When Narendra Modi took the oath of office on 26 May 2014, many saw him as a political disruptor. Eleven years later, he stands as the architect of a new Indian consensus—one that is rooted in delivery, decisiveness, dignity for the poor, and unapologetic national confidence.
These eleven years are not just a chronicle of electoral victories; they are a record of systemic transformation across governance, economy, national security, and diplomacy.
What makes the Modi era distinct is not just what was achieved, but the nature of the challenges overcome.
India faced an inherited economic mess, deep institutional distrust, internal insurgencies, hostile borders, global pandemics, and constant ideological resistance from powerful quarters both within and outside the country.
Yet, at every turn, this government responded not with evasion, but with clarity and conviction.
In 2013, India was labelled one of the “Fragile Five” economies. Inflation was high, investment sentiment low, and decision-making paralysed.
Today, India is the fastest-growing major economy, clocking a sustained 7%+ growth rate even amid global slowdowns. It is now the fifth-largest economy in the world, poised to surpass Japan and Germany by 2027. GDP has more than doubled since 2014. Foreign reserves have crossed $650 billion. India has jumped dozens of ranks in Ease of Doing Business. Massive capital has flowed into manufacturing and infrastructure. The once-sputtering investment engine is alive again—because confidence has been restored.
This growth was not automatic. It was driven by tough and often politically risky decisions: demonetisation, GST, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and banking sector clean-up. These were followed by forward-looking bets—Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, Make in India, and Digital India—that brought structure to growth. India is now producing its own smartphones, exporting defence equipment, attracting semiconductor plants, and leading the world in digital payments through UPI. This is no longer a consumption economy alone. It is becoming a builder’s economy.
Modi’s model of governance rejected the old top-down patronage system. Instead, it bet on saturation delivery. The results are unprecedented in Indian history.
Over 12 crore tap connections have been provided under Jal Jeevan Mission. More than 11 crore toilets have been built under Swachh Bharat. Over 9 crore households have benefited from free LPG connections under Ujjwala. More than 3 crore houses have been sanctioned under PM Awas Yojana. Fifty crore Indians are covered under Ayushman Bharat. During the pandemic, 80 crore people received free ration under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. All of this was delivered through Direct Benefit Transfer, eliminating middlemen, with Aadhaar and mobile connectivity as the backbone. Welfare became rights-based, not favour-based. The Antyodaya Yojana embodied the core philosophy—no Indian should be left behind. In a country where poverty and neglect had been normalised, this was a civilisational correction.
For decades, the abrogation of Article 370 was seen as too sensitive, too risky. On 5 August 2019, that equation changed forever. Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was removed—peacefully, constitutionally, and without triggering the violent upheaval many had warned of. Five years later, Kashmir is integrated, tourist footfalls have broken records, investments have begun, and political dialogue—without separatists—has resumed. The ecosystem of terror-financing, stone pelting, and foreign patronage has all but crumbled.
Meanwhile, Left-Wing Extremism, once active in over 150 districts, is now reduced to a handful. Roads, security force coordination, and targeted development have broken the back of Maoist insurgency. What India’s internal security doctrine needed was resolve. This government supplied it.
Before 2014, India was seen as reactive—a power that could absorb pain but not respond. That doctrine is over.
In its place: surgical strikes in 2016, Balakot airstrikes in 2019, and Operation Sindoor in 2025—a mission that targeted deep terror infrastructure across the Pakistan border after the Pahalgam massacre. India now operates with clear red lines. Its counter-terror doctrine is pre-emptive and punitive. Its military modernisation is rapid—with Rafales, S-400s, indigenised drones, ASAT capability, and cyber-offensive units. Under Atma Nirbhar Bharat, India is also reshaping its defence-industrial base. From arms importer to defence exporter—this transformation is not rhetorical; it’s statistical.
When Modi took office, the world looked at India with doubt. Western governments and media painted him as divisive, illiberal, and hyper-nationalist. But India refused to bend. It followed a doctrine of strategic autonomy—non-alignment redefined for a multipolar era. India bought oil from Russia when it needed to. It supported Palestine without breaking ties with Israel. It joined Quad and BRICS without being bound by either. It helped the Global South with vaccines when the West hoarded them. And it rejected sermons from countries that had long ignored India’s sensitivities on terrorism.
In 2025, the G7 invitation to Prime Minister Modi—to attend the summit in Canada—is not a ceremonial gesture. It is a strategic recalibration. After Operation Sindoor, the world now sees India not as a nation to manage, but as a power to align with. Even former critics are realigning. After years of diplomatic freeze under Trudeau’s government, the invitation by Prime Minister Mark Carney signals a return of pragmatism. India is not chasing global approval—but it is commanding global respect.
From foreign media to academic lobbies, the Modi government faced relentless ideological attacks. Every reform was met with alarmism. Every assertion of national identity was branded authoritarian. Every correction in historical narrative was painted as erasure. But the government did not apologise. It did not retreat. It moved forward—grounded in constitutional legality and democratic mandate. In doing so, it earned something rare: the trust of the Indian voter and the grudging respect of its fiercest critics.
The past eleven years have also marked something deeper—India’s civilisational reawakening. The country no longer views itself through colonial binaries or borrowed frameworks. It speaks in its own idiom—about its culture, its priorities, and its aspirations. From restoring temples and rebuilding heritage, to asserting Sanskrit, Ayurveda, and Indic thought in global forums, India is no longer diffident about its identity. Governance, for the first time in decades, is aligned with civilisational memory.
The Modi government did not just bring a new party to power. It brought a new operating system to Indian democracy—decisive but inclusive, nationalist but global, growth-oriented yet welfare-focused, traditional in ethos but future-facing in ambition.
Behind this transformation stood not only the Prime Minister’s vision but also a tight, dedicated team in the Prime Minister’s Office—working under constant pressure, away from the public eye, relentlessly coordinating policy, pushing implementation, and ensuring that decisions turned into delivery. This was a machinery that didn’t chase limelight but chased timelines.
This is not to claim perfection. Challenges remain. But the direction is clear. The delivery is visible. And the determination is unshaken.
In 2014, the world asked: Can Modi deliver? In 2025, it is asking: How did India rise so fast?
The answer lies in these eleven years—of grit, reform, restraint, and resurgence.