Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke exclusively to India Today and talked about his management style and how he goes about dealing with tasks associated with challenging sectors.
"Makhan par lakir to sab karte hai. Karni hai to pathar par lakir karo. Kathin hai to kya hua, shuruat to kare (It is easy to draw a line in butter. If you have to, draw a line in stone. It is hard, but let's make a beginning). This is what I believe in, which gives me the conviction to take on difficult and uncomfortable tasks," PM Modi said when asked about dealing with difficult sectors such as cleanliness and sanitation.
On being asked about his satisfaction with his performance and the performance of his government in the passing year, PM Modi said that evaluating his journey through a single year may not present the correct picture.
"Evaluating my journey through a single year may not give a correct picture because there is a progressive unfolding of my vision and plans. When I start something, I know the endpoint. But I never announce the final destination or blueprint in the beginning. So, what you see today is not what I've worked on. A far bigger picture will unfold finally. I work on a big canvas. Like an artist, I start from one point, but at the time the final picture can't be seen," he said while speaking to the India Today magazine.
PM Modi highlighted that when he presented a plan to construct a 182-feet tall statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel in Gujarat, people linked it with the 182 seats in the Gujarat Assembly and as an attempt to please a community ahead of elections. However, the site eventually developed into an entire ecosystem of tourism, PM Modi said.
He also added that when the Union government gave its assent to construct the Bharat Mandapam in the national capital, nobody thought that it would serve as the venue of the G20 Summit.
"Take the example of the Statue of Unity (in Gujarat). When I announced that we would build an 182-foot statue, many thought it had to do with 182 seats in the Gujarat Assembly. Some sections thought this was done to please a community ahead of the elections. But see how it has developed into an entire tourism ecosystem, with something for people of all age groups and interests. Just a couple of days back, it saw 80,000 visitors in one day, this is the level of its popularity. I had promised only one thing, but I delivered dozens of things there," he said in his interview with the India Today magazine.
"This is my working style. When work on the Bharat Mandapam started, no one thought the G20 would happen here. But I was working with a plan. If I work towards the new Parliament building or 40 million houses for the poor, I do it with equal planning and dedication," he added.
'Expert advice, ground connect, India’s lived reality’
In his interview with the India Today magazine, PM Modi also spoke at length about his management and working style while formulating the government's policies.
The PM said that he formulated policies after listening to the economists and subject experts and applying his knowledge gained through the "ground connect" and "lived reality" of the country.
"My approach to policymaking is slightly different. I listen to all the economists and experts and formulate my policies and strategies through a mix of their advice, my ‘ground connect’ and the ‘lived reality’ of the country. As a result of my ground connection, I have strong convictions. Main kuchh bhi achha lage isliye nahin karta, lekin achha ho isliye karta hoon (I don’t do things because it looks good, I do it because it will do good)".
PM Modi also added that reforms and policy formulation in his government focus on achieving the optimum utilisation of resources and then motoring the outcomes.
"Growing up in poverty and having had the good fortune of being connected to people at the grassroots gave me an insight into how reforms should focus on improving the lives of the people, and not on mere headlines. It is the result of dozens of such reforms which focused on improving the lives of the people, their ease of living, and their ease of doing business, that India’s growth journey has picked up a rapid pace. We believe in optimum utilisation of resources and outcome-oriented monitoring. We believe in achieving national goals through Jan Andolans (people’s movements)".
Published By:
Sudeep Lavania
Published On:
Dec 29, 2023
Tune In
English (US) ·