Modi’s 100-day projects break record

Projects worth over Rs 15 lakh crores were launched in the first 100 days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for a historic third term. The projects focused on infrastructure, farmers, middle class, women and minorities, among others, according to a government statement. Incidentally, the government will complete its first 100 days on Tuesday, coinciding with PM Modi’s birthday.

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, Prime Minister Modi has tasked officials with completing a number of tasks in the first 100 days of the third term of the NDA government.

The central government has approved projects worth Rs 3 lakh crore in 100 days, with a focus on roads, railways, ports and airlines, the statement said. This includes approval of eight national high-speed road corridor projects spanning over 900 kilometres. This also includes the approval of the Wadhavan Mega Port in Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 76,200 crore, which will be among the top 10 ports in the world. The government also laid the foundation stone for the Shinkhun-La tunnel, which will connect Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh.

The 17th instalment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi was also released. Under the instalment, Rs 20,000 crore has been distributed to 9.3 crore farmers. “So far, Rs 3 lakh crore has been distributed to 12 crore 33 lakh farmers,” the statement added.

Moreover, the minimum guaranteed price for kharif crops for 2024-25 was increased, benefiting 12 million farmers totalling around Rs 2 lakh crore.

In a relief to the middle class, the NDA government has announced that it will not levy tax on income up to Rs 7 lakh, which will help salaried workers save up to Rs 17,500 in taxes, a government statement said.

“The standard deduction limit has been increased to Rs 75,000 and the tax exemption limit for family pension has been increased to Rs 25,000. A comprehensive review of the tax laws will be carried out within six months to make them concise, clear and easy to understand,” the statement added.

The Modi government has also introduced a unified pension scheme under which government employees after 25 years of service will receive a pension of 50 per cent of their average basic salary.

“Three crore houses have been approved under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. One crore houses under the urban scheme, two crore houses (have been) approved for construction in rural areas,” the statement said. It also said that so far, over four crore houses have been approved in both urban and rural regions of India.

On the issue of women empowerment, in the first 100 days, the Modi government has certified 11 lakh new ‘Lakhpati Didis’. According to government data, over a crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ are now earning over Rs 1 lakh per annum. Moreover, the MUDRA loan has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.

On the issue of empowerment of minorities and tribals, under the Prime Minister’s Campaign for Development of Tribal Villages, development of 63,000 tribal villages was approved, which helped in improving the socio-economic status of five million tribals.

Furthermore, the Namaste programme has been expanded to include both waste pickers and sanitation workers, with the aim to promote their social and economic empowerment.

The first 100 days focused on improving the ease of doing business, which included abolishing angel tax and reducing corporate tax. The government is also creating a Rs 1,000-crore venture capital fund for space startups.

The Gen-Next Support for Innovation Startups (GENESIS) programme, which will support startups in tier II and III cities, was also approved, the statement said.

On youth empowerment and skill development, the NDA government led by Prime Minister Modi has announced a package worth Rs 2 lakh crore to promote youth empowerment and skill development. The aim is to benefit 41 million youth in the next five years.

The government also announced hiring of over 15,000 new employees and those hired for the first time under the EPFO ​​scheme will be paid an incentive of up to Rs 15,000 in three installments.

In the healthcare sector, the Ayushman Bharat scheme has been expanded and now covers all citizens aged 70 years and above, who get free insurance up to Rs 5 lakh.

In addition, 75,000 new places have been added to medical schools, which will help “the healthcare system become more efficient and reduce dependence on foreign medical education,” the statement said.

In addition, the National Medical Commission is preparing the National Medical Register, which is to become a centralized repository of doctors in the country.