• Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian statesman who served as the Prime Minister for three terms. Each year, on 25th December, his Jayanti (birth anniversary) is celebrated as Good Governance Day.
• Let us look at the top 5 achievements of Mr. Vajpayee which in the words of Prime Minister Modi “set the foundations for a strong, prosperous and inclusive India in the 21st century.”
1. Making India a nuclear power:-
Under the dynamic leadership of Mr. Vajpayee, India conducted five nuclear tests in the Pokhran range on May 11 and May 13 of the year 1998, officially making India the 6th country to enter the club of nuclear powers. These tests were called “Operation Shakti”. Vajpayeeji followed a no-nonsense policy on national security and realized that becoming a nuclear power would not just help India counter the twin threat coming from China and Pakistan, but also help India attain its rightful place in the international forum. Atalji’s grit was evident when he took the brave decision to conduct these tests despite immense pressure from countries like the USA, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Canada, Japan, Pakistan, etc.
2. Kargil War:-
Atalji deftly handled the Kargil War which not just resulted in a resounding victory for India but also resulted in Pakistan’s isolation on the global stage. During the war, India faced repeated threats of a nuclear attack from Pakistan along with continuous US Pressure to deescalate the situation. However, a defiant and stubborn Atalji made it clear that any de-escalation would take place only after Pakistan’s withdrawal from the Indian side of the Line of Control (LOC).
3. Increasing Road connectivity across India:-
Atalji launched the National Highways Development Project in 1998. This project involved the famous Golden Quadrilateral Project and the North-South, East-West Corridors in Phase-I and Phase-II, respectively. This network connected cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Cuttack, Berhampur, Durgapur, Jaipur, Kanpur, Pune, Kolhapur, Surat, Vijayawada, Ajmer, Vizag, Bodhgaya, Varanasi, Allahabad, Agra, Mathura, Dhanbad, Gandhinagar, Udaipur, and Vadodara. The Golden Quadrilateral is the largest highway project in India and the fifth-longest highway project in the world. In 2013, the Congress-led UPA Government itself admitted that the Vajpayee-led NDA Government constructed 50% of national highways laid in the last 30 years. Vajpayeeji also started the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in 2000 to provide good all-weather road connectivity to unconnected villages across the country. This project has led to not just good connectivity between villages and urban settlements but also contributed massively to the development of India's rural parts.
4. Education For All:-
Atalji launched the Sarva Shikshan in 2001 which was aimed at universalization of elementary education for children between the ages of 6 to 14. This meant that children between this age group would be provided with free, compulsory, and quality education. This was the first step towards making education a fundamental right of each child under the Right to Education Act, which was enacted on April 1, 2010. As per the World Bank, the number of school drop-outs reduced by more than 60 % within 4 years of the launch of this program.
5. Economic Policies:-
Vajpayeeji transformed the Indian economy with a string of economic reforms which led to an immediate and significant increase in the GDP growth rate of India. His economic policies include:-
a) Fiscal Responsibility and Management Act, 2003:-
He introduced the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act in 2003, which aimed at reducing fiscal deficits and boosting savings in the public sector. Atalji brought the idea of maintaining a fiscal deficit under 3 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
b) Telecom Reforms:-
He ended the state monopoly on the loss-making telecom sector, adopted a new revenue-sharing policy, and stopped the system of license fees. He also invited foreign players to enter this sector. Calling rates in India were as high as 16.80 Rs/min in 1995 while today India is one of the countries with the cheapest calling and internet services rates. All of this can be attributed to Atalji’s policies which saved India’s dying telecom sector.
c) Disinvestment and Privatization:-
Vajpayeeji also advocated for disinvestment and privatization in the public sector undertakings. Large-scale disinvestment initiatives were undertaken in state-run companies like Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), Hindustan Zinc, and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited. He also allowed private players to enter the Insurance sector in India which was earlier
dominated by state-owned entities. Foreign direct investment of up to 26% was permitted by his government which led to an entry of global insurance companies in the Indian insurance sector.
d) Goods and Services Tax (GST):-
Although the GST was implemented on July 1, 2017, the idea of a common tax across India was proposed by Atalji. He even set up a committee to design the GST model. However, this policy could not be implemented during his tenure due to a lack of consensus among the parties and individual states. This policy was finally implemented under the Premiership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also belongs to Atalji’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
It was due to these economic reforms of Atalji that India’s GDP growth rate, which was below 5 % from 2000-2002, increased to almost 8% from 2003 to 2007 and India could successfully cope with the 2008 Global Financial Crisis without much economic damage.
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