ABOUT THE BOOK

India entered the 21st century with multiple challenges - both external and internal - and a history of tackling these challenges mostly softy, or not as hard and effectively as they should have been tackled. In 2014 general election the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) got voted into power with a massive majority. Almost a year earlier the BJP had declared Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate. Despite a concerted campaign of vilifying him, his appeal grew and spread and he finally became the Prime Minister of the world`s largest democracy. The 2014 mandate stands out as the first ever one giving a clear majority to a non-Congress party. This is an unprecedented mandate with many inherent messages. Modi`s message of development and good governance combined with the economic agenda of growth attracted the attention of young and aspiring India. His government must achieve on diverse subjects like economy, foreign policy, food security, external and internal security, job creation, administrative reforms etc. The people of India have high hopes and expectations from Modi`s government and they will be impatient to see how Narendra Modi will out his agenda. It is an opportune time to for him to restore people`s faith in democracy and India`s glory. The contributors have tried to bring out some of the relevant issues with hopes that the compilation would be useful to take India to greater heights.

ABOUT Author

Anil Bhat : Alumnus of St Columba`s School, New Delhi, National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, Anil Bhat was commissioned into 19th Battalion. The Madras Regiment on 31 March 1972 and later, transferred to 4th Horse. Hand-picked for posting to Defence Ministry`s Directorate of Public Relations in 1988, he raised two of its regional offices at Imphal and Guwahati in 1988 and 1991 respectively. In 1993 he was posted as Public Relations Officer, Indian Army in the capital, from where he took early retirement in April 1999. A recipient of Vishisht Seva Medal by the President of India and Commendations by Chief of Army Staff and GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, he was Research Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (2001-2003), working on a new subject, `Public Information and National Security` and authored `Information And Security : Where Truth Lies` (Manas), followed by `Assam Terrorism and the Demographic Challenge` (Centre for Land Warfare Studies and Knowledge World) and `After Abbottabad :Terror To Turmoil In Pakistan` (Pentagon Press). With research papers, articles and book reviews in many edited books, newspapers, magazines and journals, he is a syndicated columnist, and Editor, Word Sword Features. A former swimming and water-polo champion and gymnast, he is fluent in four Indian languages.