Promises kept: Have newly sworn-in Prime Ministers fulfilled their Independence Day promises? Premium

In this two-part series ‘Promises made, promises kept’, we take a look at the promises made by every newly sworn-in Prime Minister to India on Independence Day and if these have been implemented.

As India celebrated its 78th Independence Day on August 15, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India) by 2047 in his 11th consecutive address from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

Since India’s first Prime Minister – Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru – every newly sworn-in Prime Minister has made promises or policy announcements, or issued fervent appeals to the nation in their Independence Day address.

In the first article of this two-part series ‘Promises made, Promises kept’, we listed the promises made by Indian Prime Ministers (starting from Mr. Nehru to Mr. Modi) in their Independence Day addresses. In this article, we explore if and how these promises have been implemented by them.

1952’s promises: Tackle food shortage, uplift poor

Foodgrain production in India rose steadily in 1952 from 51.99 million to 59.20 million tons and plateaued at 66 to 69 million tons in 1957-58. This was mainly due to a balanced policy adopted by the Nehru government which reduced the Centre’s distribution commitments while ensuring that sufficient food demand was met at controlled prices i.e. neither total control nor complete free play of market forces, explains the United Nations’ (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization.

According to a World Bank report titled ‘Perspectives on poverty in India’, the percentage of people below the poverty line rose steadily in the early 1950s to a peak of 50% (urban) and 65% (rural) before falling and rising multiple times before 1960. Hence, Mr. Nehru’s promise of uplifting the poor remained unfulfilled throughout his tenure.

1957’s promises: Peace with Pakistan, neutrality in Cold war