PM Narendra Modi completes 6 months in office: High points

Narendra Modi completes six months in the office of the prime minister. The majority government of the BJP which came to power on May 26 after receiving a massive mandate has taken a lot of initiative in this period.
Here is a look at some of the most significant among them:

Jan Dhan Yojana:

Announced by PM Modi in his maiden Independence Day speech this year, this is one of his favourite projects that aim to include millions of citizens into the country's banking system. More than 75 million accounts have been opened under the scheme so far.

The scheme envisages at least one basic banking account in every household which will also fetch credit, insurance and pension facility to the account holders. Kerala and Goa have already achieved 100 per cent financial inclusion besides Chandigarh, Puducherry and Lakshadweep.

Scrapping Planning Commission, EGoMs & GoMs:

PM Modi scrapped the Planning Commissions and sought to replace it with a new body featuring economic advisors. The prime minister also ended the days for nine empowered group of ministers (EGoMs) and 21 group of ministers (GoMs) to enable the ministers take fast decisions and remain accountable to their actions.

Stressing relation with small neighbours like Nepal and Bhutan:

PM Modi chose Bhutan as his first destination of a bilateral visit in June and he followed it up with a visit to Nepal in August. The twin visits constituted a foreign policy masterstroke vis-à-vis China which has tried to build its influence in these two countries, taking advantage of New Delhi's frozen attitude towards them. Modi became the first Indian PM to visit Nepal for a bilateral trip in 17 years.

Winning hearts in Japan, Australia, Myanmar and Fiji:

Modi got close to the Japanese hearts during his visit to that country where he even played drums. He pushed his agenda of economic cooperation and also diplomatic alliance-making by targeting China from the soil of its biggest competitor in East Asia.

But Modi did not forget to roll out the red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping and the First Lady when they visited Ahmedabad in September.

Modi then received the Australian PM in India and paid a return visit to that country in November. Before that, he went to Myanmar where he met ASEAN leaders and on his way home, visited Fiji, the small island-nation in the South Pacific, as the first Indian PM in 33 years. All these joined the dots to give New Delhi's foreign policy priorities a complete shape.

'Make in India' programme:

Modi's ‘Make In India' programme aimed to facilitate investment and innovation in India and also add jobs by setting up new industries. He also spoke about reforming India's labour laws to facilitate investment in the country.

'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' campaign:

Modi has been speaking about cleanliness even before he became the PM and the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan is a nationwide campaign to get the country rid of rubbish and achieve a clean India by the time the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi arrives in 2019.

The initiative was launched on October 2 on the occasion of the Mahatma's birth anniversary and the PM also nominated famous people and celebrities to take part in the campaign.

Food Security Bill & WTO

PM Modi's government held up talks with the World Trade Organisation to ensure that the Food Security Bill doesn't clash with international policies. International leaders were not impressed but India stood firm on its stand.

Wooing the diaspora

PM Modi did not waste much time before appealing to the Indian diaspora at Sydney's Allphones Arena. This he did within two months of addressing a huge audience at Madison Square Garden in New York. At both instances, Modi vowed for change in India for the better.

Reframing Juvenile Justice Act:

The Centre approved amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act that will treat minors above 16 years as adult for serious crimes like rape, acid attack and murder. The aim was to act as a deterrent for child offenders and also protect the rights of the victim.

Modi also appealed to parents to look into their sons' upbringing during his Independence Day speech.

Digitising India:

Leaders of various technology giants paid visit to India in quick succession recently. The reason is PM Modi's penchant for technology. The PM is now looking beyond IT revolution and seeking to connect villages through broadband and mobile governance.

Ending open defecation and building toilets

Modi courted controversy before becoming the prime minister when he said that toilets are more important than temples. Many said it was an election stunt but Modi, even after becoming the PM, showed he is indeed committed to end the practice of open defecation in the country, which is the cause of many social and health problems. The PM launched a massive initiative to build 111 million toilets in the next five years across the country.

Oneindia News