11 Years of Modi Government: Transformation and the Road Ahead

 11 Years of Modi Government: Transformation and the Road Ahead

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2014–2025), India has witnessed a profound transformation in its economy, infrastructure, and global standing. With a GDP of $4.2 trillion, India is on the cusp of becoming the world’s fourth-largest economy, set to surpass Japan and soon Germany. This growth is backed by a robust 6.4% average annual GDP growth rate since 2014, recently accelerating to 7.4%. Inflation has dropped from 9.4% in 2013-14 to 4.6%, offering stability to households and businesses alike.

Unprecedented Infrastructure Expansion

India’s infrastructure push has been a cornerstone of its transformation:

• Highways: National highways grew from 91,287 km (2014) to 1,46,204 km (2024), with construction speed rising from 12 km/day to 34 km/day.

• Rural Roads: 4 lakh km of roads added, connecting 99% of rural India.

• Railways:

  • 25,871 RKM of new tracks laid (vs. 14,985 RKM in the prior decade).

  • Electrification of 47,000 km of tracks (vs. 21,000 km in the previous 60 years).

  • India leads globally in locomotive manufacturing with 1,681 locomotives produced in 2024–25.

  • Railway freight grew to 1,617 million tonnes in FY25 (up 53% from FY14), making India the world’s second-largest rail cargo network.

  • Reduced emissions by over 143 million tonnes, equivalent to planting 120 crore trees.

  • Full rail connectivity achieved in the northeast.

  • World’s most powerful and longest hydrogen train (connecting Jind to Sonipat) is set to carry 2,600 passengers.

• Metro Rail: Operational network expanded from 248 km (2014) to 1,013 km (2025), placing India third globally.

• Airports: Count rose from 74 (2014) to 160 (2025); 88 new destinations added via UDAN, including 2 water aerodromes and 13 heliports.

• Vision 2047: Plan to expand to 300 airports, emphasizing accessibility and logistics.

Urban and Clean Energy Transformation

• Smart Cities Mission: Over 8,000 projects completed with investments of ₹1.64 lakh crore.

• Renewable Energy:

  • Solar capacity surged from 2.82 GW (2014) to 105.65 GW.

  • Total clean energy capacity reached 228.28 GW, placing India third in solar and fourth in wind energy globally.

Digital Public Infrastructure and Social Impact

• Digital Infrastructure: DPI contributes ~1% of GDP, expected to rise to 3–4% by 2030.

• Social Inclusion:

  • Gas connections rose from 19 crore to 33 crore households.

  • 55 crore Jan Dhan accounts opened.

  • ₹32 lakh crore disbursed through Mudra Loans to 55 crore MSE borrowers (up from ₹8 lakh crore in 2015), with 68% going to women.

  • Top beneficiaries: Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and West Bengal.

• Poverty Reduction:

  • 17.1 crore people lifted out of poverty.

  • Poverty rate declined from 29.17% (2013-14) to 11.28% (2022-23).

The Road Ahead: Vision @ 2047

As India nears its 100th year of independence, it is poised to shape the global development agenda. Key reforms—like GST, regulatory simplification, and decriminalization of business laws—have laid the groundwork. The path forward calls for:

• Enhancing ease of doing business and reducing compliance costs.

• Deepening integration into global supply chains.

• Investing in skilling and advanced manufacturing.

• Accelerating sustainability and innovation-driven growth.

India’s development journey, anchored in economic strength and digital innovation, now focuses on resilience, inclusivity, and long-term global leadership.

The question is: Are these enough? If so many Indians are brought out of poverty, why continue with free ration to 80 Crores of Indians? This is not answered. 

The share in the GDP comes mainly from Service Industry which is around 55%. This is not a good sign at all. Agriculture and Manufacturing put together contributes to 33% only. These two sectors should grow. Skills are shrinking. We cannot build a nation with sales boys and sales girls. We need innovation. More innovation that can give us a boost. Think Big should be our modern day mantra. 

Let us see the hits and misses in these 11 years: 

✅ Hits: Key Achievements

1. Economic Growth and Stability

• GDP Growth: Sustained average growth of 6.4%, with momentum building to 7.4% recently.

• Inflation Control: Reduced from 9.4% in 2013-14 to 4.6%, creating a more stable macroeconomic environment.

2. Massive Infrastructure Expansion

• Highways: Nearly 60% increase in highway length and nearly tripled construction speed.

• Railways:

  • Electrification and track addition at record pace.

  • Freight jump by 53%, supporting logistics efficiency.

  • Introduction of green hydrogen trains and global leadership in locomotive production.

• Airports: More than doubled; increased regional connectivity through UDAN.

3. Clean Energy Push

• Solar Power: Jumped from 2.82 GW to 105.65 GW.

• Clean Energy Mix: Total 228.28 GW capacity makes India a top global renewable energy producer.

4. Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)

• DPI now contributes about 1% to GDP, expected to reach 3–4% by 2030.

• Widespread financial inclusion (Jan Dhan, Mudra Loans).

• India is now a global reference point for digital identity, payments, and delivery platforms.

5. Poverty Reduction and Social Upliftment

• Poverty Rate: Dropped from 29.17% to 11.28%.

• 17.1 Crore people lifted out of poverty (based on official data).

• Social Schemes: Mudra, Ujjwala (gas), Jan Dhan—wide penetration, especially among women and rural poor.

6. Urban and Regional Transformation

• Smart Cities Mission: Over 8,000 projects, ₹1.64 lakh crore invested.

• Northeast Connectivity: Full rail inclusion, boosting regional integration and development.

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❌ Misses: Gaps and Challenges

1. Uneven Job Creation

• While economic and infrastructure growth is strong, formal job creation hasn’t kept pace, especially for the youth.

• Labour force participation among women remains low, despite high loan disbursal to women.

2. Private Investment and Industrial Growth

• Private sector investment hasn't been as robust as hoped.

• Make in India and other industrial initiatives have not yet significantly boosted domestic manufacturing or exports at a scale comparable to China.

3. Agriculture Reforms Stalled

• Major agricultural reform bills (farm laws) were rolled back amid protests.

• Structural issues in agriculture (low income, fragmented landholding) remain.

4. Healthcare System Gaps

• While Ayushman Bharat was launched, public healthcare infrastructure remains underfunded and stretched, especially during shocks like COVID-19.

5. Urban Stress

• Despite Smart Cities, many urban areas still struggle with congestion, pollution, housing shortages, and weak municipal capacity.

6. Compliance and Regulatory Burden

• While some deregulation has happened, businesses still face a heavy compliance load and frequent policy unpredictability, affecting ease of doing business.

7. Environmental Trade-offs

• Big infra projects and industrial expansion have raised concerns about ecological degradation, water stress, and urban sprawl, despite clean energy gains.

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🎯 Summary

Aspect	Hits	Misses
Economy	Strong growth, stable inflation	Uneven job creation, private investment lag
Infrastructure	Highways, railways, airports, metro	Urban planning, execution bottlenecks
Social	Poverty reduction, women loan access	Labour participation and rural distress persist
Energy	Huge gains in solar and clean energy	Environmental cost of development not always accounted
Governance	DPI, financial inclusion, service delivery	Regulatory burden and reform rollbacks in key sectors