely to fly.UjwalaMillions of us gave up subsidised cylinders when Modi gave a call. Those cylinders were given to poor households in the rural areas under the Ujwala scheme. It showed good intent, but is the scheme sustainable? While the government claims to have given some 8 crore households free gas connection and the first cylinder, the truth is, most of these households are unable to afford the successive cylinders, which cost Rs 600. The government must do a study on how many have continued to buy gas cylinders before it makes claims about Ujwala.Ayushman BharatThe Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme is a recent one and the jury is still out on whether it is the best way forward to ensure healthcare for the poor. Only 18,000 private hospitals across the country have joined the scheme so far. Experts argue that the only realistic way to improve affordable healthcare is to build the capacity of the public healthcare system. The other component of AB – the Jan Aushadi Kendras and the move to bring down the cost of stents, knee implants and essential medicines work better for the poor.Mudra LoansThe Mudra loan scheme is a repackaged version of loans for small and micro businesses that was already in place. The government’s claims of job creation now rest on these loans, the logic being that the government has given Rs 7-8 lakh crore in loans to entrepreneurs over the last four years and these must have created jobs. The truth is, the average size of these loans is so small that they could not have created sustainable jobs. The government has either not collected data on the jobs created by these loans or is not sharing the data with the public. In either case, we have to take its claims with a jar of salt.National SecurityPakistan PolicyIn these last few weeks, since the Balakot airstrike, the Prime Minister has been going around claiming that his government is the strongest on national security matters, especially when it comes to Pakistan and terrorism. Modi certainly deserves credit for taking the political decision to hit terror camps based inside Pakistan. With it, India overcame an important psychological barrier – that posed by Pakistan’s nuclear sabre-rattling. But with the details of what exactly transpired during the airstrike being in dispute (especially over whether the target was hit and terrorists were killed) and with the way the episode ended with Pakistan returning Wg Cdr Abhinandan to India, Modi and the BJP lost some of the sheen. Moreover, the claim that Congress was soft on Pakistan while Modi is hard on it is not borne out by evidence since 1971.Kashmir PolicyWhere the Modi government has much to answer for in national security matters is Kashmir. It inherited a state where militancy had been calmed down by a combination of policies. The government should have taken forward the policy of talking to Kashmiris and bringing them closer to Delhi’s position. Instead, it embarked on a security forces-led hard approach to deal with discontented Kashmiri youth. It has driven more Kashmiri youth into militancy than any previous government since the 1990s. Local support for militants and terrorists, which had subsided in the years since Vajpayee, has grown. Kashmir, in the Modi years, has become more estranged from India than ever before.Institutions under StressJudges’ Press ConferenceThe January 12, 2018 press conference by four Supreme Court judges was an unprecedented event that sent shockwaves through the entire edifice of Indian democracy. Although on the surface it looked like an internal issue among judges, the immediate triggers were the Judge Loya case in which petitioners had asked for a probe into the judge’s death (Loya, a CBI judge who was hearing the Gujarat Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case and had insisted that BJP chief Amit Shah appear before the court, had died under mysterious circumstances); and the government’s refusal to ratify the Memorandum of Procedure and end its obstruction to appointment of judges to the higher judiciary.The CBI MessIn December 2016, Karnataka cadre IPS officer and CBI Special Director RK Dutta was tipped to become the next CBI director, but was transferred out of the agency three days before then director Anil Sinha retired. In Dutta’s place, Modi placed Rakesh Asthana, a Gujarat cadre IPS officer who had been brought in earlier as additional director. Asthana was made interim director and would have become CBI chief, but for a PIL against the move citing corruption charges against him. Modi then brought in Alok Verma, former Delhi police commissioner, as director. Asthana was made No. 2 in the organisation but was being probed in half a dozen corruption charges. He, in turn, charged Verma with bribery. When things got too ugly, Modi stepped in and benched both Verma and Asthana, eventually leading to Verma’s ouster despite the CVC saying there was no evidence against him and the SC reinstating him. Verma had accepted a complaint on the Rafale deal and, just before the government’s ‘midnight coup’ at CBI, the buzz was that he was about to file an FIR in the case, as he was duty-bound to following the complaint.RBI as HandmaidenWe now know, thanks to an RTI query that forced the RBI to release the minutes of the meeting that it held to approve Modi’s demonetisation, that then RBI Governor Urjit Patel and the Board of RBI did not agree with the government’s reasoning for demonetisation and also did not believe that it would achieve the stated objectives. But they still commended the move to the government “in the larger public interest” after a perfunctory meeting less than three hours before Modi announced it on TV on November 8, 2016. We also know what a disaster it proved to be. But the government didn’t stop there. As the economy slowed down, it began to pressure RBI to lower interest rates, allow banks that were already reeling under non-performing loans to give out more loans and to hand over RBI’s reserves, built up over years, to the government. Urjit Patel resigned as Governor. Modi had his way.Whither Academic Freedom!An ideological attack on universities and academic freedom began almost as soon as Modi came to power, spearheaded by the BJP’s student wing ABVP and making the Jawaharlal Nehru University a special target. The whole university was branded Leftist, supporters of Maoists and terrorists, anti-nationals and the like. Sedition charges were thrust against JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar. Since then, the attack on higher education has taken many forms. The latest is a Ministry of HRD directive that PhD students can conduct research only on “nationally relevant” topics! Indeed, a nation-wide protest movement of teachers, students, parents and eminent educationists has formed against the government’s policies.Scams, Crony CapitalismRafale DealOne of the main claims of the Modi government is that there was no corruption scam in his five years. In the Rafale purchase, government documents show that the UPA-era purchase of 126 fighter aircraft for the IAF was changed to only 36 fighters without necessary approvals. The benchmark price of the aircraft was arbitrarily pushed up by nearly $3 billion by the PM-led Cabinet Committee on Security. The PMO inserted itself into the negotiations and gave concessions to Dassault, the French supplier, on sovereign and bank guarantees; deleted the anti-corruption clause; gave up India’s right to examine Dassault’s financial books. The clause on offsets in the Defence Procurement Procedure was changed with retrospective effect.It has been alleged that all these were done to facilitate Anil Ambani to get the offset contracts from Dassault (as well as Thales and MBDA). The opposition has been demanding a probe and a Joint Parliamentary Committee on the matter. The government has done everything to ensure no probe takes place.A Mallya & two ModisBusinessman Vijay Mallya fled to London, through the diplomatic channel at the Delhi airport, apparently carrying 300 bags (as per Enforcement Directorate). Mallya met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the corridors of Parliament just before he fled. Somebody diluted a look-out notice issued against Mallya to enable him to escape. Who?PM Modi was associated with Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi almost until the very time they fled the country. Nirav Modi was in the PM’s group photograph at Davos last January. