PRIME Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government are to complete their first year. The BJP plans to hold two hundred rallies to celebrate its achievements. But there is a heat wave scorching many parts of the country and the rallies may not be a resounding success. The main hurdle facing the Modi government is the agrarian issue. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has already started attacking it on that front. The BJP has a large number of MPs from UP and Bihar and they are expected to hold rallies and jan sabhas. The agrarian problems would predictably come into focus. Hiking minimum support prices for agricultural produce is just a populist measure. Agriculture calls for systemic reforms. What is needed is due stress on irrigation facilities, extension services and market access for farmers.
According to an opinion poll, the NDA government enjoys a 66% approval rating. That means its political base is far from shaky. But the question is: when will it start delivering the goods? The ‘Make in India’ programme has caught on at home and abroad. But that is only a part of what is claimed to be the NDA’s success story. 66% of Indian people subsist on agriculture and the ‘Make in India’ programme is hardly an answer to their needs. A great deal has to be done on stepping up agricultural productivity. The interests of the underemployed and unemployed have to be taken care of. Soil testing cards for farmers have not resulted in improving extension services. True, many bank accounts have been opened in farming areas and the stranglehold of dalals has been reined in. But Aadhar has not yet succeeded in enabling direct cash transfers to the poor. The NDA has to focus on such essential details before it can sing the praises of its government.
