“The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.” – Article 15(1)
In India, secularism has long been debated in the language of ideology, identity, and electoral rhetoric. For decades, political parties claimed ownership over the idea while society continued to grapple with inequality, exclusion, and selective delivery of state benefits.
But a quieter and more transformative definition of secularism has emerged in the last decade, one that focuses less on symbolism and more on delivery. If secularism means the state treating all citizens equally, the expansion and wider reach of welfare schemes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be viewed as a significant example of this approach in practice.
This, in a nutshell, is the core idea: when welfare schemes achieve complete saturation, every eligible citizen receives full benefits without discrimination or corruption. This universal and transparent delivery of welfare reduces social divisions.
This idea closely connects with philosopher John Rawls' concept of the "veil of ignorance," where just institutions are designed as if decision-makers do not know their own social position, religion, caste, or wealth in advance. If policies are framed from behind such a veil, they naturally become fair, inclusive, and universal in nature. In this sense, welfare saturation reflects a similar principle in practice, the state designs and delivers schemes as if every citizen is equally important, ensuring that no one is left out and that justice is not influenced by identity or privilege.
Under the Modi government, welfare delivery has increasingly moved toward universality. The emphasis on ensuring that every eligible citizen receives benefits, has changed the relationship between the citizen and the state.
When every household gets electricity, toilets, bank accounts, food support, healthcare, and housing irrespective of caste or religion, governance rises above identity politics. A beneficiary ceases to be Hindu, Muslim, Dalit, tribal, or upper caste; the beneficiary simply becomes an Indian citizen. Thus, for the purpose of delivering government schemes, the person is treated as an individual, whereas in earlier models, group identity used to supersede individual identity.
This model of welfare saturation is also very different from the politics of appeasement practised for years by the Congress and other so-called secular parties. Earlier, politics often focused on communities and vote banks rather than treating every citizen equally. Benefits and schemes were frequently seen through the lens of caste or religion. In contrast, the saturation model focuses on reaching every eligible person.
Earlier, welfare often depended on patronage networks, local corruption, or selective political mobilisation. Today, direct benefit transfers and digital verification systems have reduced leakages and minimised discretion. When a widow receives her pension directly, when a poor family gets free treatment under Ayushman Bharat scheme, or when a rural household receives tap water for the first time, the state is no longer operating through appeasement, it is operating through equal citizenship.
Today, nearly 95 crore Indians benefit from one social security scheme or another, a massive expansion from the fewer than 25 crore people covered before 2015. This sharp rise reflects the scale of welfare universalisation and the government's push to ensure that benefits reach every eligible citizen.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, 57 crore Jan-Dhan accounts have been opened, with total deposits reaching ₹2.94 lakh crore. More than half of these accounts are held by women. The scheme has brought millions of previously unbanked citizens into the formal banking system, enabling direct access to government benefits and strengthening the foundation of transparent welfare delivery.
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana provided cooking gas connections to women across rural India, improving both health and dignity.
The Ayushman Bharat expanded healthcare access for economically vulnerable families on an unprecedented scale. The scheme covers 42 crore eligible individuals. It guarantees free secondary and tertiary healthcare for families, heavily expanding the safety net for the poorest sections.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, 57 crore loans worth ₹39.48 lakh crore have been given to small and micro businesses. These loans are provided without any collateral and help people start or grow work in manufacturing, trade, services, and agriculture-related activities.
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana provided free food grains to more than 80 crore Indians, ensuring food security for poor and vulnerable families across the country.
The Jal Jeevan Mission has dramatically scaled tap water connections to cover 80% of India's rural households.
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana helped millions secure permanent homes.
None of these schemes ask beneficiaries about religion or caste before extending benefits.
Equally important has been the government's push for last-mile delivery through initiatives such as the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra. The idea behind the campaign was straightforward but powerful: identify those who had been left out of welfare systems and ensure they are connected to state support. This approach reflects a new philosophy of governance, that exclusion itself is injustice. A government committed to saturation seeks not merely to launch schemes, but to guarantee their reach.
Critics may disagree with the political framing, but the larger point deserves serious reflection. India's constitutional idea of secularism cannot survive merely through speeches about pluralism, it must be reinforced through equal access to state resources and opportunities. A hungry citizen denied ration or healthcare experiences discrimination more sharply than abstract political debates.
For decades, Indian politics equated secularism with managing social coalitions. PM Modi's governance model attempts to redefine it through delivery. Whether one supports him politically or not, the scale of welfare inclusion under his leadership has undeniably reshaped the conversation.
(The author is a Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. Views are personal.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
