After 5 years, 30% citizens feel Modi Government has exceeded expectations while 45% rate it as meeting them
- • 25% rate the Modi Government Performance as below expectations
- • Government scores well on improving India’s image globally, handling of Pakistan and terrorism as well developing infrastructure
- • Citizens rate the Government low on reducing unemployment, ensuring benefits of GST reach citizens and driving engagement of elected leaders with constituency
CONTENTS
- Executive Summary
- Citizen Assessment of 5 years of Central Government – Summary
- Overall Performance comparison for last 5 years
- Quality of Life under Modi Government
- State of the Economy
- Communalism, Terrorism and Foreign Affairs
- Parliament Functioning, MP engagement and VIP culture
- Details of the Polls and Year-over-Year Comparisons
- Poll 1 – Delivering to Manifesto Promises
- Poll 2 – Reduction in Terrorism
- Poll 3 – Reduction in Corruption
- Poll 4 – Reduction in prices of essential commodities and cost of living
- Poll 5 – Reduction in crime against women and children
- Poll 6 – Government’s handling of Parliament
- Poll 7 – Reduction in Unemployment
- Poll 8 – Ease of Doing Business
- Poll 9 – Engagement of MPs with constituency
- Poll 10 – Reduction in harassment by Tax Officials
- Poll 11 – India’s image in the world
- Poll 12 – Handling of Pakistan
- Poll 13 – Handling Communalism Issues
- Poll 14 – Swachh Bharat Mission Impact
- Poll 15 – Effective Government Mission
- Poll 16 – Healthcare Services
- Poll 17 – GST impact on consumer
- Poll 18 – Optimism about future
- Poll 19 – Life of Farmers
- Poll 20 – Reduction in VIP culture
- Poll 21 – Infrastructure Development
- Poll-22 – The Startup Sector
- Poll 23 – The Manufacturing Sector
- Poll 24 – Overall Performance
- Survey Platform and Demographics
- About LocalCircles
Executive Summary
6th March 2019, New Dehli: With India getting ready to go into polls in the next few months, Modi Government will soon be completing its 5 years. Before the Modi led BJP came into power, there were many promises that it made to the citizens of the country via its manifesto. 5 years after that, citizens via LocalCircles – India’s leading social media platform have looked at 20+ areas of Government functioning and rated its performance.
LocalCircles has been conducting this exercise every year i.e. from 2015-2018 and has concluded its 5 years of Modi Government performance survey in February 2019. In the survey, citizens were asked for their feedback on the Government’s performance on 24 different areas in the last 5 years. The survey received 1,80,000+ votes from over 65,000 unique citizens spread across 250 districts of the country.
This year, a total of 75% citizens said that the Government has either met or exceeded their expectations in the last 5 years. Around 30% citizens said the Government has exceeded their expectations and this metric has shown a slight improvement compared to 28% last year and 17% in 2017. While 45% citizens said that the Government met their expectations, it is a big increase from the 29% who said the same last year. In 2017, 39% rated the Government as delivering below expectations which rose to 43% in 2018 and in 2019 this number has reduced to 25%. This means that in the final year, many more citizens have rated the Modi Government as meeting expectations. This could be due to a variety of factors like:
1) Government missions finally showing some tangible results
2) Programs announced in year 5 like income tax cuts via Budget 2019, reservation for EWS category, resolution of angel tax for startups, healthcare for the masses via Ayushman Bharat are being appreciated by citizenry.
There is also a chance that in the 5-year survey, citizens are comparing the Modi Government’s tenure of 5 years with the preceding UPA II Government and have evaluated the performance with that lens rather than comparing it with the manifesto promises. Regardless, the survey suggests that only 25% of the citizens are giving a thumbs down to the Modi Government and if the current mood continues, the nation may very well be looking at granting a second innings to Narendra Modi via the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Citizen Assessment Summary - 5 years of Central Government Survey
Overall Performance comparison for last 5 years
Quality of Life under Modi Government
There are various things that determine the quality of life in a country. Inflation, income, cost of living, public amenities, transport etc. are a few of them. 57% citizens in the poll said that prices of essential commodities and cost of living had reduced in the last 5 years.
