A couple of years ago I wrote this post where I laid out my expectations from my government(s). One year is a fair time to access the performance of a government and comment on its effectiveness. In my previous post I had indicated my preference for the BJP as the party to govern India and I was glad that they got the opportunity last year. I keep having arguments with some of my closest friends (who are staunch Modi-haters) that a fair amount of time needs to be given to a government to show results and now that 11 months are gone am making an objective attempt to evaluate their performance against my expectations.
Expectation no 1: Focus on development of infrastructure (Highways, Canals, Ports, Airports).
Result: No real progress has been made in this field. The latest budget has increased the allocation to infrastructure by more than 40% but we need to see some serious progress in this field. Ideally I would want us to go back to the 10kms per day last seen in the Vajpayee era. It would be a shame if we cant achieve this in the absence of Mr 10%.
Expectation no 2: A foreign policy which is focused on preserving our national interests and not influenced by idiotic concerns of allies.
Result: A success on all fronts according to me. Am just going to ignore the so called U-Turns on the Nuclear deal with the US (it deserves a different post). In my last post I argued that the UPA govt had spoiled our relationships with friendly neighbours like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, the new governments has taken many positive steps to undo the damage caused by the previous regime. A lot of work still needs to be done to build trust with Sri Lanka on the fisherman issue (my understanding is very limited and is restricted to basic facts) but the new regime there has made the right noises so I remain hopeful.
Expectation no 3: A will to fight both internal and external terror and not politicize the issue.
Result: I am informed by very reliable sources that the main difference between the NDA and UPA regime is that the border forces no longer need to show restraint under orders from their political bosses they can retaliate in a way they deem fit when the Pakistani army fires at us. This is the single biggest achievement of this govt on the defence front. A lot of work still needs to be done to tackle internal terror but am sure that a patriotic officer like Ajit Doval who puts the country above everything else (sadly the same couldn't be said about all his predecessors) will do everything to tackle this menace.
Expectation no 4: Fair and transparent allocation of national resources like oil, gas and airwaves.
Result: Full marks on this front. The biggest achievement of this government is the fair and transparent coal auctions. Even the recently concluded telecom spectrum auctions yielded more than expected revenue. Am glad that these ministries are headed by honest and able ministers unlike the scamsters in the UPA era. The Oil dispute with RIL still drags on but as of now I see no sign of the govt favouring RIL. Please read my post about the Gas Wars to see how the UPA govt favoured RIL and acted against the interest of the country.
Expectation no 5: Rationalization of stupid schemes like NREGA, Food Security Bill and Direct Cash Transfer.
Result: Nothing has been done to rationalize NREGA but the government has taken steps to rationalize the Food Security scheme. This is despite the humiliating loss in Delhi to a political party which rode to power on the basis of unreasonable populist promises. This is an indication that the government is committed to reforms.
Expectation no 6: No more reservation on the lines of caste or religion. Affirmative action basis economic status.
Result: No political party (including AAP which was born out of the IAC movement) can help us on this front. It is an unreasonable expectation to have. But I still dream of an India where merit will rule supreme.
Expectation no 7: Modify or repeal regressive laws which curb freedom of speech and expression.
Result: Absolute pathetic failure on this front. Instead of supporting the calls for repealing section 66A of the IT act the government actually supported it in the SC. We only have the judges in SC to thank. After criticizing the UPA government again and again for curbing freedom of speech this government has done nothing at all to ensure an environment where people express their views without fear.
Expectation no 8: Ensure sufficiency in foodgrains and not allow our food to rot in government godowns.
Result: I do not have any data currently to comment on this. We will be able to see the intent and commitment of this government only in the unfortunate event of a bad monsoon.
So go summarize out of the 7 (lets forget the reservation point because it will NEVER happen) expectations, we don't have enough data to judge the government on 1, the government has taken concrete steps in 4 of the remaining 6 points. Which is not bad at all.
However the above expectations were set assuming a coalition government will come to power. Given the historic mandate the BJP led NDA has been given it is fair that we have much higher expectations and the government should exceed them.