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj intervened on behalf of Lalit Modi with the British authorities.More recently, the criteria for winning contracts to run airports were changed. In the bidding that ensued, the Adani Group of PM Modi’s friend Gautam Adani won the contract for all six airports that were put up for bid.Was there no corruption and crony capitalism in PM Modi’s reign or was there no investigation?Social Fabric DamagedCow TerrorismUnder the Modi government at the Centre and BJP governments in 15 states across the country, ‘cow terrorism’ by cow protection vigilante became the norm, especially in much of North India, between 2014 and 2018, aided and abetted by BJP state governments. Cow terrorism has subsided only in recent months, after the Dalits in Gujarat, the other victims of Gau Raksha gangs apart from Muslims, protested against attacks on them, and especially after voters in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh voted out their BJP governments.Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri, UP; Pehlu Khan and Ummar Khan in Alwar, Rajasthan; Mazlum Ansari, Imteyaz Khan, only 15 years old, and Alimuddin in Jharkhand; Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr, UP, were a few of those murdered by cow terrorists.Many others were lynched and left to die. In many cases, police booked cases against the victims rather than their attackers.Urban NaxalsThat has become the description, propagated by no less than the prime minister himself, for civil society activists who have for years and decades worked for the rights of Dalits and Adivasis in Naxal-affected areas. Several such activists – including Sudha Bharadwaj (65), an IIT-Kanpur graduate turned lawyer-activist – have been thrown into jail. Some have been accused of plotting to kill Modi.Sabarimala IssueThe Supreme Court has ruled that women of all ages must be allowed into the Sabarimala Temple and that entry cannot be denied, as has been the practice since 1991, to women of reproductive age. The Modi government did not challenge the court order, but he and his party have taken to the streets and made it an election issue, polarising society with its “Hindu traditions are in danger” war cry.InformationSurveillance SocietyThe Modi government has made several attempts at creating a surveillance state and has partly succeeded in those attempts. The Aadhaar number was sought to be linked to everything from one’s bank account and PAN number to mobile number to EPFO and insurance policies, etc. This was struck down by the Supreme Court, with only the Aadhaar-PAN link held valid. Instead of abiding by the judgement, the government has issued an ordinance to permit Aadhaar linkages. The government also issued a tender for the creation of a nation-wide social media surveillance machinery that would watch what people were saying on social media networks. It had to withdraw the tender after the media, activists and opposition leaders opposed the move and took the matter to court. The government recently issued an executive order allowing 10 central agencies – spy, internal security and tax agencies – to spy on any information available on any citizen’s computer, phone and other digital devices, including reading your emails and messages.While the Modi government wants to know everything about all citizens , the government has blocked much information regarding itself and its performance. For instance, most recently, it has held back NSSO data on jobs; the CAG report on the Rafale deal is not available to the public though it was tabled in Parliament (albeit on the last day of the last session of Parliament thus with no discussion on it).Surgical Strike on RTIIn July 2018, the government sought to amend the RTI Act to empower itself to decide the salaries and tenures of Information Commissioners. The RTI law gives Information Commissioners a term of five years. Salaries of members of the Central Information Commission (CIC) and heads of the State ICs are equal to that of Supreme Court judges, while ICs in the states are placed on par with a Chief Secretary. The Modi government did not put out this amendment Bill for public debate; a Good Samaritan leaked it. The government justified the proposed changes saying Information Commissioners are statutory authorities. So, they cannot be equated with judges of the Supreme Court, who are constitutional authorities. But only months earlier, the same government had hiked the salaries of the Central Vigilance Commissioner and the members of 17 other statutory appellate bodies to the same level as that of Supreme Court judges. The RTI amendment proposal was never tabled in Parliament, thanks to protests by civil society, the media and opposition parties.PM’s CertificatesRTI queries on a whole host of issues have been blocked in violation of orders of the central information commission (CIC). Thus, an RTI seeking the PM’s education certificates from the universities that hold them have been blocked despite the fact that this is part of the information he submits to the Election Commission; information on the educational attainments of Smriti Irani, who was earlier the Union HRD minister presiding over the education system of the country, have been denied.PM’s EntourageThe UPA government had in 2012 issued a directive to make all information regarding the foreign tours of the PM and ministers public. This category of information was padlocked 2014-15 onwards. The PMO has refused to reveal which businessmen accompanied PM Modi on his foreign tours, despite being ordered by the CIC to do so.Black Money ReportsResearch reports on black money commissioned by the government since 2012 are under lock and key. The National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, the National Council for Applied Economic Research and the National Institute of Financial Management conducted these studies, but they cite a confidentiality clause in their agreement with the government to reject RTI applications. Recently, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said these reports can be shared only with members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance. Other MPs and citizens do not have a right to read these reports, he declared in Parliament.Electoral BondsIn 2017, the government introduced Electoral Bonds, a system for political parties to receive unlimited donations while donors remain anonymous. Donors do not have to reveal to anyone which party they donated to and how much. Political parties do not have to reveal who donated to them and how much. They only have to declare the aggregate figure of donations received. Information about the discussions within government on the desirability of EBs, sought under RTI, have been denied.Parliament and Politics3 Instances of SubterfugeThe government enjoyed majority in the Lok Sabha but did not have the numbers in the Rajya