A Thompson Reuters Foundation survey ranked India the most dangerous country for women in the world, even before Syria and Afghanistan. But looks like Indian’s don’t think so. 55% in a poll said that they feel crime against women and children have reduced. The Government of India, last year, passed the new child rape law under which the rapist will be awarded a death sentence.
Majority citizens also feel that the country has made good progress under the current Government when it comes to the healthcare sector. Announcements of schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana have also lend credibility to this. Government have also tightened their vigilance on hospitals and pharma companies by taking steps like controlling the prices of heart stents etc and making them more affordable for the middle class. Citizens were asked if healthcare services have improved and became affordable in the last 5 years. 57% said yes to it while 32% said no.
The Swachh Bharat Mission has probably been this Government’s pet project which has undoubtedly shown positive results. 61% citizens said that their city has become cleaner in the last 5 years due to the Swachh Bharat performance.
82% citizens also said they feel optimistic about their family’s future in India while only 14% said they were not very optimistic. This number has considerably increased from the 65% who felt optimistic about their family’s future in India. Looking at this, it seems that majority do believe that India is moving in the right direction
State of the Economy
The economic progress of a country, in many ways, depends upon the level of development of the country’s infrastructure. Recently, PM Modi said that by 2022, investment required in developing infrastructure in India will be close to $700 billion. When asked if sufficient new infrastructure development like roads, power, irrigation, broadband etc. has taken place in the last 5 years, 81% citizens replied in an affirmative.
India has jumped to 77th spot on the Ease of Doing Business rankings issued by the World Bank. When asked if doing business in India has become easier in the last 5 years, 63% answered in a ‘yes’ and 22% answered in a ‘no’. 15% were unsure about it. Prime Minister Modi recently said that India will aim to be in the top 50 by next year.
Unemployment rate in the country has been increasing over the last few years and it has been a big talking point. According to Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the current unemployment rate in India stands at 7.1% rate which is quite high. The government has said that a country cannot be growing at almost 7% every year without creating enough jobs. In the following poll, citizens were asked if India has been able to address the unemployment situation in the last 5 years. 48% answered in a ‘yes’ and 39% answered in a ‘no’.
63% citizens also felt that harassment of individuals and businesses by tax officials has reduced in the last few years under the current Government.
Farming sector has been a concern for a long time now. Although many state governments are announcing farm loan waivers, the cases of farmer suicides are not reducing. A recent National Crime Records Bureau report showed that almost 45 farmers commit suicide in India each day. In response to the poll, 56% respondents said that the life of farmers under the current Government had improved in the last 5 years and 28% felt otherwise. In this year’s budget, government also announced a scheme of giving Rs. 6000 per year to small farmers, which will be given to them in 3 instalments.
The launch of GST had its pros and cons. After the initial hiccups, GST collection for the Government are increasing every month and some of the benefits in the form of rate reduction have started to reach the consumers. 44% citizens said that they experienced lower prices or lower monthly costs after the roll out of GST, while an equal 44% felt GST did not help in reducing their household expenses. GST has been one area where the Government has regularly taken public and industry feedback and made amendments and hence the current GST is much more business and citizen friendly then its original version.
Corruption is another issue that has stalled the country’s development. India stood at 81st position in the Corruption Perception Index 2017 and many citizens admitted to paying bribes to get their work done. In the corruption poll, 64% said corruption in India has reduced in the last 5 years under the current Government and 30% said it had not reduced.
Communalism, Terrorism and Foreign Affairs
The total foreign investment under the Modi Government crossed $61 billion in 2017-2018. Citizens were asked if India’s image and influence in the world had improved in the 5 years of Modi Government. 88% answered in a yes. It looks like Modi’s much criticised plan of visiting different countries and making friends is finally paying off. At least the citizens think so.
India has yet again shown that it completely stands against terrorism and the Indian strike at Balakot was an example of the same. And now, India has withdrawn the tag of the ‘most favoured nation’ that it had given to Pakistan to condemn the cowardly attack in Pulwama in J&K. A large 81% citizens said they approved of the way India handled Pakistan in the last 5 years. Only 15% said they did not approve of the Government’s policies against Pakistan. India had also dragged Pakistan to the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.
