NDA ensured real rights, implementation failure marred UPA rule: Top PMO hand

Top PMO official PK Mishra on Wednesday contrasted the tenure of Congress-led UPA with the BJP-led NDA dispensation as an era of "paper rights" versus "real and implemented rights."

Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, equated everyday essentials and dignity to human rights, adding that the NDA's saturation approach to government schemes was ensuring human dignity.

Mishra was delivering a keynote address at the "Inaugural National Conference on Ensuring Everyday Essentials – Public Services and Dignity for All" in the Capital on Wednesday.

He reflected on the decade prior to 2014 as a period of rights-based legislation approach to development.

"In the decade before 2014, India pursued a rights based approach by enacting laws like Right to Education Act, MGNREGA and National Food Security Act. However, enacting rights without effective delivery undermined credibility. Since 2014, the government has emphasised a saturation approach, ensuring no eligible beneficiary is left out. This has marked a shift from paper rights to real, implemented rights supported by digital infrastructure, direct benefit transfers and outreach campaigns such as the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra," Mishra said.

Mishra, who has been leading Modi;s advisory team since he became PM, said community participation was a well thought through segment of governance and delivery under the current dispensation.

"After PM Narendra Modi's call for Jan Bhagidari, public service delivery has shifted from prescribing to responding, delivering schemes to delivering dignity, and viewing people as beneficiaries to partners in nation-building," PK Mishra said, delineating the existing approach to governance in the PMO.

Mishra said four pillars were presently being relied on to secure everyday essentials for citizens.

"These pillars are dignity at home advanced through housing, water, sanitation, power, clean fuel, PM Awas Yojana; social protection ensured through free ration PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana covering 80 crore and Ayushman Bharat scheme covering 42 crore citizens; inclusive economic growth advanced through financial inclusion and justice and protection of vulnerable communities strengthened through new Criminal Law Codes, fast-track courts, and schemes for tribal communities," principal secretary to PM said.

Describing poverty alleviation as the most effective human rights intervention, Mishra said 25 crore Indians were lifted out of poverty in the last decade.

This has been corroborated by the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24, he noted.

The top PMO official said good governance was itself a fundamental right, defined by efficiency, transparency, grievance redressal and timely service delivery. "We envision a modern, inclusive nation with livable cities and vibrant villages, stressing citizen-centred governance, responsible technology use and collective action to ensure dignity, justice and development for all," said Mishra, speaking on Human Rights Day.