SHRI NARENDRA DAMODARDAS  MODI

             Passionate and progressive, a poet at heart and an author of a few books, tech-savvy, Mr Narendra Modi is one of the most responsive political leaders in India. Born to a middle class family in the Mehsana district of Gujarat in 1950, a post-graduate in political science, he entered social life right at the beginning of his life, in the early seventies. He displayed decisive leadership qualities during his student life itself, when he successfully set up a new chapter of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a powerful national student body. He then joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a socio-cultural organisation that focusses upon social and cultural development of India and her citizens.

             He is widely regarded as a youthful and energetic leader with innovative thoughts and determination to implement them. He has successfully communicated his vision to 5.5 million people of Gujarat and has been able to instill a sense of confidence in what they have and a hope for a golden tomorrow. A wide cross section of the people of Gujarat, cutting across religions, income groups and political affiliations, continue to adore Mr Narendra Modi as an able and visionary leader. An astute politician, a skilled orator and a deft negotiator, Mr. Narendra Modi has earned the love and affection of the people from villages and cities alike which makes him a rare leader of the masses.

             In 2001, when he was asked by the party to head the government in Gujarat, the state was facing problems because of several natural calamities having struck in the preceding years, including the massive earthquake in January 2001. Mr Modi took the bull by the horns and decided to convert these adversities into opportunities. He re-organized the government’s administrative structure, embarked upon a massive exercise for rehabilitation of infrastructure, recreation of the business environment and rejuvenation of the traditional entrepreneurial spirit of Gujarat.  This successfully put Gujarat back on the road to progress and prosperity. Gujarat is now popularly known as “Vibrant Gujarat”.

             Right from the beginning, he has been emphasizing on all-inclusive and uniform development of all communities and regions. In the very first year of his tenure, he came out with an integrated strategy for overall development of the State.  It is known as Panchamrut  (five nectars) and includes Jal Shakti: Harnessing of Water Resources, Gyan Shakti: Quality and coverage in Education, Jan Shakti: Development of Human Resources, Urja Shakti: Power of energy sources and  Raksha Shakti: Security and well being of people.  Gujarat has registered a GDP growth of over 10% over past five years which is the highest growth rate among all the states in India. Gujarat has been rated as the best state in investment climate and economic freedom. The state has got awards and accolades from national and international forums on several fronts including agriculture, energy and water management, IT and BT and e-governance. The efforts of his government have resulted into metamorphosis of a revenue deficit state into a revenue surplus state.

             He mooted a model of development through people’s participation. USP of his  development model has been : a quantum  leap (think big) and change right from the roots (no cosmetic changes). A large number of water harvesting structures like check dams, farm ponds and initiatives like Krishi Mahotsav (agricultural festival) and Kanya kelavani campaign (girl child education drive) are its examples. Agriculture production quadrupled from Rs.9000 crores to 34,000 crores. Gujarat leads in energy production with 1878 megawatts of power generation. Through the Jyotigram yojana, he has been able to supply uninterrupted three phase round the clock electricity to all the 18,000 villages of the state.  The rural economy is now vibrant owing to this and the villages have turned into centers of production. The state has ushered in a water revolution with creation of a large number of water harvesting structures and popularization of micro-irrigation techniques. Qualitative change has been brought in health services and health infrastructure alongwith schemes like Chiranjeevi and Balbhog which are novel initiatives to ensure a healthy mother and child. Focus on cent per cent enrollment of children through campaigns like Kanya kelavani and Shaala praveshotsav and resultant drooping drop out rates have been able to reverse the trend of high illiteracy rate from Gujarat. 

             Mr. Modi believes in the fact that good infrastructure is the driver of economic development. He therefore, paid utmost attention on physical and  social infrastructure and involved private sector in their development. The rapid and qualitative development of ports, roads, railways, LNG terminals, gas distribution and water distribution networks and other infrastructure facilities are being discussed nationwide. He has also created excellent infrastructure at tourist and religious places. Urban sector has been enlivened by up gradation of civic amenities and emphasis on cleanliness and greening and reduction of vehicular pollution. The well conceived, meticulously planned and professionally organized Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Biennial Summits held in 2003, 2005 and 2007 have put Gujarat as a preferred investment destination among global investors. These summits have not only attracted investments worth billions of USD but also created  huge employment opportunities in the state. Its logical fall out is skill development for various class of people on a massive scale. To ensure all round, all inclusive and uniform development, comprehensive and well conceived packages like Vanbandhu kalyan (tribal welfare), Sagarkhedu (development of coastal dwellers), Garib samruddhi (upliftment of urban poor) are under implementation.

             A leader who believes in team-work and a good work culture, Mr Modi has launched an ambitious training programme for the 500,000 government employees in Gujarat which is being watched in awe by every other state. Many of his initiatives like evening courts, interlinking of rivers, jyotigram, grievance redressal through SWAGAT online and others are being viewed as models for replication at the national level.  The state  is now rated as the best e-governed state in the country. With his focus on cent per cent computerization of the villages and emphasis on quick disposal of people’s grievances, the state is set to usher into village level e-governance. Narendra Modi government has bagged more than five dozen awards in the last five years including the ones at the international level like the UN Sasakawa award for disaster reduction, CAPAM Gold award for able governance, World Bank’s Green award for environment friendly work during rebuilding after the earthquake, UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award and award from Global Interpolis, Singapore.  Gujarat is today rated as the best state in bio technology initiatives too.

             During his years with the RSS, Mr Modi played an important role on several occasions, including the 1974 Navnirman aandolan and during the harrowing 19 month long National Emergency when fundamental rights of Indian citizens were suspended. Mr Modi, who stayed underground for the entire period, was instrumental in fighting a spirited battle against the fascist ways of the then government. After serving the RSS for about a decade-and-a-half, in 1988, Mr Modi was made the General Secretary of the BJP’s (Bhartiya Janata Party) Gujarat unit. By that time he had already acquired the reputation of being a highly efficient organiser. He took up the challenging task of energising the party cadres in right earnest. Between 1988 and 1995, Mr Modi was recognised as a master strategist who had successfully carried out the necessary ground work for making the Gujarat BJP the ruling party of the state.

             In 1995 Mr Modi was asked by his party to play a role at the national level – he was appointed as Secretary of the BJP’s national unit at New Delhi. He was promoted as General Secretary (Organisation) in 1998, a post he held until October 2001, when he was chosen to be the chief minister of one of India’s most progressive states, Gujarat. During his stint at the national level, Mr Modi was asked to oversee the affairs of several state level BJP units, including the sensitive and crucial states like Jammu & Kashmir and the equally sensitive north-eastern states besides the state like Haryana, Himachal Pradesh etc. He is being credited for successfully revamping the party organization in several states. While working at the national level, Mr Modi emerged as an important spokesman for the party and played a key role on several important occasions. The overwhelming felicitation he is receiving in various states of India, for his resounding victory in recent elections, reveals his pan-Indian image as a popular leader.