The recent Pulwama attack has gathered condolence from around the world and has made India’s stand on fight against terrorism stronger. India gave a strong reply by conducting an airstrike to destroy terrorist launch pads across the LoC, leading to overall situation and sentiments becoming positive. When asked if terrorism and acts of terrors in India/against Indians had reduced, 85% answered in a positive.
Communalism has been a problem which has bothered the country for decades. Communal violence in smaller cities like Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur have made headlines many times in the last few years. Still, 69% citizens in a poll said that issues related to communalism have been handled effectively by the Government in the last 5 years. Only 28% voted otherwise.
Parliament Functioning, MP engagement and VIP culture
Citizens have shown their concern over the working of Parliament in the last few years. Incidents to non-disciplinary approach by members have been very common, leading to largely unproductive sessions. The Government tried their best to get the sessions going by calling all party meets before commencement of various sessions over the years, which did have some positive impact. 65% citizens also believe that the Government has effectively handled Parliament and delivered on key bills in the last 5 years.
Citizens elect MPs as their representatives in the hope that they would listen to their grievances and work for the betterment of their area and constituenct. But apparently, that is not happening. 59% citizens said that their MP has not been engaged in addressing issues and development of the constituency over the last 5 years. This number stood at 67% last year. Although this year’s numbers show a slight improvement, the situation is really grim in this context.
VIP culture has also seen some reduction under the present Government. The decision of banning red beacons and sirens was much appreciated by the citizens. 65% citizens confirmed that they had felt a reduction in the VIP culture while 30% felt there was no reduction.
Details of the Polls and Year-over-Year comparison:
Poll 1 – Delivering to Manifesto Promises
The present government, which was in opposition in 2014, made a variety of promises in its manifesto. The manifesto promised to develop high impact domains to bolster employment in the country and much more. 5 years hence, 70% citizens feel that the Government is on track to deliver on the promises made in its manifesto.
Poll 2 – Reduction in Terrorism
After the recent Pulwama attack, support for India poured in from many countries across the world who promised to stand with India in its fight against terrorism. But the overall situation and sentiments seem to have remained positive in the last few years. When asked if terrorism and acts of terrors in India/against Indians had reduced, 85% answered in a positive.
Year-over-year comparison – Reduction in Terrorism
Poll 3 – Reduction in Corruption
The level of corruption in the country is a great cause of concern and has been holding the development back for many years. The Government has made constant claims of reduction in the level of corruption in the country and the citizens seem to agree with them. In the corruption related poll, 64% said corruption in India has reduced under the current Government and 30% said it had not reduced.
Year-over-year comparison – Reduction in Corruption
The year-over-year comparison shows that the perception of reduced corruption which stood at 47% in 2017, went up to 49% last year and stands at 64% this year, showing constant improvement.
Poll 4 – Reduction in prices of essential commodities and cost of living
57% also said that prices of essential commodities and cost of living had reduced in the last 5 years. 37% felt this was not the case.
Year-over-year comparison – Reduction in cost of living
The year-over-year comparison shows that only 37%% this year feel that cost of living has not reduced in the last few years. This number was stood at 60% last year and at 66% the years before that.
Poll 5 – Reduction in crime against women and children
A Thompson Reuters Foundation survey ranked India the most dangerous country for women in the world. The Government of India passed the new child rape law under which the rapist will be awarded a death sentence. 55% in a poll, also felt that crime against women and children have reduced while 33% said it is not the case.
Year-over-year comparison - Reduction in crime against women and children
The year-over-year comparison shows that the percentage of people who feel that crime against women and children have not reduced in India stood at 43% in 2016, 60% in 2017 and 58% in 2018. This number has drastically reduced to 33% this year.
Poll 6 – Government’s handling of Parliament
Parliament sessions in India have usually been quite unproductive. Although the situation was a bit better last year, but instances of proceeding being adjourned due to the unruly behaviour of the MPs are common. 65% citizens believe that the Government has effectively handled Parliament and delivered on key bills in the last 5 years.
