NEW DELHI: After the BJP’s resounding victory in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is shaping a new approach for the remaining two years of his present term. A flurry of bureaucratic activities is playing out here to give the finishing touch to the government’s agenda for 2018 and 2019 that requires executive actions rather than legislative routes.
The Narendra Modi government is giving the finishing touches to its agenda for 2018 and 2019 that requires executive actions rather than pushing plans through legislative routes, barricaded by an increasingly hostile opposition in Parliament.
With GST in sight, the PM is now focused on game-changing measures—such as bank account-linked social security for all and a project for universal life insurance coverage—to lay a staunch foundation for 2019 polls. Government documents reveal that a major effort is underway to develop clusters of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to revitalise manufacturing, which will generate large-scale employment in 2018.
This sector, government sources said, will receive strong support from Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY), which has been a huge success in removing electricity bottlenecks.
The Ministry of Finance headed by Arun Jaitley is expected to submit a roadmap this month for transparent and easy credit flow to the MSME sector. Public Sector Banks are being directed to provide collateral-free loan up to `10 lakh for small entrepreneurs. With measures in places, the government is expecting an additional 10-12 per cent growth in manufacturing supported by advancement in technology.
At least 14 agendas have been listed in Modi government’s action plan for 2018 that include connecting all 640,867 villages with National Optical Fibre Network and linking all 17,144,38 habitations with pucca roads.
Since rural India has developed into a new untapped market for both private and public sectors, action plans are aimed to empower the population with enhanced connectivity to the global market. After the Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System was cleared in December last year, the government is planning to launch Delhi-Panipat and Delhi-Alwar projects to expand the reach and connectivity of the National Capital Region.
A recent meeting in the Prime Minister’s Office discussed removing restrictions on private sector in technology generation and sale of technology products, including in agriculture sector, to give a boost to rural market.
“The meeting, chaired by Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra, also discussed removing restriction on future trading in agriculture commodities and de-controlling the system for market players. A real-time operating centre is also being prepared in Delhi to keep a track of all programmes across the country,” sources said.
The government note also emphasises on ‘creative use of mobile and digital technology’ and the 2018 action plan is to shift entire benefits and subsidy of around Rs 2,31,781 crore on Jan-Dhan, Aadhar Mobile (JAM) platform.
Under the Make in India programme, the government is pushing for affordable smart phones and tablets eyeing at least 60 per cent digital penetration in rural India by 2019. Sources said with increased digital penetration, it would be easy to implement portability of obtaining rations anywhere in the country, which could be a game-changer move.
“There will be time-bound rollout of national agriculture markets on the electronic trading platform. As of now, 250 mandis are on board Electronic- National Agriculture Market, and it is proposed to cover 400 markets by March 2017 and the remaining 185 markets by March 2018,” the documents said.
When he goes for the polls in April-May 2019, the Prime Minister will be ready with at least 1,000 venture capital funds, inland waterways in Brahmaputra and Barak, two major ports on east and west coasts, and complete elimination of enrolment gap for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, girls and the minority community.
The proposed plan for 2019 also includes North Eastern State Roads Investment Programme and government-supported industrial units to increase footprints in the remaining geographical end of seven states.
“Plans are afoot for large-scale civil nuclear energy plants and strengthening technological interventions in agriculture sector. For example, the Centre is planning equipment-leasing companies at block level and move 3.5 lakh hectare still under fluctuating cultivation to high value crops and computerize 63,000 viable primary agriculture cooperative societies by 2019,” the sources added.