Sabha. Democratic spirit required that the government tabled and allowed debate on every bill in both Houses. But the government resorted to subterfuge to pass certain bills.The Aadhaar bill was hidden in a Money Bill, although it contained provisions that could not be part of a Money Bill, and was passed through Lok Sabha, denying the Rajya Sabha a chance to debate these provisions. Most of these were later struck down by the Supreme Court, but the government has issued an ordinance to overcome the judgement.The amendments to four laws to enable the secretive Electoral Bonds scheme that allows anonymous and unlimited donations to political parties were hidden in Finance Bill 2017 and pushed through in the Lok Sabha, allowing no debate on the matter.The validity of the Electoral Bonds is now a matter in the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the BJP has been the biggest beneficiary of these anonymous donations – collecting over 95% of the total such donations. There is a fear that the BJP is pouring in humongous amounts of money collected through Electoral Bonds to win this election.Foreign ContributionsRegulation Act (FCRA) was amended to make the BJP, Congress and the Left Parties immune to investigation on their foreign fund sources with retrospective effect from 1976, just when the Delhi High Court was about to order a probe into these donations.Modi 2.0On the first anniversary of Modi government 2.0, the prime minister has written a letter to citizens of India, recounting the achievements, the hurdles and the challenges faced by his government during the term.HIGHLIGHTSPM Modi has written a letter to the citizens of India to mark the first anniversary of his second term in officeIn his letter, PM shared various schemes launched by the Modi govt during the first and second termSince 2014, the nation has witnessed some major transformations, PM wrote in the letterPrime Minister Narendra Modi has written a letter to the citizens of India to mark the first anniversary of his second term in office. The PM Modi-led NDA government had first come to power on May 26, 2014. He was re-elected as PM with a landslide victory on May 23. he took an oath to the office again on May 30.In his letter, PM Modi has shared the various schemes launched by the Modi government during the first and second term and the monumental challenges faced by it."This day last year began a golden chapter in the history of Indian democracy. It was after several decades that the people of the country voted back a full-term government with a full majority. Once again, I bow to the 130 crore people of India and the democratic ethos of our nation," PM Modi said in the letter.He noted that during normal times, the celebrations for the first anniversary would have been different. "During normal times, I would have been in your midst. However, the present circumstances do not permit that. That is why I seek your blessings through this letter," the PM said.PM Narendra Modi said that since 2014, the nation has witnessed some major transformations. "In the last five years, the nation saw how the administrative apparatus broke itself free of status quo and from the swamp of corruption as well as misgovernance," the prime minister said.Counting the achievements of his first term, PM Modi said, "From 2014 to 2019, India's stature rose significantly. The dignity of the poor was enhanced. The nation achieved financial inclusion, free gas and electricity connections, total sanitation coverage, and made progress towards ensuring 'Housing for All'."“India demonstrated its mettle through the surgical strike and airstrike. At the same time, decades-old demands such as OROP, One Nation One Tax- GST, better MSP for farmers were fulfilled," he said,He said that since 2019, when India voted him back to power, he has been working to make India a global leader.PM Modi remembers key decisions taken in last one yearIn the letter to citizens, PM Modi recounted some of the key decisions taken by his government which 'were widely discussed and remain etched in public discourse'.The list included Article 370, Ram Mandir judgment, Triple Talaq and amendment to the Citizenship Act."Article 370 furthered the spirit of national unity and integration. The Ram Mandir judgment, delivered unanimously by the Honourable Supreme Court of India, brought an amicable end to a debate persisting for centuries. The barbaric practice of Triple Talaq has been confined to the dustbin of history. Amendment to the Citizenship Act was an expression of India's compassion and spirit of inclusiveness," he said.The PM said that there were several other decisions that added 'momentum to the nation's development trajectory'. These include the creation of the post of the Chief of Defence Staff and stepping up preparations for Mission Gaganyaan.Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter on the first anniversary of the second term also listed several schemes launched or enhanced by his government, including PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Jal Jeevan Mission, free vaccination campaign for livestock, monthly pension to farmers, farm labourers, small shopkeepers and workers in unorganised sector, among others.The PM said that during the Modi government 2.0 the parliament has broken the decades-old record in terms of productivity. "As a result, whether it be the Consumer Protection Act, the amendment to Chit Fund Law or laws to provide more protection to women, children and Divyang, their passage in the parliament was expedited," he said."The list of such historic actions and decisions taken in the national interest would be too long to detail in this letter. But I must say that every day of this year, my government has worked round the clock with full vigour, taking and implementing these decisions," PM Modi said.'Shrestha Bharat rises above Covid crisis'PM Narendra Modi, in his letter, also talked about how Covid-19 outbreak has brought the nation's hopes and aspirations to a halt."While on one hand are powers with great economic resources and state-of-the-art healthcare systems, on the other hand is our country besieged with problems amidst a vast population and limited resources," he said, adding that even as many fealed that Covid-19 pandemic will be the worst in India, Indians have proven the world wrong with their sheer confidence and resilience. "You have transformed the way the world looks at us," the PM told Indian citizens.Noting the 'tremendous suffering' faced by labourers, migrant workers, hawkers and small scale industries, the PM said that the nation will have to ensure that inconveniences that we are facing do not turn into disasters.