Poll 7 – Reduction in Unemployment
The unemployment rate in India has become quite high. In the following poll, citizens were asked if India has been able to address unemployment under Modi government in the last 5 years. 48% answered in a ‘yes’ and 39% answered in a ‘no’.
Year-over-year comparison – Reduction in Unemployment
The year-over-year comparison shows that this year 48% citizens believed that new jobs were created on a net-basis, which has increased from 35% in 2016.
Poll 8 – Ease of Doing Business
India has been steadily climbing the steps in the Ease of Doing Business rankings issued by the World Bank. When asked if doing business in India has become easier in the last 5 years, 63% answered in a ‘yes’ and 22% answered in a ‘no’. 15% were unsure about it.
Year-over-year comparison – Ease of Doing Business
The year-over-year comparison shows that 63% this year feel doing business has become easier, compared to 46% last year and 36% 2 years back.
Poll 9 – Engagement of MPs with constituency
Citizens elect their MPs in the hope that they would listen to their grievances and work for the betterment of their area and society. But apparently, that is not happening. 59% citizens said that their MP has not been engaged in addressing issues and development of the constituency over the last 5 years.
Year-over-year comparison – Engagement of MPs with constituency
The year-over-year comparison shows that MP’s engagement with their constituency has been continuously low standing at 18% in 2016 and 2018, while at 14% in 2017. The number stood slightly higher at 23% this year.
Poll 10 – Reduction in harassment by Tax Officials
63% citizens also felt that harassment of individuals and businesses by tax officials has reduced in the last few years under the current Government.
Poll 11 – India’s image in the world
Following question asked if India’s image and influence in the world had improved in the 5 years of Modi Government. 88% answered in a yes, while only 8% disagreed.
Year-over-year comparison – India’s image in the world
The year-over-year comparison shows that the perception of improvement of India’s influence and image in the world stood at 88% this year compared to 82% last year. This number was at 90% 3 years back.
Poll 12 – Handling of Pakistan
India-Pakistan relations are always a matter of the dinner table discussion. India took it to the next level recently through a pre-emptive strike on a terror training camp inside Pakistan. The Pak air force also retaliated by targeting Indian military installations in J&K, escalating the matter. A large 81% citizens said they approved of the way India handled Pakistan in the last 5 years. Only 15% said they did not approve of the Government’s policies against Pakistan.
Year-over-year comparison – Handling of Pakistan
The year-over-year comparison shows that citizens continued to support India’s strong stand against Pakistan in the last 3 years with the number reaching the highest of 81% this year.
Poll 13 – Handling Communalism Issues
India has been battling the evil of communalist for decades now and it does not seem to be reducing. 69% citizens in a poll said that issues related to communalism have been handled effectively by the Government in the last 5 years. Only 28% voted otherwise.
Year-over-year comparison – Handling Communalism Issues
The year-over-year comparison shows that after a decline in citizen’s rating in year 4 survey of how Government has handled issues of communalism, the number dramatically rose to 69% this year.
Poll 14 – Swachh Bharat Mission Impact
The Swachh Bharat Mission has been hugely publicised by the Government and has been one of its pet projects. As a testament to the Government’s work, 61% citizens said that their city has become cleaner in the last 5 years due to the Swachh Bharat Mission. As per the Government stats, more than 10 crore toilets have been created in last 4.5 years, and 5 lakh villages in 600 districts have been declared open defecation free.
Year-over-year comparison – Swachh Bharat Mission Impact
The year-over-year comparison shows that people saying Swachh Bharat Mission has had a positive impact stands at 61% this year, up from 43% last year and 35% in 2017.
Poll 15 – Effective Government Mission
In the last 5 years, Government has launched many schemes and missions to further the development of the country. Some of them have been appreciated by the citizens and some of them have been criticised. Different schemes had different pros and cons but 66% citizens thought Direct Benefits Transfer has been the most successful scheme/mission of the Government. 17% said it was Swachh Bharat and 11% said Jan Dhan Yojna. 6% said the Make in India performance has been quite positive.
