A continuum of progress

Modi 3.0 Is Marked By Many Significant Decisions With Long-Lasting Impact

- BADRI NARAYAN

Mahatma Gandhi famously said that our development-oriented work should uplift the last man standing in the queue. Recently, I met such a 'last man' of our society—Ramdhuni, belonging to the Musahar community and living in a village near Phulpur in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. He gave me his evaluation of the development work that has happened in the last decade which impacted his life, saying, "Pakka ghar mila, bijuri lagi, nalka laga ba, raashan patayi milat ba, jeevan ka dukh door ho gaya ba. Ab hamka ka chahi? Bachchon ke berojgari chhuda, padhayi karwaun" (I got a pucca house, electricity, water supply, and food. What else do I aspire for? I will ensure my children don't fall into unemployment and send them to school.). For me, it is the account of a last man during the 11 years of governance under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This hope for a future and growing capacity of upward mobility among the marginalized is one of the big achievements of the Modi government.