Narendra Modi is the current and 14th prime minister of India since 2014. Hailing from a poor family to becoming a remarkable and charismatic leader is truly inspiring. A truly incredible journey of a prime minister, from a regular tea stall boy originating from the depths of Gujrat to leading one of the fastest-growing nations in the world.
Early Life
● Born on September 17, 1950, at Vadnagar, Gujarat.
● Father: Damodardas Mulchand Modi, Mother: Hiranben Modi. He was the
third of the six children to their parents.
● He assisted his father to run their Tea Shop in Vadnagar Railway Station
during his childhood. He later owned a shop near the bus terminus
● He completed schooling in 1967.
● His teachers remembered him as an average student and also a great
debater and rhetoric speaker. He was interested in theatre as well.
● He joined Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the age of eight and met
his political guru Lakshmanrao Inamdar.
● He traveled to various parts of Northern and Northeastern India for two
years after leaving home.
● He received BA Degree in Political Science from the School of Open Learning at
The University of Delhi in 1978.
● In 1983 got MA Degree in Political Science from Gujarat University.
Road to Success
The highlights to his success would be as follows:
● 1965 - Became the Kankaria ward secretary of the Jan Sangh in
1965 in Ahmedabad.
● 1972 - Became member of RSS Student Wing ’Akhil Bharatiya
Vidyarthi Parishad’.
● 1974 - led the Navnirman anti-corruption agitation.
● 1987- Joined Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and got promoted as the
General Secretary of Gujarat.
● He was the organizer for Advani Rath Yatra from 1988 to 1995.
● 1995 - BJP won state elections in Gujarat. Modi became the
National Secretary.
● 1998 - Appointed as the General Secretary of the Party.
● 2001 - Replaced Keshubhai Patel as the Chief Minister of Gujarat
owing to the deteriorating health of the former. The game-changing
event of his political career.
● 2002 - 2012: Served as the CM of Gujarat.
● 2013 - Modi was chosen to lead the 2014 General Election
Campaigns.
● 2014 - Became Prime Minister of India for the first term.
● 2019 - Second Term as the Prime Minister of the country. He is the
only non-congress candidate to won so and also the second BJP
leader to complete a full tenure of PM post after late PM Atal Bihari
Vajpayee.
Narendra Modi was not only a great leader but also an excellent writer. Some of his
masterpieces are listed below:
-Exam Warriors
-Jyotipunj
-Abode of Love
-Work Ethics
-Sakhsi Bhaav
-Divine India
-Convenient Action - Continuity for Change
-A Journey - Poems By Narendra Modi.
Challenges
Agrarian crisis
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing -- together clubbed under the head of agriculture -- comprised 21 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2004-05. It has dropped to around 13 percent in the past 15 years. But the number of workforces has not dropped accordingly in farms. Agriculture employs nearly 55 percent of the workforce in the country. An estimated 26 crore people are working in the sector. This translates into the dependence of about 55-57 percent population on agriculture, which is in distress for far too long to ignore for Narendra Modi government. The immediate reason for farm distress is falling food prices. Despite Modi government's implementation of the new MSP regime, the farmers are not getting profitable remuneration from their agriculture.
Unemployment
Of the 136 crores estimated population of India, 67 percent is in the 15-64 years bracket. This puts the job-seeking population over 91 crores. Not all of them would actually be looking for a job but this figure itself is a challenge to any government.
The promise of 2 crore jobs annually coupled with the slogan of "achhe din" (good days) had brought Narendra Modi I government to power in 2014. Twin-disruption caused by demonetization and one-step rollout of the goods and services tax (GST) - government called them course correction in the economy - led to massive job loss instead.
Failures
One of the biggest failures of the Modi government has to be the demonetization order that came to be out of the blue causing massive pandemonium, and losses in life as well. With having to exchange old currency for the newly printed notes, the issue was there weren't enough printed notes yet to be circulated amongst the large masses of the population of India. Small-time farmers, villagers, and basically the people residing below the poverty line were affected drastically due to this change. And with having no money to make ends meet there were a lot of cases of suicide that occurred. These were some of the few times that the government failed its people, miserably.
Achievements
FDi magazine honored him with the Asian Winner of the ‘FDi Personality of the Year’ award, in 2009.|He featured on the cover page of March 2012 issue of TIME’s Asian edition.|In 2014, he ranked at #15 on Forbes magazine’s list of the ‘World’s Most Powerful People’.|He was listed among ‘Time 100 most influential people in the world’ by Time magazine, in 2014.
Quotes
Hard work never brings fatigue. It brings satisfaction.
I don't carry the burden of the past or the madness of the future. I live in the present.