THE MODI YEAR
HOW THE YEAR 2023 PANNED OUT FOR PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI AND INDIA
New Parliament Building
In May, PM Modi opened India’s new parliament building, designed to accommodate the expansion in seats and other demands of the House for a full century and more. The construction, which began in January 2021, was completed in a record time of 28 months
Criminal Laws Reforms
In December, the Modi government repealed a raft of “outdated” Britishera laws. The new laws—Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023—enhance penalties for crimes such as terrorism, lynching and offences jeopardising national security
Economic Growth
India, currently the world’s fifthlargest economy, is also one of the fastest growing in 2023. This sustained growth is the result of the Modi government’s emphasis on rapid expansion of digital infrastructure, manufacturing and infrastructure investment
Women’s Reservation Act
In September, the 27yearlong wait for women’s reservation in legislatures ended when the Modi government pushed through the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam—the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill 2023 in Parliament that seeks to reserve onethird of seats in Lok Sabha and state legislatures
G20 Presidency
PM Modi rode high on the success of the G20 summit in Delhi on September 910, establishing its position as the ‘voice of the Global South’. Despite the deep divisions over Russia’s actions in Ukraine, India got other nations onboard and pulled off the New Delhi Declaration, without explicitly mentioning the divisive issue
Indo-US Partnership
Under Modi’s leadership, the IndiaUS partnership witnessed historic moments—from President Biden’s support for a jet engine deal in September, the January launch of the Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) initiative for strategic security and technology cooperation, recordbreaking bilateral trade, to eased export regulations
Abrogation of Article 370 Validated
On December 11, the Supreme Court upheld the Modi government’s August 2019 move to abrogate Article 370, which conferred special status on Jammu and Kashmir. The court validation brings a legal closure to the decadesold contentious issue
Heartland Wins
The BJP deployed its effective ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ among other strategic moves to clinch sweeping wins in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in December, laying the groundwork for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls
Climate Warrior
At the COP28 that ended in Dubai on December 13, PM Modi secured a win for India and the developing economies. India advocated against rigid targets, ensuring flexibility in achieving the goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030
Success in Space
In August, India achieved a historic milestone by successfully landing Chandrayaan3 on the Moon’s south pole, the first nation to do so. It has also opened up its space domain to private enterprises with the new Indian Space Policy