New Delhi: On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in Parliament in a 96-minute speech as the Budget Session entered day 4. Modi’s speech was an account of his government’s efforts and an attack on the opposition, primarily on the corruption and development fronts.
Highlights of PM Modi’s address
Corruption-Free Governance
Modi claimed that no scam had taken place under his government and that ‘billions of rupees’ saved due to this were being ‘utilised in the country. He also looked at a past Prime Minister who tried to present himself as “Mr. Clean”, saying that when that government was in power, many scams were in play.
Fiscal Responsibility
The Prime Minister stated that the money saved by preventing corruption was not used to construct “Sheesh Mahals”(glass palaces) but for nation-building. Describing the process, he said that ‘3 lakh crore rupees (about $36 billion) did not go into the wrong pockets’ due to the removal of 10 crore fake beneficiaries from government schemes.
Government Procurement Transparency
Modi lauded the government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, saying its implementation had introduced transparency in government purchases and saved 1.15 lakh crore rupees.
Inclusive Development
The prime minister said that his government had adopted the politics of “Santushtikaran” (satisfaction), in which every section of society is getting its rights. He said that the move to give constitutional status to the OBC Commission is an example of his commitment to the Other Backward Classes.
Foreign Policy
Note that this isn’t a call to a non-aligned, place all your solar-panel eggs in-one-country basket approach to forging international dealings—nor would this be in correspondence with the contours of challenges in India’s external situations, as Modi suggested reading JFK’s Forgotten Crisis for clarity)—but a more complex strategy would be needed.
Constitutional Reforms
The Prime Minister also discussed scrapping Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and said that, following the provisions of the Constitution, the people of the region have now received equal rights with the rest of the country.
Farmer Support
Referring to his government’s initiatives to support farmers during distress, Modi also pointed out that many irrigation projects that had been pending for years have now been completed to provide irrigation to lands.
Prime Minister Modi repeatedly directly comparesmade a the the achievements of past governments and the the achievements of his government in his speech. Addressing everything from economic agendas to social welfare programs, the address reinforced the government’s focus on development and transparency.