A new dawn: 11 years of India's remarkable journey with PM Modi

In the last 11 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed India completely. Our country has become a major world power while making life better for people at home.

India has grown from the world's 10th biggest economy to the 4th biggest. We now export defence equipment to many countries, explore space like never before, and have built world-class roads, railways, schools and hospitals.

When we compare where India was in 2014 to where we are in 2025, we can see how much our nation has grown. Indians today have more opportunities, feel proud of their country, and have hope for the future.

Let's look at the big changes in different areas.

In 2014, India was the 10th largest economy in the world. Our GDP (total value of everything we produce) was $2.1 trillion. By 2025, we became the 4th largest economy, beating Japan. Our GDP is now $4.19 trillion, according to the International Monetary Fund's report from April 2025. This means our economy has doubled in size.

This growth happened because of smart policies like 'Make in India', which brought foreign companies to invest in our country. Between 2000 and 2024, we got over $1 trillion in foreign investment, and 69% of this came in the last 10 years.

The Digital India programme made us world leaders in digital payments. Our UPI (Unified Payments Interface) now handles 83% of all digital transactions, and other countries are copying our system.

The government also brought in GST (Goods and Services Tax) and new bankruptcy laws that made it easier to do business. The PM Gati Shakti plan reduced the cost of moving goods around the country, which helped our exports reach $778 billion in 2024. All this created more jobs - startups alone gave jobs to 17 lakh people. The average income of each Indian went up from $1,438 in 2013-14 to $2,880 in 2025.

But we still have problems. The richest 1% of Indians own 40% of the country's wealth, and 234 million people are still poor. We need to make sure growth benefits everyone equally.

In 2014, India's defence exports were very small - only Rs 4,312 crore from 2004 to 2014. By 2024-25, our defence exports jumped to Rs 23,622 crore ($2.76 billion). We are growing at 12.04% every year and now sell weapons to over 90 countries.

Defence production in India has grown by 174% since 2014. This happened because of the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) policy. The government allowed foreign companies to invest up to 74% in defence companies in 2020, which brought new technology to India. Our defence budget for 2025-26 is Rs 6.81 lakh crore ($78.7 billion), which helps our military get modern equipment.

Private companies now handle 64.5% of our defence exports. We have signed big deals like the $3.5 billion drone agreement with the US, which makes our friendship with America stronger. For Indians, this means our military is stronger and there are more jobs in defence manufacturing. In the world, India is now ranked 4th in military power.

In 2014, India's space programme was doing well but was limited. We had sent the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) in 2013, making India the first Asian country to reach Mars on the first try. From 1993 to 2014, ISRO launched 97 satellites.

By 2025, India became a space superpower. In 2023, our Chandrayaan-3 mission landed on the Moon's South Pole, making India the first country to explore this area. We also sent Aditya-L1 to study the Sun. Soon, we will send Indian astronauts to space with the Gaganyaan mission.

Between 2014 and 2023, ISRO launched 466 satellites (396 for foreign countries, 70 for India). This is much more than the 97 satellites we launched in the previous 20 years. In 2020, the government allowed private companies to work in space, and now we have over 250 space startups.

For Indians, this brings pride and creates jobs in the growing space industry. Around the world, India's low-cost space missions make us the preferred partner for 34 countries who want to send their satellites to space.

In 2014, India had 91,287 km of national highways. We were building roads at 11.7 km per day. By 2024, our highway network grew 1.6 times to 146,145 km. Now we build roads at 34 km per day - almost three times faster.

The government spent Rs 3.01 lakh crore ($36.09 billion) on roads in 2024, which is about 1% of our total GDP. This money came from private investment and selling government assets (Rs 40,314 crore in 2024). The Bharatmala Pariyojana project improved connectivity across the country, reduced the cost of transporting goods, and boosted trade.

For people living in villages, better roads mean they can easily reach markets to sell their products, send children to better schools, and get to hospitals quickly. In cities, there is less traffic jam. Globally, India's rank in the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index improved from 44th in 2018 to 38th, showing our progress.

In 2014, Indian Railways carried 8.4 billion passengers every year. But our trains and tracks were old, and only 21,801 km of railway lines had electricity. The government spent Rs 85,000 crore on railways.

