Narendra Modi has been most successful in using technology for governance

During his nine-year reign at the Center, PM has brought about a generational shift in BJP thinking

By Harihar Swarup

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed his ninth year as Prime Minister. Watch how he has already left his mark on India’s history, forcing a change in the way politics is practiced and governance is delivered.

In 1995, Narendra Modi moved from Gujarat to Delhi after being appointed General Secretary (Organization) of the BJP. His reputation preceded him, as he had already won accolades for his keen organizational skills, scoring victories in his home country. Modi would soon usher in a generational shift in the collective thinking of the BJP.

We heard he was very interested and knowledgeable about the technology, said Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana, who was the BJP Organizing Secretary in the state when Modi moved to Delhi. One fine morning, upon unpacking, we had what looked like a TV. He told us it was a monitor. That was 28 years ago, when people barely knew computers.

At Modi’s request, Khattar learned to use computers. He fed a wealth of party-related information, prompting questions as to whether the entire party had been captured inside and their keys thrown away.

These were the beginnings of computing. Two decades later, Modi has brought his fascination with technology to transform governance at the national level.

Technology has become a powerful empowering tool to eliminate imbalances and promote social justice, Modi said recently. There was a time when technology was beyond the reach of ordinary citizens and things like debit and credit cards were status symbols. But today UPI has become a new standard due to its simplicity. Today, India is one of the countries that use the most data.

The use of technology has been a hallmark of Modi’s engagement with people in the party running his biggest campaign, right down to the prime minister using social media to circumvent the traditional communication tool. Even the biggest benefit of the demonstrated and highly controversial demonetization in 2016 has been the rapid digitization of financial transactions.

As Modi entered his 10th year as prime minister, he has already left his mark on the country’s political history. It has forced a change in the way politics is practiced and governance is carried out. The disputed era changes of the past nine years have been fundamental, with Modi making a conscious break with the past. He left his mark on the projects initiated and the structures built. Two of the most enduring such Modi-era structures in Delhi are the new Parliament Building and the brand new Exhibition and Convention Center at Pragati Maidan, where the Prime Minister will hold a G20 leaders meeting.

What differentiates Modi’s legacy from those of previous prime ministers is his ability to synchronize capitalism and socialism, the country’s two warring economic streams. Modi was able to distribute them from the same platform, without having to pay the political price. It has ensured the ease of doing business, grown start-ups from just 100 in 2014 to over a lakh now, and enabled the industry to usher in change so that wealth flows into the economy. and married it with socialist-era welfarism through programs for farmers, women, the underprivileged and the poor.

India is proud to follow Indian growth models, says Union Minister Bhupender Yadav. Culturally, we have initiated a process of going back to basics. The nation works with the approach can do.

According to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, India’s global profile has increased. Leaders, he said, often ask him about India’s achievements in technology, manufacturing and social welfare.

In fact, Modi is asking all the big bosses overseas who call him their plans to start manufacturing in India. The prime minister is direct and focused, the CEO of a tech company said after meeting Modi recently.

(API Service)