#100AccheDin: A hundred days of small big stuff from the Narendra Modi government

Over the last few weeks, newspapers and TV channels have been deluged with hundred days of Modi Sarkaar analyses. Expectedly the reviews and report cards have been a mixed bag. A common theme running through most appraisals, even the ones that have been favorable to the new government, is that the ‘big bang reforms’ are missing. Nothing spectacular has happened yet. Nothing earth shattering has been announced by the government yet. 

I don’t know what ‘big bang reforms’ exactly are. No one has been able to explain what the definition of an earth shattering event is.  History will record May 16th, when BJP led by Narendra Modi received a massive mandate from people of India, as a turning point.  When PM Modi bowed down on the steps of Parliament house, restoring the dignity of temple of democracy it was a significant moment. This country just few months ago had witnessed lawmakers attacking each other with pepper sprays in the same august house whose sanctity newly elected Prime Minister instantly restored. When Narendra Modi , few days after assuming office, sent a memo to his ministers that no relatives should be hired by them  as personal assistants or in any other capacity, it was a big bang reform in a country ridden by nepotism. When all the officials of External Affairs Ministry showed up on a Saturday to get rid of mountains of paper not needed anymore, throw away old and unused furniture and obsolete equipment, it was a remarkably spectacular moment.  Changing laws to allow self attestation of documents is a big bang reform in a country where lower bureaucracy is afflicted with corruption. 

In last hundred days we have seen more of Big small stuff and relatively Small Big stuff. Abolition of Planning Commission from the ramparts of Red fort (symbolism of the same was hard to miss), robust revival of foreign policy, Jan Dhan Yojana  are big bang reforms but if we were to find a common theme or a direction of Modi government it is sweating the small stuff and getting the foundation right. Big skyscrapers cannot be built on termite ridden foundation. Massive works of art start with getting the basic canvas ready first. 

When Modi was running for his third term for Chief Ministership of Gujarat, in an interview he was asked what has he done so far and what does he intend to do in next term. He said ‘Till now we were only filling the pot holes left by forty years of Congress misrule. The real development and change will happen now’ The historic mandate that Narendra Modi received in 2014 General Elections was primarily a reflection of two things. Complete lack of faith in Congress led UPA government and poor state of economy which reflected in lack of jobs and unrest. Public memory is notoriously short so when Modi assumed office, critics and supporters both expected miracles. Nation building, unfortunately, is not that simple. Modi government will have to undo a lot of mess that has been bequeathed to them. They have to cross lot of landmines that were kept ready for them. Before elections we often talked about scorched earth policy adopted by UPA government. That scorched earth has to be made fertile again before any growth can happen. 

Hundred days is certainly not enough for any reviews of a government that has been voted for 5 years. We can certainly judge the direction in which the nation is going though. There are many indications that we are off to a flying start. We have been in a state of paralysis for so long that many of us may not have noticed that the country has taken off. 

Here are few things to remind yourself next time you read about lack of big bang reforms (whatever that means):

We finally have a government and a Prime Minister. The dual power, extra constitutional power, remote power and all those nightmares of UPA government are over. We have one centre of power and the buck stops with him. He is responsible for everything he does and his PMO does. If you have not noticed yet we do have a PM is who is in control of his PMO. Files don’t get transported miraculously out of the PMO anymore and dignity has been restored to the office of PM. 

We actually have a Foreign Policy and no it is not called status quo. We have also discovered that we have more than one neighbor. (Don’t raise your hand if you thought Pakistan was our only neighbor, look up PM’s recent itinerary instead).Modi visited Nepal and became the first Indian PM to do so after 17 years. We revived our relationship with Bhutan as well. Huge diplomatic win for the newly elected government was when nurses abducted by Islamist terrorists were brought back safely in midst of Iraq crisis. This was done quietly and with needle like precision. The media of course spent its precious time rabble rousing but the government did not lose its focus by relentless shortsighted criticism. MEA is manned by very efficient Sushma Swaraj who has brought a lot of gravitas to the ministry. 

Economy will take a while to recover. Even Modi’s worst critics will acknowledge that economy does not recover in a day. It takes time for favorable results to pour in even when you do everything right. Budget was a sore point with many people. Those who expected a lot more forget that budget was presented roughly 45 days after the new government was sworn in. This was four months after fiscal year had already started. An interim budget had already been presented by the previous government. To include Big Bang reforms for the sake of favorable op ed columns right now would not have been prudent.  I am assuming first Budget which will have distinct Modi stamp will be presented early next year. In the meantime, finance Ministry is not limiting itself to the budget. Banking reforms, ensuring business friendly environment, and visa on arrival for businessmen is already in works.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitely has underlined that main focus of his ministry is to raise the investor confidence and make India a hot destination for investment.  Commerce Minister Nirmala Seetharaman recently announced E biz which will further improve the business environment. According to Seetharaman, E biz is a 24/7 online single-window system for providing  efficient, convenient, transparent and integrated Government-to-Business services to investors, industries and businesses throughout the life-cycle of business operations. These are examples of Small Big stuff. Stuff that doesn’t make it to the front pages of newspapers because it is not as exciting as Rahul Gandhi’s comments on price rise but without this foundation set in place big reforms won’t succeed. 

Infrastructure building is a big deal for this government and many quiet announcements have been made indicating the end of paralysis. Nitin Gadkari has talked about the very significant Motor Vehicles bill. This bill will overhaul the current obsolete law and make our roads safe with strict adherence to safety norms.  According to newspaper reports (small paragraph in the right hand corner of 8th page of course) the bill includes installing CCTV cameras at all traffic signals, and centralizing data to check misuse of driving licenses. Apart from Metro projects, NDA government has also announced ambitious project of building 30 kms of road per day. Small Big stuff that is absolutely needed to get the nation going. 

We finally have a Heath Minister who works. Dr Harshvardhan recently announced introduction of Rotavirus vaccine in Universal Immunization Programme which will go a long way in fighting infant mortality. By including this vaccine under UIP along with Japanese Encephalitis, Rubella and Polio, this government has shown its commitment to public health which has long been ignored. Dr. Harshvardhan’s commitment to providing 100% immunization coverage against encephalitis is a big step in battling the disease that has claimed many lives especially in UP and Bihar. Small Big stuff again which is important because only a healthy country can be a wealthy country. 

HRD Ministry recently nominated two highly accomplished women scientists to the IIT council, apex body of 16 IIT’S.  HRD Minister Smriti  Irani in one stroke broke many glass ceilings when names of Tessy Thomas and Vijaylakshmi Ravindranath were announced. Small stuff that will inspire many women across the country to realize their full potential. 

These are few examples that give us an idea in which direction the country is headed. I can go on and on about small things that Modi government has already put in place to ensure big things happen at appropriate time. Prime Minister Modi has just begun his journey and the nation has just begun moving again. The rust needs to be removed first. It will take time. Not everything we want this government to do will be done at the end of five years, but the foundation for a strong nation would have been laid. This Prime Minister has the courage to tell us that we need to focus on hygiene and cleanliness. He does not mince words when he says that safety of women is his top most priority. He tells us that we all need to contribute to nation building and no task is small. Six months ago no politician would talk about cleanliness, sanitation and women safety. These issues did not get you votes. Today MP’s are adopting one village each to make it a model village. They are building toilets for girls in schools. Did someone say Small Stuff? Sure. Modi Government is and will be a government of Small Big Stuff.