Modi proposes the way forward for India

The exposition by the President on Monday of the priorities and concerns of the Narendra Modi-led first BJP government which has a majority of its own — contained in his joint address to the two Houses of Parliament — turns out to be more of a manifesto for five years, if not a decade, than a one-year action plan of the government.

Thus, the President could speak of his government providing a pucca house with round-the-clock electricity and water for each family within 75 years of independence (2022), building one hundred new cities, ending the rural-urban divide in terms of providing facilities to villages, and veritably bring about an infrastructure revolution in the country within the broad framework of “youth-led development”.

All of this may well be a pie in the sky, but it is fair to say that even if a quarter of the promises made come to fruition, the average citizen will be entitled to believe that he has made several leaps in one lifetime. That will make a big differnce in the lives of ordinary citizens.

Mr Modi’s government also proposes the way forward — through transparent and corruption-free delivery of government services, labour-intensive manufacturing, a transportation and educational turnaround, a deep and extensive skills development national effort, a multi-pronged heave to economic reforms, non-adversarial taxation policy, ensuring ease of doing business, bringing inflation under control, and promoting investment.

The Modi government is indeed envisaging  a gilded path with shiny labyrinths. All of this flows from the recent Lok Sabha election being “an election of hope” which gave an unhindered majority to a party after 30 years. This underlines the power of the Modi government’s mandate, and its capacity and potential to fulfil the dreams it has nurtured in the people of this country.

As the general run of policies of the Modi government adumbrated in the President’s address does not look very different from those pursued by the UPA, presumably the difference between the two will lie in the quality of governance, the quality of leadership, and the quality of implementation. To make an assessment on that count, we must necessarily wait. But Prime Minister Modi has begun with a stylistic flourish by declaring that “skill, scale and speed” would help India overcome its present confines and help it compete with China. This may not be just an idea but very much practical.

The expression is from the President’s address but it also found its way into the Prime Minister’s speech a day prior at a book launch, suggesting the importance Mr Modi attaches to the rubric. Right away, we must look for the contents of the new policies in education, health, energy and water resources — which the President’s address mentions — and the big ideas in the Budget to be unveiled in just a few weeks, to fathom the nature of the Modi government.