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Business Standard

What did Modi govt do for middle class? NDA shares 11-year report card

Marking 11 years in power, the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a report on June 5 that highlights its efforts to support the middle class. Titled The Middle Class Story: Steady Progress and Supportive Governance, the report outlines reforms across taxes, housing, healthcare, transport, skill development, and digital services aimed at improving everyday life for millions of families. Major tax reforms and pension benefits for salaried class Tax relief has been a key focus of the government. The Union Budget 2025–26 raised the zero-tax threshold to ₹12.75 lakh, benefiting millions. The standard deduction was increased to ₹75,000, allowing individuals earning up to ₹12.75 lakh to pay no tax (excluding capital gains). Pre-filled Income Tax Returns and faceless assessments have simplified filing and reduced taxpayer harassment. ITR filings increased from 3.91 crore in 2013–14 to 9.19 crore in 2024–25. The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), launched in April 2025, offers an assured pension of 50 per cent of the average basic pay over the last 12 months, with a minimum monthly pension of ₹10,000. This is expected to benefit 2.3 million Central government employees and nearly 9 million more through state-level adoption. Urban infrastructure, housing and metro connectivity Urban development saw substantial investment under the Smart Cities Mission launched in 2015. As of 2025, 93 per cent of 7,545 approved projects have been completed, with investments crossing ₹1.51 trillion. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Urban (PMAY-U), 11.6 million homes were sanctioned and over 9.272 million completed or handed over. India's metro network expanded from 248 km in 2014 to 1,013 km by 2025, serving 11.2 million daily riders. The UDAN scheme expanded air connectivity by linking 88 airports and serving 14.9 million passengers. Meanwhile, the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) has helped resolve over 140,000 consumer complaints, improving transparency in housing markets. Affordable healthcare expands through Ayushman Bharat and Jan Aushadhi Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) has issued over 410 million Ayushman Cards, enabling 85.9 million hospital admissions valued at ₹1.19 trillion. Since October 2024, all senior citizens aged 70 and above are eligible for coverage, regardless of income. The Jan Aushadhi scheme expanded from 80 outlets in 2014 to over 16,469 by May 2025, offering medicines at 50–80 per cent discounts and saving ₹38,000 crore cumulatively for Indian families. Skilling, apprenticeships and ITI growth support employability The government's skilling programmes include the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), which has trained 16.3 million youth, including women and marginalised communities. The National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) placed 4 million apprentices with direct stipends. The number of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) rose from 9,977 in 2014 to 14,615 in 2025, with enrolments increasing from 950,000 to over 1.4 million. A new ₹60,000 crore National Scheme for ITI Upgradation was approved in May 2025 to modernise vocational training. Digital services grow with Aadhaar, DigiLocker and UMANG Digital governance saw dramatic expansion. Aadhaar now covers over 1.418 billion citizens, providing secure access to welfare and services. DigiLocker adoption rose to 525.1 million users, storing over 9.14 billion digital documents and reducing paperwork. The UMANG app offers over 2,297 government services to 81.9 million users, streamlining tasks such as bill payments, service requests, and health bookings.