What is common between VIKAS, SHANTI and AMRUT? They are all brainchildren of Prime MInister Narendra Modi’s government.
Yes, in Modi’s new India, policy does not arrive quietly, it arrives with a name, preferably one that can double up as a slogan and sentiment.
Over the past decade, governance has slipped into what can only be described as an enthusiastic naming festival, where ministries behave like advertising agencies on a deadline.
Development is called VIKAS, nutrition becomes POSHAN and even cow dung is upgraded to GOBARdhan. The acronym is expected to explain the policy, defend it and, if necessary, silence questions about it.
Once the name sounds virtuous enough, the rest can be sorted later.
Take PM VIKAS. On paper, it expands to Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan. In practice, it reads simply as “development,” a word that politely discourages follow-up questions. The scheme folds multiple older programmes into one, but the real achievement is linguistic: VIKAS now develops itself.
Urban policy was baptised AMRUT, because water supply and sewerage apparently needed divine assistance. “Amrut” means nectar, the mythical potion of immortality, which critics say is an ambitious metaphor for pipelines that may or may not leak.
Its sequel, AMRUT 2.0, suggests that even immortality benefits from an upgrade.
Rural waste management was rebranded GOBARdhan, turning cow dung into “wealth”. The acronym also nods towards Govardhan; how can there be a sustainability pitch without a mythological cameo.
Foreign policy, too, was not spared. India’s maritime vision is now SAGAR, Security and Growth for All in the Region. “Sagar” already means sea, so half the explanation is done before the briefing note begins.
Women-centric schemes were placed under Mission SHAKTI, invoking the divine feminine while bundling helplines, hostels and cash transfers into one powerful word.
Institutional reform followed the same script. The Planning Commission exited, NITI Aayog – apparently from National Institute for Transforming India – entered. “Niti” means policy, “Aayog” means commission; “Transforming India” does the rest of the talking.
What changed functionally is still debated, but linguistically the upgrade was smooth.
School meals were reintroduced as PM-POSHAN, because feeding children is more convincing when nutrition comes with “shakti.” Street vendors received PM SVANidhi, a name that suggests self-reliance even before the loan application is processed.
Farmers got PM-KUSUM, where solar panels bloom like flowers.
Youth entrepreneurship became PM YUVA, because nothing says demographic dividend like spelling youth in capital letters. Farmers’ income support was titled PM-KISAN, refreshingly straightforward in a sea of poetic ambition.
This naming enthusiasm has now entered legislation. The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, VB-G RAM G, replaced MGNREGA. The Opposition can cry itself hoarse over the exit of the Mahatma from the rural jobs scheme; the Bapu’s revered Lord Ram is in the name.
The government says it will provide 125 days of rural employment. Critics see dilution, higher state burden and the careful removal of Gandhi’s name. The protests were loud enough for torn copies of the bill and overnight dharnas in Parliament.
It was followed by the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill.
“Shanti” means peace, an interesting choice for a law passed amid chaos in both Houses and criticised for easing corporate entry into nuclear power without the baggage of enormous liability should an accident occur.
The “acronym-itis” came in for fire on Friday from the Congress. The opposition party’s communications in charge hurled his own, sharing a cartoon that said: “A.C.R.O.N.Y.M MANTRALAYA — Administrative Commission for Renaming Old Schemes — New Yet Meaningless.”
Ouch.