Analyse different schemes started under PM Modi - Will they achieve the target?
It was in the year 2014 when Mr. Narendra Modi was elected as the Prime Minister of the country. It has been two years now and there are a no. of schemes launched under his name. The most talked about were the Make in India Mission and Smart City. Make in India Mission invites companies, not only Indian, but all over the world to 'produce' in India. With time India has emerged as service provider. In order to compete with the world economy we need to develop our manufacture sector also. This would lessen India's reliance on other manufacturing countries, especially in the field of defense. In Smart City Scheme, PM declared to transform at least ten cities, in the first phase, into smart cities. These cities will have the best facilities of education, health, safety, law and order, sanitation and others. The scheme is vast and time consuming. Smart cities are not formed in a single day by the administration alone. It requires full-fledged co-operation from the citizens. Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana is similar the Smart City. The difference is that each Member of Parliament is asked to adopt a village and develop it as an ideal village for the society. Ideal village includes schools for all children, proper water and electricity supplies, smoke free kitchen, etc. These two schemes require not only good management social awareness and mass contribution too.
Another scheme that has a similar demand is the Swachh Bharat Mission announced by PM Modi on the Independence Day. The Mission calls the citizens of India to keep the country clean. Just like ice bucket challenge, he nominated people from different field to clean roads and spread the message. He himself cleaned the streets on the day of inauguration. Scheme also includes building toilets in each household for the convenience of the people, especially women. The scheme has been successful in arousing consciousness among the people and will no doubt be successful till the year 2022. School nursery scheme focuses on developing a bond among students and nature to get a sustainable and healthy environment. It aims at including tree planting and nurturing in the school curriculum. This is an innovative idea of bringing young generation near to nature and making them sensitive towards the current environmental conditions. Schools have welcomed this scheme enthusiastically and saplings have already been distributed to around hundred schools. The scheme is good but it requires more push to gain popularity and proper implementation into the curriculum.
The advancements, taken place in recent years, are only constrained to the urban areas. Illiteracy and poverty are still deep rooted in rural areas. To ensure subsidy benefits to the poor, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was launched. This enabled the people all over the country to open bank account with balance as low as a rupee. With high participation of public sector banks millions of accounts were opened with some having a minimum balance of about fifteen hundred rupees. The scheme got success within a short period of time. Opening bank accounts will facilitate loans, ensure savings with interest and also will enable poor families to take advantage of other insurance and subsidy schemes started by the government without facing corruption.
Pradahan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Beema Yojana provides life insurance and insurance for loss from accidents at a premium of about rupees 330 per annum and rupees 12 per annum respectively. They provide a cover of maximum 2lakh rupees individually. Non- government workers, especially women, at old age are neither able to earn a living nor have much saving to lead a comfortable old age. To help such people Atal Pension Yojana was launched. This would provide a minimum pension to all the needy senior citizens. These schemes prove a great relief for the unorganized sector. Laborers, drivers, private security guards and bodyguards are the people who are always at high risk of accidents and could seldom afford such facilities.
To encourage and protect girl child, Sukanya Smaridhi Yojana opens a bank account for girls below ten years and saves money for her. This money could be used for her marriage or higher studies after she attains an age of 21 years.
Digital India, though working at slow pace, promises digitalization of government offices for transparency and efficient work operation. Digi Locker supports Digital India scheme. Digi Locker helps a person to store his personal documents in a digital space provided by the government. This will help users during online application of forms and other services.
There are many more schemes launched or to be launched and they cover people from all the segments of the society. Such schemes raise the standard of living of the people and helps in building a strong economy hence, a strong nation.
- ARUSHI AIRAN