By 2024, we carry 9.1 billion passengers every year. The government now spends Rs 2.6 lakh crore on railways - 77% more than before. We have electrified 68,000 km of railway lines, which is 93% of our entire network. This reduces pollution from trains.

Big projects like the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway line have connected Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of India. We now have fast Vande Bharat trains, and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train is almost ready. For Indians, this means faster, cleaner, and safer train journeys. Villages are now better connected to big cities for business. Globally, Indian Railways contributes 3% to our GDP and is becoming more environment-friendly.

In 2014, India had 16 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), 13 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), and very few skill development programs. By 2025, education has completely changed.

We now have 23 IITs (7 new ones) and 21 IIMs (8 new ones, including IIM Mumbai, which was earlier called NITIE). This gives more students access to world-class education. The Skill India Mission, started in 2015, has trained 1.4 crore young people and upskilled 54 lakh people. We have set up 3,000 new Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) by 2024.

The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) trained nearly 18 lakh youth by 2016, with a target of 1 crore by 2020. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has changed how we teach, focusing on digital learning through platforms like DIKSHA and SWAYAM. These platforms helped millions of students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since 2014, we have also built 15 new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), 16 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and 390 universities. For Indians, this means better access to quality education and skills, especially in smaller cities, which helps people get better jobs.

Globally, Indian students and professionals are competing successfully worldwide. However, we still have challenges - only 47.38% of our graduates can get jobs easily after finishing their studies.

In 2014, India's health system was under pressure. Many people couldn't afford healthcare, and sanitation was poor. By 2025, big programmes have changed everything.

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) built 60 million toilets by 2019, improving hygiene, especially for women. Ayushman Bharat, started in 2018, is the world's largest health insurance scheme. It covers 10 crore families, giving each family Rs 5 lakh for medical treatment. Over 1 lakh people benefited within just one month of starting.

The Ayush sector (traditional Indian medicine) is growing fast. Global demand was $657.5 billion in 2020, and India's Ayush sector grew 17% from 2014 to 2020. This made India a popular destination for medical tourism.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, India produced Covaxin and Covishield vaccines. We supplied vaccines to many countries, earning the title "Pharmacy of the World." We have built 15 new AIIMS since 2014, giving people better access to healthcare.

For Indians, this means better healthcare from village clinics to big city hospitals. Globally, India's health diplomacy, including sending vaccines to other countries and hosting the WHO's Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, has made us a world leader in health.

India's leadership of the G20 group in 2023 was a big diplomatic success. We showed leadership on climate change, digital technology, and disaster preparedness. We started initiatives like the International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, showing that India solves global problems.

Modi's strong stand against terrorism at the G20 strengthened India's fight for peace. At home, this global leadership makes Indians proud. Our digital platforms like Aadhaar and CoWIN are being used as examples by other countries.

India's leadership in renewable energy - we are 3rd in renewable power, 4th in wind energy, and 5th in solar energy - increases our soft power around the world.

Despite all this progress, we still have challenges. Income inequality is high, our per capita GDP of $2,880 is still much lower than Japan's $33,000, and 234 million people are still poor. We need policies that help everyone equally.

Youth unemployment is 13.8%, and not everyone has equal access to education and healthcare. These problems need immediate attention. Global trade tensions and rising oil prices could slow our growth, so we need to keep making reforms.

But we are on the right track. Experts predict our GDP will reach $5.7 trillion by 2028, making us the world's 3rd largest economy, if we balance growth with making sure everyone benefits.

In 11 years, Modi's vision has made India a global leader. Economically, we jumped from 10th to 4th position. In defence, we went from being a small exporter to supplying weapons to 90 countries.

In space, we went from having potential to becoming pioneers who reached the Moon's South Pole. In infrastructure, we went from slow growth to building world-class roads and railways. In education, we went from having limited institutions to becoming a hub of IITs, IIMs, and skilled youth. In health, we went from struggling systems to becoming a global healthcare model.

At home, 25 crore people have come out of poverty. Millions have got jobs, healthcare, and better connectivity. Globally, India now influences important discussions from climate change to world peace.

This is not just progress - this is a confident India that inspires its people and the world with a vision of unlimited possibilities.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)