“Hence, it is very important for every Indian to follow all rules and guidelines. We have displayed patience so far and we should continue to do so. This is one of the important reasons for India being safer and in a better state than many other countries. This is a long battle but we have started traversing on the path of victory, and victory is our collective resolve," the letter said.The prime minister said that the people's resilience was once again tested when Cyclone Amphan hit West Bengal and Odisha. "Their courage inspires the people of India," PM Modi said.'India will set an example of economic revival'The prime minister said that given the way India has surprised the world with its unity and resolve in the fight against coronavirus, "there is a firm belief that we will also set an example in economic revival".Pushing the agenda of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the prime minister said becoming self-reliant was the need of the hour. "We have to move forward based on our own abilities, in our own way, and there is only one way to do it - Aatmanirbhar Bharat or Self-reliant India.""This initiative will usher in a new era of opportunities for every Indian, be it our farmers, workers, small entrepreneurs or youth associated with startups," the PM said.The PM ended the letter by promising the nation that he will work day and night to solve problems faced by the nation."There are many challenges and problems that our country faces. I am working day and night. There could be deficiencies in me but there is nothing that our country lacks. The source of strength for my resolve is you, your support, blessings and affection. Due to the global pandemic this is certainly a time of crisis but for us Indians, this is also a time for a firm resolve," he said."We will move ahead on the path of progress and victory will be ours."Read | Aatm Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan: PM Modi unveils Rs 20 lakh crore economic package with focus on self-relianceRead | Aatm nirbhar Bharat: PM Modi calls for self-reliance to achieve global leadership after Covid-19 crisisRead | Highlights of PM Modi's speechWatch | From call for self-reliance to Rs 20 lakh crore package, watch PM Modi's full speech.S. Raghotham, Geetima Krishna Das, Venkatesh Nayak,(Geetima Krishna Das is a research scholar at Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi; Venkatesh Nayak is with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, New Delhi)

Let us see what development was there during the period of Congress governments with respect to 14 criteria of economy and whether the development rate was lower than during Modi’s period:1) IRRIGATIONCongress - At the time of independence, net irrigated area in India was 19.4 Mha.Up to 2014, 55 major dams including Tungabadra, Hirakud, Rihand, Bhakra Nangal, Kosi, Chambal, Kakrapar, Nagarjuna Sagar, Idukki, Indira Sagar dam, Tehri, etc. were built and construction of Sardar Sarovar was continuing. Irrigation potential of 99.98 Mha was added making the total irrigation potential to 126.037 Mha.Modi – During Modi’s period irrigation potential of 3.19 Mha was added through completion of construction of Sardar Sarovar Dam, the construction of which started in 1987. 10 dams (North Koel, Polavaram, Icha Dam (at Kuju), Lakhwar, Subansiri, Bham, Pakul Dul, Lower Penganga, Virat Sagar, Tuirial Dam), which were started by previous governments between 1972 and February 2014 remain unfinished. Besides these 10 dams started, Modi’s government started Kishau and Vyasi dams. Comparison – Compared to completion of 55 major dams / addition of 100 Mha over 59 years by Congress, Modi government should have completed at least 5 dams / addition of 8.5 Mha in 5 years. If building of 55 major dams was not development, what will be considered as development?-2) POWER GENERATIONCongress - As on 31-12-1947, the installed Capacity of Hydro, Coal, Gas, Diesel based Power plants were 508 MW, 756 MW, 0 MW and 98 MW respectively.Number of villages to be electrified…………………………..= 593732As on 31-03-2014, additions in installed capacities of Hydro, Coal, Gas, Diesel, Nuclear, RES based Power plants were 34861 MW, 135424 MW, 17081 MW, 460 MW, 4285 MW and 34262 MW respectively (Not including additions during Vajpayee period).Major power plants completed were Bhakra, Neyveli. Singrauli, Ramagundam and Korba STPSs, Tarapur, Rajasthan, Madras Atomic Power Plants. Farakka, Vindhyachal, Rihand and Unchahar STPSs and Narora Atomic Power Plant. Kahalgaon and Talchar STPSs and expansion of Rihand, Ramagundam, Vindhyachal and Farakka STPSs. Ramagundam, Talchar, Rihand, +, Korba and Farakka STPSs were expanded.No of Villages electrified during Congress period was 562125 villagesModi - As on 31-03-2019, the additions in installed Capacity of Hydro, Coal, Gas, Diesel, Nuclear, RES based Power plants were 4868 MW, 55432 MW, 3155 MW, 0 MW, 2000 MW and 42654 MW respectively. Major power plants completed were Mauda and Solapur STPSs.No of additional Villages electrified as on 31-03-2019 was 22022.Comparison – After 1991, private sector has also contributed to building power projects, whereas only public sector was building power projects up to 1991. Compared to electrification of 562125 villages over 59 years by Congress, 47637 villages should have been electrified in 5 years. If building of 15 major power plants for generating 226373 MW was not development, what will be considered as development?3) INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTCongress – Congress governments established 237 Central Public Sector Establishments up to 2014.These CPSEs include 10 MAHARATNA, 13 NAVARATNA, 49 MINIRATNA – I and 10 MINIRATNA – II companies.When Congress was in power 28 State Industrial Development Corporations were established all over India between 1961 (Kerala and Uttar Pradesh) and 2002 (Uttarakhand) to provide industrial estates with infrastructure such as roads, drainage, electricity, water supply, street lights, and ready-to-occupy factory sheds promoting establishment of small and medium private sector units. More than 978 Industrial Areas / Estates / Parks / Complexes and 17 Special Economic Zones were formed across the country. In Maharashtra and Rajasthan alone 65918 industries operated from 571 industrial areas.Industrial sector accounted for 31.7% of India’s GDP in 2008 making India a newly industrialized country.Modi – Modi government established 2 CPSEs, which were approved by Manmohan Singh government in January 2014.6 CPSEs, which were initiated by Congress governments between 2006 and 2013 remain unfinished.CPSEs Disinvested – Modi government disinvested Rs. 180890 Crores from 36 CPSEs started by Congress governments.CPSEs Sold – BJP Government sold 7 CPSEs.CPSEs Liquidated - Narendra Modi government liquidated 14 CPSEs.Comparison – Compared to 237 CPSEs and 978 Industrial Areas established by Congress governments over 59 years, Modi government must have started 20 CPSEs and 83 Industrial Areas in 5 years. When we compare Mudra Yojana scheme of Modi government with establishment of industrial areas, one can easily understand that Mudra Scheme merely provides loan for conducting business like banks, industrial estates provide all the facilities for conducting business. If establishment of 237 CPSEs and 978 Industrial Areas are not developments, what will be considered as development?4) GDP, PER CAPITA INCOMECongress - India’s GDP at constant (2004-05) prices in 1950-51 – Rs. 2.796 Lakh CrGDP of India (Constant 2010 US $) in 2014 – 2.125 TrillionGDP Per Capita in US $ in 1950 - 61.59GDP Per Capita in US $ in 2014 - 1486.154The percentage of population below poverty line reduced from 48.3% in 1977-78 to 37.4% in 1983-84. The percentage of the population below the poverty line declined at the rate of 1.5 percentage points (ppt) per year in the period 2004–05 to 2009–10, twice the rate at which it declined in the previous period 1993–94 to 2004–05.Modi - GDP of India (Constant 2010 US $) in 2014 – 2.125 TrillionGDP of India (Constant 2010 US $) in 2018 – 2.842 TrillionGDP Per Capita in US $ in 2014 - 1486.154GDP Per Capita in US $ in 2019 - 2044.5Comparison – Services sector contribution to GDP gradually increasing from 44.84% in 2008 to 49.13% in 2018, with industrial sector contribution gradually decreasing from 31.7% in 2008 to 26.75% in 2018. Software industry was growing at the same rate. Decrease of industrial sector contribution means industrialization is not growing satisfactorily. Moreover, with growing foreign investment, these foreign investors will be remitting profit and dividends to their countries as foreign exchange every year against their one-time investment. To this extent net GDP will decrease. Comparison should be made with net GDP. Modi government has realized that liberalizing import of completely assembled TVs, processed food, marine, steel, auto parts, furniture, Air conditioners, foot wear and electronic components has made indigenous manufacturers sick and is proposing to license TV import (60-65% from China). In TVs, only contract manufacturers on behalf of foreign brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, Sony, LG etc., who assemble imported kits, are the so-called local manufacturers. If this is not deterioration during BJP period, why licensing is required?5) RAILWAYSCongress -Route Kms Electrified ………………………in 1951 – 388 Kms………- In 2014 – 21614 KmsRoute Kms http://Total…………………….in 1951 – 53596 Kms ….. - In 2014 – 65426 KmsRunning Track Kms Electrified ……..