Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to work on Sunday, having a review meeting with PMO officials, following a strenuous election campaign in intense heat, a 45-hour meditation at Vivekananda Memorial, and widespread exit polls indicating a landslide victory for his third term.
Before initiating his massive electoral campaign, Prime Minister Modi instructed the upper echelons of the bureaucracy to use the interregnum break to prepare for the decisions that would be made during the first 100 days of Modi 3.0.
He made it plain to them that he would not wait until the final 100 days before the 2029 elections to make any difficult decisions; instead, he would make them all during the first 100 years of his administration.
While the bureaucracy has planned the decisions that Prime Minister Modi must make in his first 100 days, it is also aware that going forward, appointments to important positions would be made solely on the basis of merit and performance, with an emphasis on the BJP’s tallest leader’s Viksit Bharat vision.
Given this, major adjustments might be implemented in August 2024 following the installation of the new Cabinet and the presentation of the Union budget during the first week of July. PM Dr. P K Mishra’s principal secretary and Ajit Doval’s national security advisor, who are both crucial to PM Modi’s administration and national security/intelligence, respectively, may be the first appointments. Key appointments that need to be done this month are that of new Army Chief and the vital post of Director, Intelligence Bureau.
Since PM Modi’s Viksit Bharat vision is anchored on “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”, the focus of Modi 3.0 will be development of India’s military-industrial complex with priority on self-reliance and domestic manufacturing. There are strong indications that domestic military-civilian manufacturing will be incentivized and preference will be given to Indian platforms and Indian IPs.
Following Modi 3.0’s inauguration, PMO officials have created an agenda for the next 100 days, which has been fine-tuned based on PM Modi’s recommendations.
When he attends the G-7 on June 13, PM Modi will be by far the most senior and accomplished leader of the largest democracy in the world, ensuring that the NDA platform is implemented politically in its entirety.