I came across a British weekly column lamenting that India’s leadership has lost momentum, and that it suffers from a lack of imagination. One can only assume it was composed under a grey London sky, by someone who has never truly tasted the clarity of thought that comes with a well-brewed masala chai.
Over the past eleven years, India has demonstrated a quiet resolve—marked by consistent decision-making, sustained policy execution, and a focus on outcomes rather than optics. In 2014, India was the 11th largest economy. Today, she is the fourth, with her GDP standing at $4.187 trillion and growing. Her per capita income has increased by 169 per cent in rupee terms—direct tax collections have surged by 238 per cent and taxpayer base has grown by 127 per cent. These are not just economic indicators, but markers of national transformation under the stable leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India has witnessed a fundamental overhaul of its tax system through the introduction of GST, which unified 17 taxes and 13 cesses into one single, nationwide framework, streamlining compliance and enhancing ease of doing business. Now, middle-class tax payers enjoy effective exemptions up to Rs12 lakh and corporate tax rates are among the most competitive globally. These reforms have been strengthened by faceless assessments and prompt refunds—heralding a new era of transparency and renewed taxpayer confidence.
Imaging: Deni Lal
India’s digital payments revolution has been nothing short of transformative. In May 2025, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processed 18.68 billion transactions, valued at Rs25.14 lakh crore, marking a 33 per cent year-on-year increase. This surge is backed by the Jan Dhan-Aadhar-Mobile (JAM) framework, which enables financial inclusion as well as digital security. With over 50 crore Jan Dhan bank accounts—together with Aadhaar and mobile connectivity—the JAM framework has enabled direct delivery of subsidies and benefits—thereby eliminating middlemen, reducing leakage, and restoring dignity to welfare.
India’s infrastructure journey, in the recent times, is a story of bold imagination, world-class engineering and unwavering execution. In June, Modi inaugurated the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, the world’s highest railway arch bridge standing 359 metres above the Chenab River. Earlier, he commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala, which is India’s first deepwater transhipment port capable of docking the world’s largest container ships. With the expansion of national highways, the addition of new airports, accelerated railway linkages and electrification, and the rapid growth of metro networks across cities, the third term of the Modi government is emerging as one of the most defining eras in India’s infrastructure history.
The year 2025 also marked a decisive evolution in India’s counter-terrorism doctrine. With Operation Sindoor, India sent an unambiguous message that acts of terror against our citizens will not be met with restraint, but with calibrated and resolute retaliation. Justice will not be requested, it will be delivered, and any future provocation will invite a wider, more determined response.
Operation Sindoor also underscored the growing reliance on indigenous defence capabilities. From drones and loitering munitions to anti-air systems and battlefield intelligence platforms, the operation showcased the increasing maturity of the Make in India ecosystem in defence production.
India is not only prepared to defend itself; it is now doing so with tools crafted by Indian minds and Indian hands.
We are building the world’s largest renewable energy transition while launching lunar missions. We are empowering over one crore rural women to become lakhpati didis while putting girls into military academies. While editors search for momentum and imagination in prose, India is busy building it—in steel, silicon and resolve!
Bansuri Swaraj is the Lok Sabha member from New Delhi.