New Delhi: In public life, some encounters do more than mark moments; they reset directions. My first meeting with Narendra Modi in 1996 was one such turning point. I entered as a young karyakarta, keen to learn and contribute. I emerged transformed, carrying a living model of leadership—a blueprint that turned politics into purposeful action anchored in clarity, deadlines, and accountability to the last citizen.
The discipline Narendra Modi instilled was simple: listen fully, decide sharply, act relentlessly. What struck me first was his extraordinary patience in listening. He absorbs every nuance—often more patiently than the speaker themself. After a brief pause, complex matters are distilled into a handful of clear steps. Meetings with him end not in vague aspirations but with precise metrics and deadlines.
My role was clear: work honestly, report regularly, correct quickly. That rhythm—report, review, deliver—became my operating principle. It demanded trading ornamentation for outcomes, acknowledging shortfalls without drama, and fixing problems swiftly. Honesty was not just a virtue but the most efficient way to work.
Those early years gave me a proving ground. In Gujarat, I was tasked with challenging political terrain including half the seats in Kutch—regions with vast distances, precise targets, and unforgiving timelines. Later, in Varanasi, I managed one assembly segment where each booth represented a universe of names, issues, and deadlines. Encouraged by Narendra Modi’s confidence, I took on further challenges in Jammu & Kashmir and Chhattisgarh. The lesson was constant: quiet persistence beats loud intent; data speaks louder than volume.
Nearly three decades of association have shaped my public career and personal discipline. Our bond was not built merely over shared khichdi but over the work itself—the habit of measuring what truly matters and leaving no one behind. When I was entrusted to lead Haryana as Chief Minister, this ethos guided me: grateful for the trust, clear on responsibility, and anchored in service under Narendra Modi’s mentorship.
Since 2014, as he took the nation’s highest office, impatience for results was palpable. Yet, Narendra Modi did not reply with slogans; he responded systemically. Jan Dhan Yojana and direct benefit transfers sealed leakages in welfare. Digital India turned technology from a luxury into a utility. UPI put payments within everyone’s reach. GST unified the economy. These were not isolated programs but parts of one design to make dignity the norm.
My work today in urban development shows this design in action. Take housing. Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Urban, the mission was extended to December 2025 to ensure sanctioned homes became finished homes. Over 1.19 crore urban houses have been sanctioned, more than 93 lakh completed. Each completed home is more than bricks—it is a key opening a door where none existed. This is “last person” dignity in practice.
Street vendors—the fragile backbone of city economies—were empowered through PM SVANidhi. Micro-credit linked to digital behaviour, not collateral, turned modest enterprises into dependable livelihoods. By July 2025, over 96 lakh loans amounting to ₹13,800 crore reached more than 68 lakh vendors. Millions embraced digital payments—proof dignity scales when systems are inclusive.
Urban transformation is also about unglamorous but vital infrastructure: pipes, drains, lights. AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0 added over two crore household tap connections and about one and a half crore sewer connections in the past decade. Nearly a crore LED streetlights now shine, lowering energy use and municipal bills. Urban local bodies are financing futures through municipal bonds—unseen victories vital to livable cities.
The Smart Cities Mission has grown from pilots to real projects. By May 2025, 94% of over 8,000 projects were complete, the rest near completion. This shows that federal programs can keep time when citizens are stakeholders, not spectators.
To unify efforts, the National Urban Digital Mission builds a common digital backbone—shared platforms, real-time dashboards, modular services—that close the gap between cities and citizens. MOUs with most states and union territories cover thousands of urban bodies. Modules for licenses, grievances, and sanitation run on a common stack. The national dashboard UMEED brings live data into decision rooms. Once theoretical, this integration is now routine governance.
Power tells a similar story. The Saubhagya program electrified nearly 2.86 crore homes by March 2022—ending darkness for millions. But access was step one. Reliability followed under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, replacing guesswork with telemetry. Over 20 crore smart meters were sanctioned, 2.4 crore installed—turning power distribution from opaque to accountable. Smart meters are instruments of governance, not mere gadgets.
Renewable energy generation advanced decisively. By August 2025, India installed roughly 1.92 lakh MW of renewables (excluding large hydro)—about 1.23 lakh MW solar and over 52,000 MW wind. The point is not headline numbers but normalization at scale. Rooftop solar reached households via PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, with clear timelines to make self-generation mainstream. From village chaupals to urban terraces, solar panels are familiar silhouettes.
Across these sectors, the pattern is clear: conviction married to data, ambition disciplined by deadlines. Narendra Modi calls himself the nation’s Pradhan Sevak—a phrase not flourish but operating manual. It sets the standard for those working under him: be impatient with drift, patient with people, reward transparency, honor time. Leadership here is not credit-seeking but a culture of accountability.
As Narendra Modi enters his seventy-sixth year of service to the nation, I join millions in wishing him strength and success. On the world stage, he is a seasoned statesman deftly steering India’s ship through turbulent global waters—building coalitions, advancing our interests, giving voice to the Global South, and holding steady to principle when tides turn rough.
May the years ahead see him steer with clarity toward the larger destination of a Viksit Bharat—a developed India—where opportunity expands for all and our nation’s horizon widens. For those privileged to learn under his guidance, the task is clear: keep the method, pace, and faith with the last person.
(Author Manohar Lal is Union minister for Housing and Urban Affairs)