OPINION

From Bharatmala to SethuBharatam, from highways to expressways and from Chardham to Kailash Mansarovar - giant strides to overhaul India's infrastructure are underway. The NitinGadkari led Road Transport and Highways Ministry has never had it so good.
On completion of three years of the NarendraModi regime, government has to its claim a never before award of contracts for construction of 34,018 km of highways during 2014-17. This is more than double of what was awarded during 2011-2014.
If the Modi government had its way, driving through India and its congested cities, towns and villages would be a breeze.  Bigger, wider and better road network in India and all the way to Thailand and Myanmar is the dream for which it is willing to pump lakhs of crores of Rupees.
As per India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT)  Motor Vehicle Agreement a trial run of passenger vehicles on the IMT Trilateral Highway up to Naypitaw in Myanmar was carried out during 9-14 November, 2015 in which Indian vehicles travelled to Myanmar on Imphal -Mandalay -Bagan- Naypitaw route and back and Myanmar vehicles joined the Indian vehicles on the return journey from Naypitaw to Imphal and returning to Myanmar.

Morale is the mental makeup of the Army and is the very essential ingredient which ensures success in battle. It also binds the group by common purpose, while connecting each individual to his group. This builds confidence in the system which works as a well oiled machinery. It ensures success but morale is also very fragile and environment centric.
The Army takes great pride in its high morale and ensures that it builds up the same, especially in areas where lines are blurred, the situation in the valley being foremost. It is also affected by strategic thinking, combat motivation and unit cohesion in addition to the pay, allowances and a host of other issues but is very fragile. One of the key spinoffs of morale is motivation which for a combat soldier is the very essence of his task.
As per Kellett, motivation is the conscious or unconscious calculation by the combat soldier of the material and spiritual benefits and costs likely to be attached to various courses of action arising from his assigned combat tasks. Hence motivation comprises the influences that bear on a soldier’s choice of, degree of commitment to, and persistence in effecting, a certain course of action. Major Gogoi case is a litmus test to a high morale army being de-motivated by the political class for petty electoral gains.

In three years the Narendra Modi government has secured India’s position as the spring board of world economic growth.  India is growing at 7.9 per cent when the world is growing at 3.1 per cent. The stock market is booming. India is for the first time surplus in power and coal production. Energy scenario is promising. India is successfully developing alternative sources of energy at a time when oil prices are down. Inflation is low. Lending rates are coming down.  Loan off take is looking up.  The country is witnessing the highest ever public investment in infrastructure. And all the economic fundamentals are promising a sustained economic growth that will push India as one of the most vibrant large economies of the world.
Modi government has really retrieved the India story which had fallen into a morass of policy paralysis, crony capitalism and corruption. Shri Modi has proved that good economics is good politics. He has made development the central theme of Indian political debate. This in fact is the greatest achievement of the past three years of the present government.
It is a far cry from the politics of the past when emotional issues, caste, communal polarization and identity used to dominate national discourse. Every poll of late is being fought on development plank. Public response has forced parties to take moralistic stance and address the concerns of the aspirational India. This is how the Prime Minister has reshaped polity. Sab kesaath sab kavikas. Development for all with everybody being a stake holder.

What will you do when you faced with a recalcitrant child? Neither is he able to conduct his business properly on his own nor he listens to the elders’ advice! Propositions are tough before you. If you use the rod, you’ll be blamed for spoiling the brat, and if you let him go unchecked, he will prove a headache for the family.

The above analogy could be used for Pakistan, a rogue state which often blurts out at international forums when hit hard by India, but soon forgets injuries inflicted on it and starts indulging in nefarious acts again. In fact, a state suffering from paranoia becomes really hard to deal with. India is witnessing the same with Pakistan in the case of its national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court.

After its defeat at the International Court (ICJ) in The Hague last week, Pakistan Government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief and its almighty army got flak from all quarters within that country. The ICJ has stayed execution of Jadhav till its final verdict in the case is delivered. It was a moment of jubilation for India and an air of triumphalism was visible everywhere in the country. The Narendra Modi Government took pride in its prompt decision to approach an international court, though it was quite unusual for a country which has generally been averse to taking a bilateral issue to an international forum.

Man behind the machine must also be well oiled. This has been the motto of the NDA government for the last three years. While weapon systems and equipments worth millions of dollars are acquired, Jawans and officers, who take care of them for their effective use during combat, must also be hale and hearty. 
Ever since the NDA government assumed power at the Centre in May 2014, the Government not only announced steep hike in pay, allowances and pensions but also took various measures to make their life easier. 
The nation cannot win a war if the men fighting on the front to secure its borders are not assured of their welfare. A disgruntled soldier cannot be expected to sacrifice his life for the nation. Hence, the NDA government has been taking significant steps to keep their morale high.
The biggest decision in this direction, one rank one pension (OROP), for which the soldiers had been agitating for the last four decades, was announced by the government on 7 November, 2015. 
The decision which will cost the government exchequer around Rs 8,000 crore every year, has ensured that pension anomaly that existed among defence services personnel of the same rank, having the same number of years in service is rectified. Till November 30 last year, under first instalment and lump sum payments 19,64,350 personnel were paid Rs 3,985.65 crore. In the second instalment Rs 2281.63 crore was disbursed among 15,46,857 personnel.