𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝

India. Bharat. Hindustan. Our country is called by multiple names and each name brings just as much pride to us Indians. And why wouldn’t it? India is a country of diverse cultures and religions, a country built on high morals of the creators of our constitution, a country that gave birth to brave freedom fighters who fought the British rule relentlessly and freed India from a 200 year long rule so that we could live in a free country. Our Bharat was called ‘Sone ki chidiya’ meaning a country filled with gold and riches before beingplundered by the foreign rulers. Truly, we have so much to be proud of. Although, somewhere along the way we lost a little love and respect for our country and forgot to take pride in being an Indian,  our prime minister’s recent interview with Newsweek has made everyone come to a realisation that over the past few years India is once again rising, growing and living up to its glory. We may have been in the dark, hidden away in the past but recently, India is definitely being pushed in the spotlight.  Newsweek, a ninety year old global media organisation in the United States, called India Unstoppable. Our country is gaining recognition and respect from foreign countries as we grow both financially and socially.

Our democracy

One of the recent and significant changes to our laws would be the revocation of Article 370. This has led the Jammu and Kashmir region to hold important events like G20 meetings (G20 being held in India was another significant achievement which will benefit India immensely), Formula 4 racing event and Miss World.
Another benefit of this change in law has been the flight of startups, digital economy and innovation in the area.

Infrastructure

India is taking leaps in infrastructural growth, by building ports, airports and improving highway networks.  Few important projects in motion are the Mumbai Metro project, the building of coastal road along Mumbai and the planning of building an Airport in Noida, Uttar Pradesh by the name ‘Jewar Airport’.
Though the rapid growth in infrastructure brings up one question, what about the environmental concerns? During the interview, PM Modi reassured, “There is no contradiction between our physical infrastructure building and our commitment to fight climate change.”

Economic Advancement

India has gone through various economic reforms which has resulted in the ease of doing business like the reduction in goods and service tax as well as the corporate tax.
India has become the perfect place for companies to set up supply chains as India is now considered the country to produce world class products at cheap and competitive price plus the benefit the companies have of easy access to India’s enormous market.

India’s relations with other countries

When it comes to India’s relations with its bordering countries, there seem to be conflicts. Mr. Narendra Modi says, “I hope that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, we will be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquility in our borders.”
During the interview, PM Modi also mentions India’s efforts to make peace with China.
Moving away from our borders, India has earned appreciation from both Russia and United States of America as a result of our government’s diplomatic efforts.

Social and Cultural advancements

PM Modi stated in the interview, “Minorities from all religions, be it Muslim, Christians, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain or even a micro-minority like Parsis are living happily and thriving in India.”
He says that government’s schemes and initiatives are not restricted to anyone, regardless of which community they belong to, showing that India is a sovereign and secular country as stated in our country’s constitution.

In conclusion, India has been going through major changes in an attempt to make India a better place. Over the past few years, India has achieved quite a few milestones. We can only wait and watch what happens next to boost our reputation as a country and improve our standards of living.

– Mahi Jain, AS B