Modi turns 76; BJP begins month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan

The brief

Context

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 76 on September 17, and the BJP marked the day by launching a month-long 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' commemorating his 25 years in public office. Modi's public-office career began when he became Gujarat chief minister in October 2001, and he took charge as prime minister in 2014. The occasion has been used to spotlight ten flagship programmes — spanning financial inclusion, sanitation, cooking fuel, housing, health, water, farm income support, digital payments, micro-credit and manufacturing — that the government's official Governance Track Record describes as its welfare-delivery, infrastructure and technology-led governance agenda.

Key facts

• BJP's 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' runs from September 17 to October 17, marking Modi's 76th birthday and 25 years in public service.
• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, launched August 2014, saw more than 19 crore accounts opened within a little over a year, per the government.
• Swachh Bharat Mission, launched October 2, 2014: over 100 million household toilets built in the initial phase and more than six lakh villages declared open-defecation free.
• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (May 2016) crossed its eight crore target early; target base raised to 10.35 crore, with about 10.33 crore connections as of July 2025.
• For 2025-26, a targeted subsidy of Rs 300 per 14.2-kg cylinder was approved for eligible Ujjwala consumers for up to nine refills a year.
• AB-PMJAY offers Rs 5 lakh cover per family a year; it covers 55 crore individuals in 12.34 crore families, with 7.37 crore hospital admissions and women at 49 per cent of those beneficiaries.
• Jal Jeevan Mission rose from 3.23 crore (17 per cent) rural tap connections at launch to about 15.80 crore (81.61 per cent) of 19.36 crore rural households by 2026; JJM 2.0 extends it to December 2028 with a Rs 8.69 lakh crore outlay.
• PM-KISAN gives Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments; over Rs 4.47 lakh crore transferred through 23 instalments, and continuation approved for 2026-27 to 2030-31 with Rs 3.15 lakh crore outlay.

Timeline

1. October 2001Narendra Modi becomes Chief Minister of Gujarat, beginning his public-office journey.
2. 2014Modi takes charge as Prime Minister; Jan Dhan Yojana launched in August, Make in India in September, Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2.
3. 2015Digital India and Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana launched; PMAY launched in 2015-16.
4. May 2016Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana launched for deposit-free LPG connections to women from poor households; UPI also launched in 2016.
5. 2018Ayushman Bharat launched, with PM-JAY as its flagship insurance component.
6. 2019Jal Jeevan Mission and PM-KISAN launched.
7. 2024Assistance approved for three crore additional rural and urban houses; AB-PMJAY extended to all citizens aged 70 and above irrespective of income.
8. July 2025Government reports around 10.33 crore PMUY connections.
9. March 2026Union Cabinet extends and restructures Jal Jeevan Mission as JJM 2.0 up to December 2028 with Rs 8.69 lakh crore outlay.
10. July 2026Union Cabinet approves PM-KISAN continuation from 2026-27 to 2030-31 with Rs 3.15 lakh crore outlay.

Who has a stake

• Bharatiya Janata Party — Runs the month-long campaign of blood donation camps, exhibitions, seminars and outreach, converting the birthday into a nationwide organisational and messaging exercise.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi — His 25 years in state and central government — from Gujarat CM in October 2001 to PM in 2014 — form the record being showcased.
• Poor and unbanked households — Beneficiaries of Jan Dhan accounts, DBT payments, Ujjwala LPG connections, PMAY houses and Jal Jeevan tap-water connections.
• Farmers — Landholding farmer families receive Rs 6,000 a year under PM-KISAN, with continuation approved to 2030-31.
• Senior citizens aged 70 and above — Around six crore seniors from 4.5 crore families estimated to be covered by the 2024 AB-PMJAY expansion irrespective of income.
• Micro and small entrepreneurs — Over Rs 30 lakh crore disbursed as collateral-free MUDRA loans to those with limited access to formal credit.
• States and Union Territories — Identify rural households for Jal Jeevan Mission (19.36 crore) and implement sanitation, housing and water programmes on the ground.

Why it matters

A political anniversary has been turned into a month-long nationwide campaign that also serves as a stocktaking of the government's flagship programmes. Together the ten schemes map how Indian welfare has shifted from in-kind subsidy to direct benefit transfer, asset creation and digital public infrastructure — and where the emphasis is now moving, from building assets to sustaining them.