Let me spell out the 3 most important things I expect from the government in the next year.
Expectation no 1: Focus on development of infrastructure (Highways, Canals, Ports, Airports).
Result: No real progress has been made in this field. The latest budget has increased the allocation to infrastructure by more than 40% but we need to see some serious progress in this field. Ideally I would want us to go back to the 10kms per day last seen in the Vajpayee era. It would be a shame if we cant achieve this in the absence of Mr 10%.
Expectation no 2: A foreign policy which is focused on preserving our national interests and not influenced by idiotic concerns of allies.
Result: A success on all fronts according to me. Am just going to ignore the so called U-Turns on the Nuclear deal with the US (it deserves a different post). In my last post I argued that the UPA govt had spoiled our relationships with friendly neighbours like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, the new governments has taken many positive steps to undo the damage caused by the previous regime. A lot of work still needs to be done to build trust with Sri Lanka on the fisherman issue (my understanding is very limited and is restricted to basic facts) but the new regime there has made the right noises so I remain hopeful.
Expectation no 3: A will to fight both internal and external terror and not politicize the issue.
Result: I am informed by very reliable sources that the main difference between the NDA and UPA regime is that the border forces no longer need to show restraint under orders from their political bosses they can retaliate in a way they deem fit when the Pakistani army fires at us. This is the single biggest achievement of this govt on the defence front. A lot of work still needs to be done to tackle internal terror but am sure that a patriotic officer like Ajit Doval who puts the country above everything else (sadly the same couldn't be said about all his predecessors) will do everything to tackle this menace.
Expectation no 4: Fair and transparent allocation of national resources like oil, gas and airwaves.
Result: Full marks on this front. The biggest achievement of this government is the fair and transparent coal auctions. Even the recently concluded telecom spectrum auctions yielded more than expected revenue. Am glad that these ministries are headed by honest and able ministers unlike the scamsters in the UPA era. The Oil dispute with RIL still drags on but as of now I see no sign of the govt favouring RIL. Please read my post about the Gas Wars to see how the UPA govt favoured RIL and acted against the interest of the country.
Expectation no 5: Rationalization of stupid schemes like NREGA, Food Security Bill and Direct Cash Transfer.
Result: Nothing has been done to rationalize NREGA but the government has taken steps to rationalize the Food Security scheme. This is despite the humiliating loss in Delhi to a political party which rode to power on the basis of unreasonable populist promises. This is an indication that the government is committed to reforms.
Expectation no 6: No more reservation on the lines of caste or religion. Affirmative action basis economic status.
Result: No political party (including AAP which was born out of the IAC movement) can help us on this front. It is an unreasonable expectation to have. But I still dream of an India where merit will rule supreme.
Expectation no 7: Modify or repeal regressive laws which curb freedom of speech and expression.
Result: Absolute pathetic failure on this front. Instead of supporting the calls for repealing section 66A of the IT act the government actually supported it in the SC. We only have the judges in SC to thank. After criticizing the UPA government again and again for curbing freedom of speech this government has done nothing at all to ensure an environment where people express their views without fear.
Expectation no 8: Ensure sufficiency in foodgrains and not allow our food to rot in government godowns.
Result: I do not have any data currently to comment on this. We will be able to see the intent and commitment of this government only in the unfortunate event of a bad monsoon.
So go summarize out of the 7 (lets forget the reservation point because it will NEVER happen) expectations, we don't have enough data to judge the government on 1, the government has taken concrete steps in 4 of the remaining 6 points. Which is not bad at all.
However the above expectations were set assuming a coalition government will come to power. Given the historic mandate the BJP led NDA has been given it is fair that we have much higher expectations and the government should exceed them.
Let me spell out the 3 most important things I expect from the government in the next year.
- 7.5%+ economic growth
- Complete the promised economic reforms (Land Acquisition, Multi Brand retail etc)
- Concrete steps taken to counter the illegal immigrant problem in WB and the North-East.
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