Poll 16 – Healthcare Services
The current Government boasts of having done a lot of work in the healthcare sector. Government’s ambitious Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna aims to provide a health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family annually to more than 10.74 crore poor families or 50 crore people for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of empanelled health care providers. Citizens were asked if health care services have improved and became affordable in the last 5 years. 57% said yes to it while 32% said no.
Poll 17 – GST impact on consumer
The launch of GST had its pros and cons. 44% citizens said that they experienced lower prices or lower monthly costs after the roll out of GST. An equal 44% felt GST did not help in reducing their household expenses.
Poll 18 – Optimism about future
82% citizens said they feel optimistic about their family’s future in India while only 14% said they were not very optimistic.
Year-over-year comparison – Optimism about future
The year-over-year comparison shows that people’s optimism level about their and their family’s future in the country stands at 82% this year. It was 65% last year and at 76% the year before.
Poll 19 – Life of Farmers
The farming sector has a very high contribution to the Indian economy and hence it always stays in the lime light. 56% respondents in a poll said that the life of farmers under the current Government had improved in the last 5 years and 28% felt otherwise. In this year’s budget, government also announced a scheme of giving Rs. 6000 per year to small farmers.
Poll 20 – Reduction in VIP culture
VIP culture has also seen some reduction under the present Government. The decision of banning red beacons and sirens was much appreciated by the citizens. 65% citizens confirmed that they had felt a reduction in the VIP culture while 30% felt there was no reduction.
Poll 21 – Infrastructure Development
Economic progress is directly proportional to development of infrastructure in the country. When asked if sufficient new infrastructure development like roads, power, irrigation, broadband etc. has taken place in the last 5 years, 81% citizens replied in an affirmative.
Year-over-year comparison – Infrastructure Development
The year-over-year comparison shows that 81% citizen this year, compared to 65% last year feel that there was enough new infrastructure development in the country, while this number stood at 70% in 2016.
Poll-22 – The Startup Sector
The Startup India Mission was launched to help startups in India get an inclusive environment and foster their growth. In the next poll, 66% citizens said they believe that establishing, operating and growing a startup has become easier in the last 5 years. Angel Tax was turning out to be a speed bump for startups, but the Government recently cleared the path by making changes to the Angel Tax rules easing the rules in favour of startups.
Government also changed the definition of startup from 7 years to 10 years. Having said this, India is all set to position itself as a global startup hub in the near future owing to the Startup India performance.
Poll 23 – The Manufacturing Sector
69% felt that the Government has been able to effectively boost the manufacturing sector in the last 5 ears, while 26% felt otherwise.
Poll 24 – Overall Performance
Overall, 75% citizens in this year’s survey say that the Government has met or exceeded expectations in the last 5 years. 25% felt that the Government performance was below their expectations.
Year-over-year comparison – Overall Performance
The year-over-year comparison shows that 75% citizens felt that the government met or exceeded their expectations. This number was at 57% in 2018 and at 61% in 2017, showing a dramatic increase in the citizen satisfaction levels with the Government.
Survey Platform and Demographics
The national survey on five years of Central Government was conducted on LocalCircles, India’s leading citizen engagement platform to gauge the impact and performance of the Central Government. The objective was to understand what’s working and where efforts need to be put in going forward. Over 65,000 unique citizens from over 250 districts participated in the polls and over 180,000 votes were received in the survey thereby making it one of its largest surveys of its kind. Each citizen who voted in the survey is registered with LocalCircles with their detailed information and in many cases shared their exact residential address.
Approximately 69% of respondents were males while 31% were females. Approximately 45% of the respondents were from Tier 1 cities, 29% from Tier 2 cities and 27% from Tier 3 cities and rural locations. The average age of the poll participants was 35 years.
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About LocalCircles
LocalCircles takes Social Media to the next level and makes it about Communities, Governance and Utility. It enables citizens to connect with communities for most aspects of urban daily life like Neighborhood, Constituency, City, Government, Causes, Interests and Needs, seek information/assistance when needed, come together for various initiatives and improve their urban daily life. LocalCircles is free for citizens and always will be!
Akshay Gupta - media@localcircles.com, +91-8585909866
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