India's success story under the UPA

As this tenure of the UPA government comes to an end, many have painted a picture of gloom and doom. But how correct is this picture? Would you judge Sachin Tendulkar by the runs he scored in the last one year or over his entire illustrious career? A short-term view helps our political opponents with their propaganda but it is not the truth. Many feigned offence when the prime minister said historians would judge him and the UPA government more kindly than the contemporary media and the UPA’s opponents. But he was right.

In the space of one short column, it is not possible to highlight every single achievement. But here is a snapshot of reasons as to how India was transformed remarkably during the UPA’s tenure. These are reasons to be proud of, for the UPA, and for Indians who believe in a plural, secular India which includes the poorest in its growth.

Let’s start from the very beginning. Never before did a previous regime attempt to make the system of governance as transparent as the UPA government did under Manmohan Singh. Bringing in the Right to Information Act (RTI) was one of the most important steps in bringing accountability and transparency into governance. It gave an individual the power to hold the system accountable.

Many have parroted the lie that the NDA’s GDP performance was superlative, and the panacea to all our ills were found under that government, which was incidentally thrown out by the people after just one full stint. The myth of the NDA’s growth rates couldn’t be farther from the truth. The NDA regime saw one of the lowest growth rates under its watch. When the rates improved (on a low base rate as in its last ‘India Shining’ year), the growth wasn’t inclusive. The benefits accrued to the few who mattered to the NDA.

In contrast, the UPA government has in its tenure given consistent growth of over 7%. More importantly, this has been inclusive growth which has ensured that every single Indian benefits from the India growth story. Though the Indian economy grew in all sectors in the last decade, our rural growth rate is a particular matter of pride, as is the rapidly declining number of people living below the poverty line.

Let me share a few facts and figures. The average GDP growth rate during the period of the UPA government (2004-05 to 2013-14) has been 7.7% despite two global slowdowns in this period. During the last nine years, the country’s GDP (at current prices) has increased almost three times to Rs 100.28 lakh crore from Rs 32.42 lakh crore in 2004-05. Per capita income has also risen almost three-fold during the period, going up to Rs 68,747 in 2012 from Rs 24,143 in 2004. Even if one were to take inflation into account, per capita income has increased at an annual average of nearly 20% during the last nine years, well above the consumer price index during the same period.

Whether it has been in education, health or farmer welfare schemes, the UPA showed its determination to take every citizen of the country forward as part of this growth story. This wasn’t about a select few but about the whole nation progressing together. The agricultural growth rate has been rising consistently; the agriculture sector expanded by 2.5% and 3.7% during the 10th and 11th Five Year Plans respectively, and is expected to touch 4% in the ongoing 12th Plan period. Rural wages tripled, not in the least due to the expanded paces of rural roads constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), thus improving the purchasing power of the majority of people in the villages.

The growth rate has slowed under the UPA in the recent years, but that is no different from the growth rates witnessed in other developing nations due to the global economic slowdown in the last decade. Economies crashed, nations collapsed, banks went bust, but thanks to our fundamentally strong economic policies, the country continued to grow at a healthy if not a spectacular rate. More importantly, thanks to social security schemes like the MNREGA, the nation could afford to insulate the weaker sections from hardships. Even urban pockets saw growth on various lifestyle parameters. Better roads, airports, connectivity, industrial corridors were part of the upward surge in the infrastructure seen by the country. Despite vehement political opposition, FDI restrictions have been eased in most sectors.

Some truths must be shared here too. In terms of large projects, the UPA government has expedited and cleared as many 293 projects involving investment of Rs 5.7 lakh crore in 2013. Credit flow to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has grown nearly seven times in the last seven years. The outstanding loan to the MSME sector was at Rs 5.27 lakh crore in 2012 as against Rs 83,498 crore in 2005. In the last two years, 80,000 micro enterprises have been supported by the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, creating job opportunities for 9.23 lakh people. More people are now using bank facilities. The number of bank accounts have increased from 43.97 crore in 2004 to 77.32 crore as of last year.

Economy is just one sector. Let us look at the advances made in science and technology during the last nine years. Last week, we saw the successful launch of the GSLV, and before that, of the Mars observer mission. Our scientists are in the process of putting up satellites for our own Global Positioning System (GPS). Farmers and fishermen have benefited from the work of our scientists in the field of remote sensing. The many lives and the property saved during Cyclone Phailin was also due to the exemplary work done by our space scientists.

Defence scientists have also done us proud by their achievements under the UPA. Despite the denial of technology, we have successfully tested the Agni-V, which can carry a nuclear warhead as far as all of China in the east and all over Europe in the west, and operationalised the Prithvi-III and Agni-III missiles. Not many countries can boast of building their own aircraft carrier, which is on its way to being completed now. India now also has its own nuclear-powered submarine, the INS Arihant. 

If steps have been taken to bolster our national security by raising a new Strike Corps for China or by inducting a new aircraft carrier into service, the improvements in internal security under the UPA are also there for all to see. From the peak of terrorism in 2003-04 in Jammu and Kashmir, the violence has come down its lowest levels in 23 years. Tourism is at an all-time high in the Kashmir valley. The Northeast is more peaceful than before, with most major insurgent groups joining the government at the negotiation table. The Maoists, which seemed to be the biggest internal threat facing the country a few years ago, have been subdued to a great extent due to the focused effort of the UPA government. After the Mumbai terror attacks, jihadi terror has gone down dramatically with new architecture for internal security being put in place. The newly formed National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been instrumental in getting some of India’s most wanted terrorists from foreign lands. All this has been done without resorting to a draconian act like the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), which was being constantly advocated by the BJP.

No government is perfect, and this is true for the UPA too. The government did miss some opportunities, particularly in failing to curb rising prices, or in vociferously communicating and reinforcing its commitment to making stricter laws against corruption. That no other government has acted more swiftly against the guilty was also not communicated effectively enough. But overall, the glass of the UPA’s achievements is more full than empty. With the benefit of time and hindsight, the truth will soon become evident to all. Let there be no doubt about that. History will be a fairer judge.


Priyanka Chaturvedi is a blogger, columnist and is on the panel of spokespersons of the All India Congress Committee. She blogs at The Book Lovers and Priyanka Chaturvedi. Views are personal.