What has Narendra Modi done to make India Great?

Who is Narendra Modi?

Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India on the 26th of May 2014 after serving as the chief minister of Gujarat for 13 years. Modi is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party, B.J.P. for short, a right-wing political party in India. Modi and the B.J.P. won the 2014 election with 171 million votes, which was a 12% swing in their favor.

Furthermore, it was a crushing defeat for the Indian National congress, I.N.C., who had held the most power in the country over its post-independence history. In 2014, India had a GDP of 2 trillion Dollars and now has one at almost 4 trillion Dollars.

Narendra Modi improved the country in many ways such as growing the economy, making the Indian military bigger and propelling India into the 21st Century. Currently India has one of the biggest and best 5G networks in the world, one which they grew in less than two years. With western countries struggling to grow at the rate of India, how did Modi make India great? 

Foreign Policy

Modi’s foreign policy has been focused on improving relations with neighboring countries such as China. China and India have had border disputes in the regions of Aksai Chin, Kashmir, and Tibet. Despite this, Modi focused on forming a stronger economic and trade relationship with China. Between 2008 and 2021, China was India’s biggest trade partner.

Modi gave Indian states and cities the ability to forge their special relations with foreign countries, cities, and states. This is known as Para- diplomacy. Due to India’s massive size, this policy enabled rural and often economically weak regions to form economic ties with bordering countries.

This was most prevalent in the Indian states of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu has a significant Sri Lankan Population due to its proximity to the country and the proximity means each country’s fishing rights are often merged. The ability to decide fishing rights themselves made the process much faster than going through the central government. West Bengal can address problems with Bhutan and Bangladesh over illegal crossings into India and the state of West Bengal.

Manufacturing

Atma Nirbhar is an economic policy like “Make in India”, established by Modi, to improve economic growth in three specific sectors: Pharmaceutical, Defense, and Electronic sectors. This policy encourages self-reliance in these sectors as they ensure Indian success when in economically difficult times. Manufacturing in India generated 16 to 17 percent of India’s pre-pandemic GDP and currently contributes 13% to India’s GDP.

India has become the alternative for Western companies to cheaply manufacture items. This is because India has the largest working-age population of any country. Furthermore, when Western governments ban certain products being made in China due to National Security concerns, India is usually the alternative (aside from native production).

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The culmination of Modi’s foreign policy and drive to boost Indian manufacturing has made India a competitive hub for industry. India faces great competition from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and China to produce Western products. They have had their exports stagnate at around $300 Billion. However, focus on the Indian Defense sector enabled India to produce domestic products for its military.

Advanced Indian products like the HAL Tegal fighter jet, the Arjun Mark 1A tank, and the INS Vikrant Aircraft Carrier. Only time will tell if such policies keep India on the path of global dominance and whether they can out-produce their competition.

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To read why India is the Fastest Growing Economy in 2024, visit:

https://www.thepoliticsoutlook.com/hrishi/india-fastest-growing-economy-in-2024/169/?swcfpc=1

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