….in 1951 – 937 Kms……… - In 2014 – 39661 KmsRunning Track Kms http://Total……….in 1951 – 59315 Kms…… - In 2014 – 89919 KmsNumber of Stations ………………..………in 1951 – 5976…………….. - in 2014 – 7112Locomotives (Steam / Diesel / Electric) in 1951 – 8120+17+72; In 2014 – 43+5633+4823Passenger Carriages ……………………….in 1951 – 13022…………....- In 2014 – 50194Wagons ………………….……………..………..in 1951 – 205596 …………..- In 2014 – 252833Modi –Route Kms Electrified -……………. In 2014 – 21614 Kms………...In 2019 – 34319 KmsRoute Kms Total - ……………….…. In 2014 – 65426 Kms…….…...In 2019 – 67415 KmsRunning Track Kms Electrified... In 2014 – 39661 Kms..…….....In 2019 – 59412 KmsRunning Track Kms Total -………... In 2014 – 89919 Kms……....In 2019 – 95981 KmsNumber of Stations -……………….. In 2014 – 7112 ………………. In 2019 - 7321Locomotives (Steam / Diesel / Electric). In 2014 – 43+5633+4823……...In 2019 – 39+6049+6059Passenger Carriages -……………... In 2014 – 50194 ……………...In 2019 - 55258Wagons -…………………..…………….. In 2014 – 252833 …………. In 2019 – 289185Comparison – A comparison cannot be made as entire Railway system comprising tracks, locomotives and coaches were in Narrow gauge, Meter Gauge and Broad gauge in 1947. If conversion to Broad gauge (equivalent to laying new tracks), replacement of steam engines by Diesel first & then by Electric locomotives, expansion in route lengths and electrification are not development, what will be considered development?6) HARBOURSCongress - In 1947, the only five major ports at Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Cochin and Visakhapatnam, were in World war II worn and dilapidated condition.They were rehabilitated and modernized.Kandla was developed to handle the traffic which was previously handled by Karachi.Mormugao port was modernized and recognized as a major port in 1963.Madras – was provided with additional berths and handling facilities for ores, petroleum, fertilizer and containersEnnore - a coal and POL deepening of channel for 170,000 DWT iron-ore carriersBombay - Modernization and expansion of the docks, pier, Marine Oil Terminal, 3 oil jettiesJawaharlal Nehru Port, Nhava Sheva, the largest container port in India, constructed on 26 May 1989.Visakhapatnam - iron ore handling, fertilizer berths, bulk cargo berth, coking coal berth, bauxite berth, additional POL facilities, deepening of the channel,.Haldia Dock Complex. - Construction and expansion, Coal and iron ore traffic in March 1977. 2 Container handling facilities, additional cargo berths, petroleum product berth.Cochin - open berth, an oil terminal, Petroleum and oil products berth, handling facilities for container traffic, fertilizer berths, deepening of channel, a thermal coal berth.Paradip, the eighth major port - ore handling plant, 5 general cargo berths, a fertilizer berth, thermal coal loading facility, deepening of channel for 170,000 DWT iron-ore carriers.Mangalore - inaugurated on 4 May 1974 container terminal, iron-ore handling facilities, 7 general cargo berths, a crude oil terminal were constructedTuticorin was declared a major port in July 1974. container terminal, Coal Jetty, cargo berths and 2 coal berths,Hazira, Surat, Magdalla; Kakinada, Gopalpur, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep were enlisted in the Eighth Five Year Plan as proposed new ports.Andaman - development of Junglighat Harbour in Port Blair, deep water wharf in Campbel Bay. Port Blair was declared as India’s 13th Major Port with effect from June 1, 2010.Pipavav was the first private port to come up in 1980.Central Dredging Corporation (CDC) was set up.Up to 1990, Indian major ports were operating as Service Port Model. In October 1996, policies were formed for implementing Build Operate and Transfer basis.Subsequently, over the years all major ports have given their berths on BOT basis. Non-major ports like Mundra, Krishnapatnam, Dhamra and Karaikal bear testimony to successful PPP model. 48% of EXIM trade was passing through non-major (private ports)JNPT, Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Tuticorin are following landlord port model.The Sethusamudram Corporation Ltd was formed to save up to 424 nautical miles of navigation and up to 30 hours sailing time for ships plying between the east and west coasts.The total cargo traffic of all the ports has grown significantly from a mere 21.75 million tonnes in 1951-52 to 972.63 MT in 2013-14. The total capacity of major ports in 2013-14 was 800.52 MT (Ref 9). The shipping tonnage in 2012 was 11.03 million GT with 1135 vessels.There are also 7 shipyards under the control of central government and 2 shipyards controlled by state governments and 19 privately owned shipyards.There are 16 ship builders in India.MODI - The total cargo traffic of all the ports grew from 972.63 MT in 2013-14 to 1152.03 MT in FY20 (up to Dec 2019). The capacity of major ports increased from 800.52 MT in 2013-14 to 1065.83 in 2016-17.In November 2019, JSW Infrastructure commissioned a new iron ore terminal at the Paradip port in Odisha with a capacity to handle up to 18 MT of cargo per annum.JSW Infrastructure entered into BOT agreement with Paradip Port to operate Paradip port.Adani Port and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) became the first Indian port operator to handle cargo movement of 200 million tonnes (MT) in 2018-19.71 Public Private Partnership projects are operational for adding capacity of 505.49 MT.Comparison – Compared to construction / rehabilitation of 13 major ports over 59 years by Congress governments, Modi government has not built any new major port. If construction / rehabilitation, modernization, and expansion of 13 major ports is not a development, what will be considered as development?7) ROADWAYSCongress - National Highways length increased from 21440 kms in 1947 to 92851 KM in 2014.Surfaced roads mileage increased from 97,500 miles in 1950-51 to 15,17,000 kms in 1995-96.Strengthening weak 2 lanes up to X5YP was 11755.14 Km. Major / minor bridges including ROBs (nos) completed up to 2012 was 1,290Four laning of the Golden Quadrilateral and the North–South, East–West Corridors completed by 30 Apr 2012 was 11858 kms + Work was in progress over 697 kmsWidening of national highways to two lanes with paved shoulders was 42,526 kms up to 2012.Four laning of national highways connecting State capitals and places of tourist importance with the national network was 18,477 km up to 2012.Ring roads around major towns and bypasses, flyovers, etc. on national highways under NHDP VII completed in X5YP was 32IRQP completed during X5YP was 15326.62 kmsModi – Length of National Highways increased from 92851 Kms in FY14 to 122434 kms in FY19. Length of State highways in March 2020 was 156694 kms. Under PM’s Gram Sadak Yojana, 85% of the total 178184 eligible rural habitations, which were to be connected with good roads, were connected. Special