President Gives Wings to Emerging Agenda for Modi Sarkar ver.2
JUNE 21, 2019
By TIOL Edit Team
PRESIDENT Ram Nath Kovind's address to Parliament marks a new milestone in new Government's resolve to pursue its multi-facet, socio-economic agenda.
Notable from economy's standpoint is brief mention about the intention to unveil soon a new industrial policy & to amend Companies Act.
Mr. Kovind also affirmed Government's commitment to continue with taxation reforms including GST simplification. Businessmen can speculate and interpret on their own Government's simultaneous warning against tax evasion. As put by the President, "campaign against black money will be taken forward at a faster pace".
From inclusiveness standpoint, we need to give a big thumbs-up to the proposal to formulate National Retail Trade Policy – a promise made in BJP Manifesto for 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In a over-populated country, leg-up to retailing is sure-fire means to creation of start-ups, jobs and economic growth.
Equally welcome is the proposal to improve credit delivery to micro, small and medium enterprises through enhanced credit guarantee coverage. The jobs market is to be sustained through improvement and expansion of education system.
According to the President, the Government would increase the number of seats in the higher education system by one-and-a-half times by 2024. This would result in 2 crore additional seats for higher learning by the youth. For school children, Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme would be launched.
We have to wait and see how these and other proposals such as National Research Foundation would be implemented and scaled up. These are important facilitators for India's march towards becoming 5-trillion dollar economy by 2024.
The Address to joint session of both houses of Parliament should thus strengthen optimism about forthcoming budget and governance during next five years. It definitely signals continuity and stability as it has articulated all goals and promises unveiled by the Government in its first tenure.
We should, however, note that the customary Address falls short of being full-fledged agenda for next five years. It has avoided mentioning the Manifesto. The address contains only a few ideas and proposals mentioned in the Manifesto.
Notable Omission is Sankalp Patra (Manifesto's) 75 Milestones for India @ 75.
The Address also contains a passing reference to 2047 - the year in which India would complete a hundred years of freedom.
It would have been enlightening if Mr. Kovind had elaborated on BJP's pledge "to make next five years as the foundation laying period for India of 2047." In the manifesto, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "Let us together imagine what is the kind of India that we want by 2047". He had for earnest worked to translate such vision into a "golden reality".
We hope Niti Aayog would prepare Vision 2047 after stakeholders' consultations. The Vision can later be enriched with inputs from the public.
While listing slew of other initiatives, President disclosed that the Government would launch programmes on the lines of 'Namami Gange' scheme for Kaveri, Periyar, Narmada, Yamuna, Mahanadi and Godavari rivers. This should open new job opportunities as river-cleaning projects are labour-intensive. The Government resolve on infrastructure and manufacturing front is also heartening.
All said and done, it is one thing to deliver an impressive scheme and another to realize goals and visions in a time-bound manner. Available indications suggest that the Government is conscious of the need to perform better than what it did in the first term.
The failure to achieve ambitious goals such as housing for all by 2022 would invite criticism from the Opposition parties. It would create dissatisfaction for the public that gave robust mandate. Let efficient implementation of schemes and delivery of promises and benefits be the motto of the Modisarkar ver.2.
Mr. Kovind's words in this sphere would continue to resonate in the ears of teeming masses. He stated: "My Government wants to make the people conscious, capable, well-provided and unfettered to such an extent that that they do not feel the 'Burden, Force, or Absence' of the Government in their daily life. Empowering every person in the country is the main goal of my Government".
In the first term, the Government deftly steered clear of its 2014 promises such as Achhedin by playing nationalism bugle. It would now be difficult for the Government to avoid accountability on touchstone of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas'.