100 Achche Din

By Samruddhi Khanna

Edited by Namitha Sadanand,Senior Editor,The Indian Economistt

On September 2^nd, 2014, Narendra Modi completed 100 days of being in power as the Prime Minister.  Good news, bad news, right decisions, wrong decisions, development, and growth – it really depends all on your perspective.  I don’t know if the much talked about “good days” are here yet; I don’t know of the comparative analysis of the performance as against the previous government; I don’t know if we are on the right path.  All I know is that I have seen more action taken by our new leader in a hundred days than I have by our previous leader over a decade.

My personal opinions as an individual regarding the politics of India are completely inconsequential. However, my opinions as a finance student and a part-time investor do matter; like those of others, they are completely positive.  The new government has fulfilled all its promises in terms of business and the economy.  The bulletins about the prime stock indices hitting an all-time high have become daily occurrences on the news.  The returns on the investments made were as expected. The increased liberalization in the flow of FDI under the recent Union Budget, along with the positive market sentiments have augmented India’s image as an investment hub, which has also been helped by the pro – business attitude of the government.

Another thing that has been much appreciated at an international level is the attention given to foreign relations.  Right from day one, he has elucidated upon the importance of foreign relations through his actions.  He invited all the SAARC nation heads to his swearing-in ceremony which gave a strong message signalling that the NDA is keen on reaching out to its neighbouring nations.  He visited Brazil, our loyal neighbour Bhutan and was the first PM to visit Nepal in the last 17 years. He also made a trip to Japan recently, which led to the inception of the ’Special Strategic Global Partnership’ between both countries.

Few other positive highlights of the previous 100 days include addressing the issue of policy paralysis that worried the UPA over the past 2 years; the Jan Dhan Yojana which is aimed at eradicating financial untouchability; promoting the concepts of Digital India and social media governance, and the much talked about vision of the bullet trains.

Like the concept of Yin and Yang, there are two sides to the coin here as well.  Approval is a relative concept-what can be the cause of approval for one can be the source of criticism for another.  Similarly, there are aspects of the Modi government which have been disapproved of in general, but there are due explanations for it by Modi torchbearers.  Take the issue of the cancelled talks with Pakistan regarding the Kashmir issue.  Some view it as an unnecessary delay in the progress of the issue while others view it as Modi sending across a message of stern leadership. The back-to-back cease fire violations by Pakistan and to even China has brought an obvious wave of criticism.  Similarly, the sacking of several UPA appointed governors has led to accusations as well as appreciation.  There have been mixed reviews, debates and criticism on various other issues like Article 370, the Union Budget etc.

Most importantly, there has been a lot of talk about the leadership style of the man himself. Few call him a people’s person while others call him a bureaucrat. As aforementioned, I am no proper judge of his performance, but I think that the fact that it is being assessed in just a hundred days is in itself a hidden compliment.  As for the “Achche Din”, we will have to wait and see, won’t we?

Samrudhi is pursuing Financial Markets at Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai. Besides financial markets, her interests are writing, literature and dancing. Reading is second nature to her – classis literature, Austen, Archer, Bronte sisters and Sheldon are her loyal friends! Writing is another thing she takes great pleasure in and economics, current affairs, polictics are her favorite topics. Having a complete aversion to all types of social networking mediums, you can get in touch with her only through her email: samrudhikhanna5894@gmail.com!