As the year comes to an end, let us rewind and revisit the momentous achievements of the Modi ji’s government during its second innings. This year has been a memorable one for all of us as Modiji has enacted several key reforms in a short span of time since assuming office in May 2019:

Abrogation of Article 370

On August 5, 2019, the government took a historic decision and abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution of India. This article conferred special status to Jammu and Kashmir and allowed it to draft its own constitution and limited the jurisdiction of the Parliament of India over the state.  The article was supposed to be a temporary provision until the state adopted its own constitution. However, when the constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir dissolved in 1957, no decision was taken in relation to Article 370 and it remained a part of the Indian Constitution. The tensions that escalated in the 1989-90s in the valley had resulted in the displacement of a large population of the Kashmiri Pandits who were forced to flee from the state. Abrogation of this Article and accession of the Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union was a long-standing demand of several residents of the valley and, in particular, the Kashmiri Pandits. The move to remove the operation of Article 370 and reconstituting it as a Union Territory will usher in a new era in the history of the valley. As PM Modi noted, the removal of the Article will ensure stability, market access, and predictable laws in the state, which will help in attracting investment in sectors such as tourism, agriculture and IT.  

Passage of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act

This law has been hailed as a cornerstone of the zero-tolerance towards terrorism policy of Modi ji’s government. The Act allows the government to designate an individual as a terrorist and bring in an embargo on arms/assets seizures and brings in the anti-terror laws of India at par with countries such as United States, China, and Israel. The much-needed reforms in the anti-terror law will also ensure that these offences are investigated on a priority basis and a speedy trial of the matter is conducted. The Act also provides a fillip to the powers of the National Investigation Agency without compromising the powers of the individual states.

Criminalizing Triple Talaq

Modi ji’s government added a feather in its cap with the passage of Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill. The Bill criminalizes triple talaq and offers Muslim women judicial remedies and access to the protection of the law from the practice of arbitrary instant divorce. This Act was a long overdue for many Muslim women who suffer on account of the arbitrary divorces given by their husbands. The Act is also the right step in the path towards realizing the goal of secularism, one of the foundational principles of the Constitution of India. This law will be helpful in addressing the issues of gender inequities persisting in the personal laws and take us a step closer to uniform civil code. 

Citizenship Amendment Act

The historic Citizenship Amendment Act was also passed earlier this month which provided much-needed relief to the Indic religious communities who face religious persecution in countries where Islam is the religion of the State. As per the provisions of the Act, the definition of illegal migrants will be amended to exclude Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have lived in India without documentation. Such persons will be eligible for a fast-track Indian citizenship in five years, as opposed to 11 years of residence which is a criterion to gain citizenship for those who are not Indian citizens by birth or parentage. This Act was extremely necessary as there is adequate evidence that religious persecution of such communities affects the day-to-day life of such people and prevents them to practice, profess and propagate their religion. Some people have also fled to India to protect themselves from religious persecution and have stayed in India beyond the permitted time, or in some cases, with incomplete or no documents. Therefore, providing fast track citizenship for such persons is necessary. 

Flagship schemes for the welfare of the citizens

The current government has been instrumental in the implementation of welfare-based schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Jal  Jeevan scheme. Under the PMAY scheme, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has sanctioned more than 1 crore homes under various verticals of the scheme in order to provide Housing For All by 2022. The Jal Jeevan Mission is set to provide the supply of drinking water to 14.6 crore rural households and Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household by 2024. This will help in reducing the long-standing problem of the provision of clean drinking water in villages.

Conclusion

The progress report of the government in 2019 has been more than satisfactory and I am extremely confident that the new decade will bring in more positive changes and reforms for the betterment of the nation. I look forward to the newer achievements of the government and extend my best wishes to PM Modi ji and his entire cabinet.