As PM Narendra Modi enters the twenty-fifth year of his uninterrupted tenure in executive office - first as Gujarat's Chief Minister from 2001 and then as India's Prime Minister since 2014 - one constant defines his political philosophy: the ability to turn adversity into opportunity. What began in the aftermath of Gujarat's devastating 2001 earthquake has evolved into a model of governance that treats every crisis as a catalyst for reform.
When he assumed charge of Gujarat, the state was in distress - physically shattered by the quake and parched by recurring drought. Lacking legislative experience, he treated the devastation as a starting point for reinvention. His government re-engineered the state's water management systems, revived canals, restored reservoirs, and mobilised communities to co-own the task of conservation. Instead of relying solely on the Narmada waters, he emphasised local resource mapping and participatory irrigation, blending engineering with empathy.
From that reconstruction effort emerged an early technological innovation: the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG). Established in 2003, BISAG used satellite imagery and GIS mapping to plan infrastructure and manage water bodies. The project reflected his conviction that governance must rest on data and delivery, not delay. Alongside, he launched the Vibrant Gujarat Summit to reposition the state as a magnet for investment and entrepreneurship - a platform that would later inspire India's broader investor-outreach strategy.
When Modi moved to Delhi in 2014, India faced fiscal stress, infrastructure bottlenecks and an image of drift. Within a decade, the country's economic story had flipped: from being counted among the "Fragile Five" to becoming the world's fourth-largest economy. His approach remained consistent - to see limitations as levers. The same instinct that rebuilt Kutch guided national reform: digitise the state, simplify taxation, and empower the poor through direct transfers. The Goods and Services Tax has simplified, with fewer slabs and smoother compliance compared to the earlier taxation system with nearly 99 per cent of items now attract either zero or five per cent tax. Similarly, income-tax relief has expanded: individuals earning up to ₹12 lakh annually now fall outside the taxable bracket under the new regime, widening disposable income and demand.
The macro-results are striking. According to the Global Institutions, 27 crore people have moved out of extreme poverty in last decade. Rural poverty is at its lowest level in independent India, and per-capita spending in villages has quadrupled in 14 years. The poorest fifth of Indians now show record growth in asset ownership. Inequality, which had widened for much of the 1990s and 2000s, has begun to narrow. Behind these figures lies a massive architecture of inclusion - Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar identity, and mobile payments that together have turned welfare into a direct, leak-proof pipeline.
Internationally too, the perception of India has undergone a fundamental shift - from the world's habitual pessimism to a new mood of optimism. India is no longer described as a potential superpower but as a present-day engine of global growth. The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index ranks India 39th, up from 71 in 2014; on the Global Innovation Index, India
has climbed from 81 to 39 in less than a decade. At Davos 2025, India figured among the top five preferred investment destinations in PwC's Global CEO Survey - a testament to policy stability and market confidence. Once dependent on arms imports, India has now entered the world's top 25 arms-exporting nations, reflecting the rise of domestic defence production. Even in the field of nuclear energy - long constrained by international technology denial regimes - India's generation capacity has more than doubled in the last ten years. Each of these shifts underscores a deliberate strategy: use constraint as stimulus.
At home, the same pattern repeats across sectors. Digital public infrastructure has turned governance into a citizen-centred service. The India Stack - UPI, Aadhaar, DigiLocker and related systems - has made everyday transactions instant and inclusive, enabling payments even across borders. From Singapore to Mauritius and France to Qatar, Indian fintech protocols are now being adopted abroad. The challenge of financial exclusion has thus birthed a model of digital empowerment admired globally.
In physical infrastructure too, deficits have become drivers. India today hosts the world's largest LPG pipeline from Kandla (Gujarat) to Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), while the first indigenous Hyperloop test track promises to revolutionise mobility. Manufacturing, once a weak link, is being recast through Production-Linked Incentives and the "Make in India" initiative - turning supply-chain vulnerability into a campaign for self-reliance. From iPhones to semiconductors, ships to toys, India is steadily localising production that once seemed beyond reach. In defence sector, India is turning self reliant. We are not just using swadeshi technology but also exporting to more than hundred countries.
Underlying these efforts is a governance temperament that combines technological pragmatism with political communication. PM Modi's schemes - whether Swachh Bharat, Ujjwala, or Digital India - are not mere policy instruments; they are narratives that invite citizen participation. By linking reform with aspiration, he has managed to translate administrative change into social momentum. The political vocabulary of "minimum government, maximum governance" has evolved into a managerial ethos where efficiency, transparency, and scalability define success.
As India looks to 2047, the centenary of independence, the lessons of these 25 years are clear: crises can be blueprints; constraints can be opportunities. From rebuilding a quake-hit state to reshaping a resilient nation, PM Narendra Modi has repeatedly wagered on optimism when others saw only obstacles. And in doing so, he has nudged India - and the world's perception of it - from doubt to confidence, from hesitation to hope. The story of his governance is, above all, a reminder that in the hands of conviction, even the impossible can become inevitable.
(The author is National Spokesperson of the BJP)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
