Narendra Damodardas Modi is born on 17 September 1950.
He is the current chief minister of
the Indian state of Gujarat.
Narendra Damodardas Modi was born in an other backward class (OBC) middle-class family at
Vadnagar, he was the third of six children born to Damodardas Mulchand Modi and his wife
Heeraben. He has been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since childhood,
having an interest in politics since adolescence. He holds a master's degree in political science. In
1998, he was chosen by L. K. Advani, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to direct
the election campaign in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. He holds a master's degree in political
science. In 1998, he was chosen by L. K. Advani, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),
to direct the election campaign in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. In July 2007, he became the
longest serving Chief Minister in Gujarat's history when he had been in power for 2063 days
continuously. He was elected again for a third term[5] on 23 December 2007 in the state elections,
which he had cast as a "referendum on his rule".
Early activism and politics
Modi was a pracharak (campaigner) in the RSS during his university years.He took up the
challenging task of energising the party cadres in right earnest.In partnership with Shankersinh
Vaghela, Modi set about creating a strong cadre base in Gujarat. In the initial period, Vaghela
was seen as a mass leader, while Modi was recognised as a master strategist.
During 1995 period, Modi was entrusted with the responsibility of organising two crucial
national events, the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra (a political rally through India on a
converted Toyota van) of L.K. Advani and a similar march from Kanyakumari (the southernmost
part of mainland India, southernmost point of India being Indira point of Andaman and Nicobar
islands) to Kashmir in the North. After the exit of Shankarsingh Vaghela from the BJP,
Keshubhai Patel was made Chief Minister while Narendra Modi was sent to New Delhi as a
General Secretary of the Party.
In 1995, Modi was appointed the National Secretary of the party and given the charge of five
major states in India. In 1998, he was promoted as the General Secretary (Organization), a post
he held until October 2001. In 2001, Narendra Modi was chosen by the party to be the Chief
Minister of Gujarat after the removal of chief minister Keshubhai Patel.
Awards and recognitions
Gujarat Ratna by Shri Poona Gujarati Bandhu Samaj at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch on celebration
of centenary year.
e-Ratna award by the Computer Society of India
Modi has 912,080 followers on Twitter as on 6 September 2012.
Best Chief Minister – In a nationwide survey conducted in 2006 by India Today magazine,
Narendra Modi was declared the Best Chief Minister in the country.
Asian Winner of the fDi Personality of the Year Award for 2009 by fDi Magazine.
Development of Gujarat
As a Chief Minister, Modi started various 'yojanas' or plans. This includes:
Panchamrut Yojana – a five-pronged strategy for an integrated development of the state,
Sujalam Sufalam – a scheme to create a grid of water resources in Gujarat in an innovative step
towards water conservation and its appropriate utilisation.
Krishi Mahotsav – agricultural research labs for the land
Chiranjeevi Yojana – To reduce infant mortality rate
Matru Vandana – Providing preventive and curative services under the Reproductive and Child
Health Programme
Beti Bachao – Campaign against female infanticide to improve sex ratio
Jyotigram Yojana – Provide electricity to every village
Karmayogi Abhiyan – To educate and train government employees
Kanya Kelavani Yojana – To encourage female literacy and education
Balbhog Yojana – Midday meal scheme for students to encourage school attendance from poor
backgrounds.
Doodh Sanjivani - An initiative undertaken by Surat district panchayat with people’s
participation, under which more than 40,000 children of 1640 aanganwadis of Surat district will
be given milk as a complete nutritious food twice every week.
eMPOWER – program aims to provides basic training of computer to youths.
Khilkhilat - Special ambulances that are to be used to drop mother and their new born child to
their home after the delivery.
Navi Gujarat Vastraniti (Gujarat Textile Policy) 2012 - New Textile Policy to ensure Gujarat’s
cotton growers get better price realization at national and international markets.
Multi-Modal Affordable Transport Authority (MATA) - For integrated transport management,
coordinating travel on all the three horizons – sky, land and water routes.
Modi's position on terrorism
On 18 July 2006 Modi delivered a speech criticising Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
"for his reluctance to revive anti-terror legislations" like the Prevention of Terrorism Act. He
asked the Centre to empower states to invoke tougher laws in the wake of the blasts in Mumbai.
[74]
Quoting Modi:
Terrorism is worse than a war. A terrorist has no rules. A terrorist decides when, how, where
“ and whom to kill. India has lost more people in terror attacks than in its wars. [74] ”
Narendra Modi has frequently commented that if the BJP came to power at the Centre, they will
honour the 2004 Supreme Court judgement to hang Afzal Guru.[75] Afzal was convicted of
terrorism in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack in 2004 by the Supreme Court of India and is in
Tihar Jail.[76]
On account of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, on Thursday 27 November, Narendra Modi
held a meeting to discuss waterfront security along the coastline.[77] The meeting decided to ask
the Central government to urgently sanction the following:
Increase the number of police stations along the coast to 50 (from 10).
Increase the number of police to 1500 from 250.
30 modern high-speed surveillance boats.
The 30 coastal boats, under construction at Goa's shipbuilding yard, will have the capacity to run
at the speed of 25 nautical miles per hour. These are being manufactured under the Centre's Rs
58-crore grant for coastal security.