Accelerated Road Development Program was made to connect remote areas in the North East with their state capitals.Comparison - As road development is taking place fully through private investment, without any burden on government finance, it is progressing rapidly. The previous Congress government was also following this practice starting in IX-5YP. It was responsibility of government to provide roads from taxes collected. Now intercity cost of traveling has increased, and intra city time of travel has increased in big cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, etc. due to traffic jam and underdeveloped roads. If construction of National Highways without charging toll charges as above are not developments, what will be considered as development?8) AIRPORTSCongress - In 1950, 81 aerodromes were maintained and operated by the Civil Aviation Department.During the first plan, 9 new aerodromes were constructed and two more were likely to be completed by the end of 1956. The Department had taken over some aerodromes from the Ministry of Defence also.4 new aerodromes and glider-dromes were constructed and 4 more were in advanced state of completion during the second plan in pursuance of the general objective of providing aerodromes in the capitals of all States and in other important towns throughout the country.Air India International and the Indian Airlines Corporation, were set up in August 1953.Extensive development works to facilitate the flights of jet aircraft were started in II5YP at Bombay (Santa Cruz), Calcutta (Dum Dum) and Delhi (Palam) airports and completed in III5YP. Extension of existing runways were taken up in many airports including Lucknow, Gaya and Ahmedabad. An airfield was developed for jet operations at Madras.In IV5YP, runways, terminal and communication facilities of Mumbai, Kolkata Delhi and Chennai were developed for wide bodied modern jumbo jets.International Airports Authority of India was formed in 1972 for administration of all airports.Safety oriented and reliable communication, navigation and landing aid equipment were installed during V5YP.Integrated Air Cargo Complexes were developed in many airports in VI5YP. Runways of Varanasi and Kanpur were strengthened for use by bigger aircrafts. International Terminal Complex Phase I, Phase II of New Mumbai, Terminal Complex Phase I of New Delhi and Domestic Terminal Complex of Chennai were started and Mumbai Phase I Complex was completed.The number of Airports and Civil Enclaves increased to 129, of which 23 International, 78 Domestic, 8 Customs and 20 Civil Enclaves at Defence airfields in 2014 (as per Annual Report of Min. of Civil Aviation).Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports were inaugurated in March 2008 and May 2008 respectively.Pakyong Airport in Sikkim, Itanagar Airport in Arunachal Pradesh and Ciethu Airport in Nagaland were planned in XI5YP. 83% of Pakyong airport work was completed in 2014 as told in Lok Sabha on 21 July 2014.Modernization of New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru were taken up through private sector. It was planned to modernize Kolkata, Chennai, 35 non-metro airports and 13 more airports including Jammu, Dehradun, Agaratti and Port Blair were planned to be modernized in next stage.Efforts to build Gauhati, Dibrugarh, Silchar, Agarthala, Shillong, Imphal and Dimapur airports started in XII5YP.Modi - Airports Authority of India has improved the standard of airports in 23 metros in the past 5 years. More than 30 airports are under development in North Eastern states. Kannur international airport was inaugurated in December 2018. 137 Airports are operating in March 2019. (7 airports made operational in 5 years) Domestic Passenger traffic increased to 274.5 million, international travelers increased to 66.54 million and cargo traffic increased to 3.32 million MT in FY20.Comparison – Compared to about 129 airports developed during Congress period over 59 years, about 13 airports should have been built by Modi government. More airports have gone under private companies like GAAR, GVK, Siemens, L&T, MAYTAS, etc from the hands of Airports Development Authority of India. The loss in income to ADAI / government to be checked. If construction and development of 129 airports is not development, what will be considered as development?9) EDUCATIONCongress - In 1947, the literacy level was 12% of the population of about 340 million or about 41 million people.……………………………………………….1950-51 (Actual)…..….2012.……….INSTITUTIONS ……………………………Numbers ………………………………(i) Primary…………………………………..…..2,09,671…….……13,04,000….(ii) Middle………………………………………13,596………...…..1,77,000….(iii) High/Higher Secondary…………….7,288…..………..73000 / 25000..(iv) College………………………………….…………………………..46430 (2012).(a) Art, Science and Commerce………..548………….…..32974 (2011).(b) Professional………………………….……..147……….………4512 (2007)..(c) Universities/Deemed Universities…28…………………621.. (2011)15 Indian Institutes of Technology, 13 Indian Institutes of Management, 28 National Institutes of Technology, Two Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, A new Indian Institute of Information Technology, Manufacturing and Design and Indian Maritime University were established.Postgraduate and Doctoral programs in engineering were available in 150 institutions in 1996-97.There were 1,740 schools (Kendriya Vidyalayas— 1,092, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas—586 and Central Tibetan Schools—62) directly under the Central Government.Apart from the Indira Gandhi National Open University, there are 13 State Open Universities and 183 other Distance Education Institutions (DEIs) approved by the Distance Education Council.National Council for Educational Research & Training redrew the National Curriculum Framework for classes I – XII.During the Tenth Plan, the share of private unaided higher education institutions increased from 42.6% in 2001 to 63.21% in 2006.Youth literacy increased to 91 per cent in 2009–10 and adult literacy improved to 74 per cent in 2011.The number of institutions grew to 46,430 in 2012. By the end of XI-5YP, the country had 645-degree awarding institutions, 33,023 colleges affiliated to 174 universities and over 12,748 diploma granting institutions. Ninety-eight private State universities, 17 private deemed universities, 7,818 private colleges, and 3,581 private diploma institutions were set up during XI-5YP period.Modi – 6 Indian Institutes of Technology, 7 Indian Institutes of Management and 1 National Institute of Technology were started.……………………………………………….……………2012………..…………..….2018-19………….INSTITUTIONS …………………………………………Numbers ………………………….(i) Primary…………………………………....…..13,04,000………..….. 14,67,680 (2016-17)….(ii) Middle………………………………..……….1,77,000……......………………………….(iii) High/Higher Secondary………….…73000 / 25000……..260155 (2016-17) …..(iv) College………………………………….……..46,430………... ……………………….....(a) Art, Science and Commerce….….…32974 (2011)……….39931………..……...(c) Universities/Deemed Universities….621 (2011)……..…….993 ……..