(May 2014 – May 2019)

Though the BJP had a majority on its own, it did not ignore its allies; it was the NDA that formed the government on May 26, 2014. Narendra Modi took his oath as prime minister along with some members of his council of ministers; the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, administered the oath of office. The venue was the forecourts of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi. The swearing-in ceremony was the first where all SAARC heads were invited, and all attended. A non-Congress government was in power after ten years, and a single party had a full majority after a long while.

The Modi government declared its intention to adopt a developmental agenda–Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (roughly translated, ‘together with all, development for all’). There was to be greater inclusion, social and financial, and better accountability and transparency of government working. There was to be less government and more governance. The government said it would work for cooperative federalism, economic prosperity, and improving the image of India in the world. Its work at the end of five years was a mix of positives and negatives.

Digital India: a Step Forward in e-Governance

One of the basic aims of the Modi government was to encourage electronic governance. Considering the importance of reducing the paperwork involved in the public - government interface and thereby lowering the corruption levels, the Modi government launched the Digital India campaign within three months of taking office, in August 2014. The success

of several socio-economic and governance programmes, existing as well as intended to be launched, depended upon the efficacy of Digital India.

The idea was to electronically empower the Indian citizen and the economy. The programme was designed to get all government departments and the people of India to connect with each other digitally or electronically, so that governance could be improved. The government also intended to enhance and improve connectivity of all villages and rural areas through internet networks.

There is no doubt that e-infrastructure, e-participation, and government e-services were put in place and made to work to improve transparency. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a payment system allowing mobile-enabled money transfers between bank accounts, and the Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) for a less-cash economy were developed and put to good use, and certainly proved helpful to the citizens.