GN Bureau | May 27, 2015
Prime minister Narendra Modi completes his one year in office on Monday. Governance Now has reviewed some of his key promises and initiatives taken in one year and what needs to be done in near future.
PMJDY: Time to review
The Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana envisages universal access to banking facilities with at least one basic banking account for every household. The beneficiaries get a RuPay debit card having an inbuilt accident cover of '1 lakh and after six months an overdraft facility of '5,000, provided the account is ‘active’ during the period. Those who opened their first bank accounts between August 15, 2014 and January 26, 2015 also got a life cover of '30,000. Read full story here
Swachh Bharat: An obstacle course
Ever since the PM announced the project, brand Swachh Bharat has been popularised by celebrities who joined the campaign and swept streets to create awareness. In India, where the burden of cleaning routinely falls on people from the lower strata, images of rich and powerful people weilding a broom sent a strong message – cleanliness is everyone’s duty. Read full story here
100 smart cities: A peep into the future
Soon after assuming power, PM Narendra Modi announced a plan to build 100 smart cities by 2022. Nearly a year after the announcement and shunting of a top-ranking official, the ministry of urban development is yet to take some concrete steps. Read full story here
Make in India: Or make for India
Make in India initiative aims at encouraging companies to manufacture in India. This is in line with Modi’s vision of turning India into a manufacturing hub, like China, and create jobs for a burgeoning young population. This initiative, where Modi brings in his much-praised Gujarat experience, is going to be crucial if he is eyeing a second term. Read full story here
Clean Ganga Mission: A river of smoke
Holy Ganga took a political turn when it became the PM’s pet project last year. While he had chosen to contest from Varanasi last year, the Ganga found its protector, benefactor in the PM who took a pledge to clean up the river and restore its pristine glory. However, the poll promise seems to be just that – a promise. Read full story here
Niti Aayog: What’s in the name?
On December 7, 2014, the PM, along with his team, hosted CMs for exchange of views on economic planning. The consultation agenda was “cooperative federalism” (interface between the centre and states); strategic and perspective planning; innovation and knowledge hub; and flow of funds. In other words, the agenda was the planning commission, and its future. Read full story here
* With over 2 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups as of December 2025, India stands firmly as one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems. * A decade of Startup India has built a full-lifecycle support system spanning ideation, funding, mentorship, and scale-up. * Around 50% of DPIIT-r
With the phenomenal growth in National Highways, queues at toll plazas used to affect commuters. However, over the last decade, tolling has undergone a major technological transformation, bringing faster movement and significant ease for road users. Building on this progress, year 2025 saw further people-c
India’s small and marginal farmers are at the centre of a paradox in agrarian economy. They are the backbone of the food economy, but they are the most vulnerable stakeholders within agricultural economy. Among the 126 million farmers in India today, nearly makes 86% operate on small and marginal hol
Environmental organisation Awaaz Foundation has flagged serious concerns over deteriorating air quality in Mumbai and the potential health risks it poses to participants of the Tata Mumbai Marathon scheduled for January 18. It has urged civic and pollution control authorities to conduct advance air quality
India’s progress in electricity access over the past two decades represents one of the most consequential public infrastructure transformations globally. Yet, as policymakers now confront issues of reliability, financial sustainability, and grid stability, experts argue that the next phase of reform
Artificial Intelligence is driving a new wave of innovation that touches every part of daily life, from healthcare and farming to education, governance, and climate prediction. It helps doctors diagnose diseases faster, assists farmers in making data-driven decisions, improves learning outcomes for student