……….Comparison – XII-5YP says “While private provision in secondary education should be fostered wherever feasible, the government will have to take the prime responsibility to provide access to disadvantaged sections and to bridge the rural/urban, regional, gender and social group gaps”. Accordingly, the Central Government’s expenditure for secondary education increased from 2,578 crores in 2007–08 to 13,278 crores in 2011–12. BJP government has not done sufficiently for increasing government schools, thereby increasing the ratio of private schools to government schools. As a result, more and more people have to pay exorbitant donations for securing admissions in private schools and colleges and pay higher tuition fees. If establishing more government schools & colleges & increasing Youth literacy to 91% in 2009–10 & adult literacy to 74 per cent in 2011 is not development, what will be considered as development?10) FOOD PRODUCTION, FOOD IMPORT / EXPORTCongress - India produced about 50 million tonnes of food grains in 1947. The foodgrain production was at 50.8 million tonnes in 1950-51In the 1950s the imports averaged about 2.5 million tonnes, rose to 5.6 million tonnes a year in the 1960s The successive drought years of 1965-66 and 1966-67 forced India to import about 10 million tonnes each year under the PL480 to meet its food demand.New Agricultural Strategy with use of modern technology and inputs like High Yielding Variety (HYV) of seeds of wheat and rice combined with nitrogenous fertilizers and mechanization in areas with assured irrigation - called 'Green Revolution' was implemented.The food grain production which was at 89.0 million tonnes in 1964-65 reached a level of 108.42 million tonnes by 1970-71, thereby helping India to unilaterally terminate the PL480 agreement. Huge marketable surpluses in food grains helped the buildup of buffer stocks.The Green Revolution, spreading over the period from1967/68 to 1977/78, changed India’s status from a food-deficient country to one of the world's leading agricultural nations.The Green Revolution resulted in a record grain output of 131 million tonnes in 1978/79. Yield per unit of farmland improved by more than 30% between1947 and 1979.Production of crops (in million tonnes)Year………………………………….1950–51………………2013–14………………2017–18Rice…………………………………….21…………………………107……………………..113Wheat…………………………………..6…………………………..96………………………100Coarse cereals…………………….15…………………………..43………………………..47Pulses……………………………………8…………………………..19………………………..25Total food grains………………….51……………………265.04…………………284.83Oilseeds…………………………………5………….………………33……………………….31Cotton……………………………………3…………………………..37……………………..35Sugarcane……………………………..57………………………..350……………………..377Food grains yield in kg/ Hectare in 2013-14 was 2120Agriculture Exports in 2013-14 was $ 32 Billion / Rs. 262779 CrAgriculture Imports in 2013-14 was $ 16.8 Billion / Rs. 85727 CrModi –a. Food export was $ 38.54 Billion and Food import was $ 20.35 Billion in FY19.b. Food grains yield in Kg/ Hectare increased from 2120 in 2013-14 to 2233 in 2018-19.Agricultural exports as a percentage of agricultural GDP has come down from 13.56% in 2012-13 to 9.90 % in 2015-16. During the same period, Agricultural imports as a percentage of agricultural GDP has also increased from 5.71% to 6.45%.Comparison – The food production has increased at the same rate as it increased from 213.19 MT in 2003-04 to 265.04 MT in 2013-14. If converting India from a food-deficient country to one of the world's leading agricultural nations through Green Revolution is not development, what will be development?11) EMPLOYMENTA. In I-5YP 45 Lakh persons, in II-5YP 80 Lakh persons and in III-5YP 140 lakh persons got employment.B. In 1983, 16.46 million people were employed in Public sector, 7.55 million in Private sector and 278.74 million in Un-Organized sector (Total employed 302.75 million).C. Integrated Rural Development Program helped 1.5 Crores households in 1980-85. Operation Flood II Diary Development Project 80 Lakh households, other diary development programs 50 Lakh more familiesD. Between 1980 and 1985, employment was provided for 41.358, 35.452, 35.12, 30.276 and 35.231 Crores man-days under National Rural Employment Program. Overall employment was estimated to have grown from 15.111 Crores in 1979-80 to 18.6705 Crores towards the end of VI-5YP.E. In 1994, 19.44 million people were employed in Public sector, 7.93 million in Private sector and 347.08 million in Un-Organized sector (Total employed 374.08 million).F. In 1997, Total employed persons were 391.3 million.G. National Rural Employment Guarantee Program (NREGP) was started with 200 districts across the country in Phase-I during 2005–06, extended to additional 130 districts in Phase-II during 2007–08. From 1 April 2008 onwards, the Act covered the whole of rural area in the country.The IT sector was estimated to employ over 3.08 million people in 2007 and is expected to provide employment opportunity to over 8.73 million by 2012. In 2009-10: Agriculture 244.85 million, Manufacturing 50.74 million, Mining 2.95 million, Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 1.25 million, Construction 44.04 million, Services 116.34 million, Total 460.22 million.Over the six years period 2006-2012, MGNREGA has generated more than 1,200 crore person-days of work.Modi – Between 2015-19, 1.2 Crores jobs were created per year. The share of regular wage/salaried employees increased from 18 per cent in 2011-12 to 23 per cent in 2017-18.A significant jump of around 2.62 crore new jobs with 1.21 crore in rural areas and 1.39 crore in urban areas in this category.Total formal employment in the economy increased from 8 per cent in 2011-12 to 9.98 per cent in 2017-18. It is not clear how much jobs were created by government programs and how many by private sector.Comparison - The data released by Labour Ministry showed 7.8% of all employable urban youth being jobless, while the percentage for the rural was 5.3% in the period July 2017 to June 2018. This was corroborated by some as 45 year high. (as per Hindu dated 31-5-2019). The number of employees (excluding Casual and Contractual workers) in CPSEs decreased from 13.49 Lakhs in 2013-14 to 10.88 Lakhs in 2017-2018 (19.35% reduction in 4 years). This is partly due to liquidation of 22 CPSEs in the period 2015-18. Rural Development Ministry’s flagship MGNREGA was allocated only 61500 Cr in 2020-21 budget against 71000 Cr spent in 2019-20 (13% Reduction). If increase in unemployment and decrease in job creation by BJP government are not deterioration, what will else be?12) COMMUNICATIONSCongress - Telephone services—The number of telephones in the country increased from 168,000 in 1950-51 to 4.077 Crores telephone connections in 2012. 11000 Rural Automatic Exchanges were operational in 1989-90. International Subscriber Dialing was provided for 178 countries in 1989-90. Subscriber Trunk Dialing was provided to 380 out of the 447-district headquarters. Landline connections were 4.077 Crores in 2007.Telegraph services—The number of telegraph offices in the country increased from 3600 in 1950-51 to 37000 in 1989-90Postal services—The number of post offices in the country increased from 36,000 in 1950-51 to 1,53,000 in 1996 and they maintained 16.05 Cr PO Savings Bank accounts of Rs 91795 Cr in March,1996. Speed Post was introduced in 1989-90 and Postal Service computerization started in 1989-90.Radio – With 207 Broadcasting stations and 393 transmitters, All India Radio Service was provided to 93% of the population by 1989-90.Television With 52 TV Studios and 1400 TV transmitters, TV Service was extended to 92% of the population in 2012 spread over 88% of India’s geographical area. More than 800 satellite channels were being offered by 100 Multi System operators, 66000 Cable operators, 7 DTH Operators and several IPTV Services in 2012. There were 13.8 Cr TV Sets, of which 3 crores were viewing Door Darshan programs through antennas, 7.4 Cr were viewing channels though Cable and rest through DTH and IPTV.Optical Fiber System was laid for 519155 Route Kms and Microwave network extended to cover 64507 Route Kms in March 2007. Coaxial system for Trunk Telephone laid for 7000 Route Kms.Arvi Satellite Earth Station for Overseas Communication Service was started in 1971.Mobiles - 36 Mobile operators were given license to provide Cellular Mobile Telephone Services in 80 cities in 1995. Mobile phones services started in 4 metros and 50 more cities in 1996. 