White paper: Know how the NDA and UPA govts fared on 35 counts

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled a white paper in Lok Sabha on Indian economy today, comparing the performance of the BJP-led NDA government from 2014 to 2024 and the Congress-led UPA government from 2004 to 2014. In her Interim Budget speech, Sitharaman had stated that the government would release a white paper on the economy detailing the economic mismanagement during the 10 years of the UPA rule until 2014.

While outlining its objectives, the government said the white paper seeks to apprise the Members of the Parliament and the people of India, of the nature and extent of governance, economic and fiscal crises that were bequeathed on the NDA government when it assumed office in 2014. It aims to inform about the policies and measures that the NDA government took to restore the health of the economy and make it vigorous and capable of fulfilling the growth aspirations of the people in the present and in the Amrit Kaal.

The government said the white paper hopes to generate a wider, more informed debate on the paramountcy of national interest and fiscal responsibility in matters of governance over political expediency.

The numbers below, taken form the white paper, show performance of both the governments on 35 counts.

1. Inflation
THEN: 8.2% (CAGR of inflation between FY04 – FY14)
NOW: 5.0% (CAGR of inflation between FY14 – FY23)

2. GDP Per Capita (PPP)
THEN: $3,889 (Average per capita GDP between FY05-FY14)
NOW: $6,016 (Average per capita GDP between FY15-FY23)

3. Capital Expenditure
THEN: 1.7% (Capex as a per cent of GDP for FY14)
NOW: 3.2% (Capex as a per cent of GDP for FY24 (RE))

4. Electronics Exports
THEN: $7.6 billion (Exports for FY14
NOW: $22.7 billion (Exports for FY23)

5. Foreign Direct Investment
THEN: $305 billion (Sum of Gross FDI between FY05 - FY14)
NOW: $596.5 billion (Sum of Gross FDI between FY15 and Nov 2023)

6. Multidimensional Poverty (% of population)
THEN: 29.2% (As at the end of 2013-14)
NOW: 11.3% (As at the end of 2023 (Estimated))

7. Indirect Tax Rate
THEN: 15% (Average Pre-GST Indirect Tax Rate)
NOW: 12.2% (Average GST Rate as of March 2023)

8. Number of Start-ups
THEN: 350 (As of 2014)
NOW: 1,17,257 (As on 31st December 2023)

9. Harvard Economic Complexity Index (Ranking
THEN: 52 (Ranking in 2011)
NOW: 42 (Ranking in 2021)

(Indian Economy has become more sophisticated over the last decade. Lower numbers represent higher ranking.)

10. Number of cities with Metro Rail
THEN: 5 (As at the end of 2014)
NOW: 20 (As at the end of 2023)

11. National Highway constructed length (thousand km)
THEN: 25.7 (highways constructed between FY05 and FY14)
NOW: 54.9 (highways constructed between FY15 - FY24 (till Nov))

12. Pace of highway construction (km/day)
THEN: 12 (pace in 2013-14)
NOW: 28.3 (pace in 2022-23)

13. Consequential Rail Accidents (average number of accidents)
THEN: 233 (Average no. of accidents between FY05 and FY14)
NOW: 34 (Average no. of accidents between FY15 and FY23)

14. Electrified rail network (thousand km)
THEN: 21.8 (Electrified broad-gauge network as of 2014)
NOW: 60.8 (Electrified broad-gauge network as of November 2023)

15. Number of airports
THEN: 74 (As at the end of 2014)
NOW: 149 (As of February 2024)

16. Average Toll Plaza Waiting Time
THEN: 12.2 minutes (As in 2014)
NOW: 47 seconds (As in 2023)

17. Total Installed Power Capacity (Giga Watts)
THEN: 249 (As of March 2014)
NOW: 429 (As of December 2023)

18. Installed Renewable Energy Capacity (Giga Watts)
THEN: 76 (As of March 2014)
NOW: 181 (As of December 2023)

19. Logistics Performance Index (Ranking)
THEN: 54 (India’s ranking in the index for the year 2012)
NOW: 38 (India’s ranking in the index for the year 2023)

Lower numbers represent higher ranking.

20. Mobile Broadband Subscribers (Number of people in crores)
THEN: 6 (As at the end of 2013-14)
NOW: 90 (As at the end of November 2023)

21. Monthly Data Usage (in GB)
THEN: 0.06 (As at the end of March 2014)
NOW: 18.39 (As at the end of June 2023)

22. Wireless Data Tariff (Rupees per GB)
THEN: 269 (rupee cost of per GB data in 2014)
NOW: 10.1 (rupee cost of per GB data in 2023)

23. Number of Medical Colleges
THEN: 387 (As in 2014)
NOW: 706 (As of 2nd Feb 2024)

24. Seats in Medical Education
THEN: 51,348 (As of 2014)
NOW: 1,08,940 (As of 2nd Feb 2024)

25. Number of Universities
THEN: 676 (As of 2013-14)
NOW: 1,168 (2021-2022)

26. Global Innovation Index (Ranking)
THEN: 81 (India’s ranking in 2015)
NOW: 40 (India’s ranking in 2023)
(Lower numbers represent higher ranking.)

27. Trademarks registered (in lakhs)
THEN: 8.8 (trademarks registered between FY05 and FY14)
NOW: 17.9 (trademarks registered between FY15 and FY22)

28. Number of LPG Connection
THEN: 14.5 crore (As of April 2014)
NOW: 31.4 crore (As of August 2023)

29. Number of PNG Connections
THEN: 22.3 lakh (As of April 2014)
NOW: 119 lakh (As of October 2023)

30. Electrification Status
THEN: 85.1% (As of 2014)
NOW: 100% (As of 2023)

31. Average Availability of Electricity (Rural)
THEN: 12 hours (average number of hours of electricity available in 2014)
NOW: 20.6 hours (average number of hours of electricity available in 2023)

32. Number of tap water connections (Rural)
THEN: 3.2 crore (As of August 2019)
NOW: 13.8 crore (As of December 2023)

33. Total number of DBT Beneficiaries
THEN: 10.8 crore (As of FY14)
NOW: 166 crore (As of FY23)

34. Funds transferred to under-privileged households under various schemes (total of cash and kind)
THEN: Rs 7,367 crore (Transfer in FY14)
NOW- Rs 7,16,396 crore (Transfer in FY23)

35. Waste Processed by Urban Local Bodies (% of total waste generated)
THEN: 18% (As of 2014)
NOW: 76% (As of 6th Feb 2024)

Read the white paper here



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