91.917 Cr people were using mobile phones in 2012Internet Services - Licenses were issued for Email, voice and data services. DOT and VSNL started to provide internet services in 20 cities in 1996. INET and HV-NET data and voice communication facilities were provided in 95 cities. 1.4 Cr people were using broadband services in March 2012Modi – Broadband - On January 2020, 67.339 Cr people were using broadband. Of this 1.908 Cr people were using broadband service through wired network. Optical Fiber Cable was laid over 14 Lakh Kms across the country.Mobiles – 115.6 Cr people were using mobile phones as on January 2020. Data - 93.65% of the wireless data subscribers were using 4G data in Q2FY20. Cable TV – Complete cable TV network was digitized by July 2019. TV Sets – 19.7 Cr houses had TV sets in 2018. Online video streaming increased due to increasing geographical coverage of high-speed data, increasing smartphone and affordable data charges.Comparison – In the case of TV broadcast, the entire infrastructure was made by Congress governments and 92% of population were already enjoying TV service by 2012. The infrastructure for mobile service, internet, broadband, data were made by private operators. If providing ISD and STD services, Postal services with Savings bank accounts, TV service to 92% of population, mobile services to 92 Cr people are not developments, what will be considered as development?13) HOUSINGa. During I-5YP, 7.42 Lakh houses were constructed under government programs, 6 Lakh houses under private sector and 0.4 Lakh houses under Subsidized Industrial Housing Scheme.b. During II-5YP, under various housing schemes and construction programs of Ministries, 5 Lakh houses were constructed. For employees of factories set up in Sindri, Durgapur, Bhilai, Rourkela, Chittaranjan and Neyveli integrated townships with all facilities like schools, hospitals, shops, etc. were constructed. 0.53 Lakh houses were built under Housing for Low Income Groups.c. During III-5YP, Ministries of Railways, Communications, Commerce & Industry planned to construct 3 Lakh houses for their employees. Under various housing schemes and the construction programs of Ministries, 9 Lakh houses were planned to be constructed.d. 407450 Houses were constructed before 1968-69 under Subsidized Housing Scheme, Scheme for Industrial workers & Economically Weaker Sections, Slum Clearance, Low Income Group, Middle Income Group & Rental Housing Schemes for State Employees.e. During VI-5YP, 72260 houses under Subsidized Industrial Housing Scheme, 65132 houses under LIG Housing Scheme, 33111 houses under MIG plan, 159522 houses under Village Housing Scheme & 33108 houses under Rental Housing Scheme were constructed. 54.3 Lakh village house sites were allotted. By July 1980, HUDCO had sanctioned 1274 schemes in 319 towns and cities in 17 States and 4 Union Territories involving loan assistance for construction of about 6.8 lakh dwelling units and about 62,000 developed plots and a number of shops and commercial complexes.f. In VII-5YP, 43.2 Lakhs house sites were allotted, and 22.5 households given aid for construction of houses under Minimum Needs Program. Under Indira Awas Yojana 6.87 Lakhs SC / STs were provided dwelling units. From 21.5 Lakhs of houses for which loans were sanctioned by HUDCO, 16 Lakh houses were constructed before June 1991. 7.14 Lakh houses for Economically Weaker Section and 1.67 Lakh houses for LIG were constructed under 20 Point Program. 26200 Platform dwellers were provided residential accommodation. 2.3 Lakhs houses were constructed under Cooperative Housing Schemes.g. Between 1991-2001, 1.952 Cr urban houses were constructed. (P 407 Eleventh Plan). National Slum Development Program was started in 1996. Plan to build houses for Beedi workers and hamals was started under Economically Weaker Section Housing Scheme.h. Under Bharat Nirmaan plan, 28.69 Lakh houses were constructed for BPL families. Between 2006-07 and 2011-12, 1.2456 Cr houses were constructed under Indira Awas Yojana. 6.2 Lakh dwelling units were constructed till March 2012 under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (BSUP & IHSDP). Under the Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY), subsidy was released for construction of 459728 dwelling units and 65580 toilet seats since the inception of the scheme up to 2005–06.i. CPSE employees were provided with 5,89,234 houses by setting up 14 Super Mega townships with houses above 10000 houses each, 6 Mega Townships of houses 5000 – 10000 each, 26 Townships of 1000 – 5000 houses each, 6 Townships of houses 500 – 1000 each and 12 Mini-townships of houses 100 – 500 each.Modi - Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), Government has sanctioned more than 96.50 lakh houses and under PMAY(U) approved 606 proposals for the construction of 3,31,075 houses. If construction of over 4.28 Cr houses is not development, what will be considered development?14) IMPORT / EXPORT, FOREIGHN EXCHANGE RESERVEIn US $ Million…………….1950-51…………2013-14Exports………………………1269………………336611Imports……………………..1273………………466046FE Reserve………………….1914………………304223IT-ITES Exports – US $ 69 Billion in 2011-12Modi –……………………………….………….2013-14………………..………….2019-20……………..Exports (US $ Million)………..336611 (2013)………….……….528450………………Imports (US $ Million)……....466046 (2013)…………………598610……………….Foreign Ex. Res. w/o GoldUS $ Million ……………………304223 (Mar 2014)…………… 493480 (May 2020)The merchandise export stood at US$ 314.31 billion in 2019-20, while that for import touched US$ 467.19 billion in the same period.The estimated value of services export and import for 2019-20 stood at US$ 214.14 billion and US$ 131.41 billion, respectively.Comparison – The import remains higher than exports. The services / ITES Exports have increased from US $ 69 Billion in 2011-12 to US $ 214.14 Billion in 2019-20, whereas the ratio of merchandise to services export has reduced from about 3.88:1 to 1.46:1. This implies that merchandise export has reduced very much, which may become a concern if software exports reduce in the future. On the foreign exchange reserve, we must keep in mind the remittance by NRIs to India, which was US $ 83 Billion in 2019, also constitutes a significant part. If this is not deterioration in development during Modi period, what else will be?From these 14 criteria of economic development, it is clear that development was more during Congress period than during BJP period.References:1)Chapter III Irrigation Development in Indiahttps://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/81241/11/11_chapter%203.pdf2)Growth of Electricity Sector in India from 1947 – 2017http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/others/planning/pdm/growth_2019.pdf3)Ref – 3 Hindustan Times dated 15-8-2017 India at 70: The good and bad of India’s growth story.4)GDP (constant 2010 US$) - India4)5)https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/india/gdp-per-capita6)http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/downloads/Data_Bank.pdf7)http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/Year_Book/Summery%20sheet%20Annual%20Report%20English_2018-19.pdf8)https://sg.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/15155/10/11_chapter%202.pdf9)http://www.mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/Statistical_year_book_india_chapters/ch22.pdf10)https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/IND/Year/1995/SummaryText11)https://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/Publications/PDFs/149T_HB15092019D8C054C46E5E4DECBFE7AD7072E4658B.PDF