The rename game: Why Modi keeps rebranding predecessors’ schemes

To make affordable medicines accessible to the public, the Manmohan Singh government launched a scheme in November 2008. This initiative aimed to establish stores across the country that would sell generic drugs.

Beyond providing low-cost medicines, the scheme had another objective. Since 1970, the business of manufacturing bulk drugs had been gaining traction in India. In the 1990s, when Manmohan Singh, as finance minister, abolished the licensing system, this sector saw significant growth. By then, India had emerged as one of the leading producers of bulk and generic drugs globally. These stores provided domestic manufacturers with a platform to sell their products within the country.

They gained popularity right from the beginning. By 2010, these stores, known as Jan Aushadhi Kendras, began opening nationwide.

When Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014, the scheme continued — but underwent a complete rebranding. It was renamed the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana.

This renaming served two strategic purposes. First, adding ‘Pradhan Mantri’ to the scheme’s title enabled the shoehorning of the new prime minister’s photograph into every store. Second, the abbreviation ‘BJP’ for Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana coincidentally matched the ruling party's acronym, subtly linking the initiative to the party led by Narendra Modi.

Today, these stores promote both the BJP and its leadership, often serving as a government-sponsored tool for political visibility, even during general elections with the Model Code of Conduct in operation. For regulatory bodies such as the Election Commission seem to overlook these activities.

The trend of renaming schemes and prefacing them with ‘Pradhan Mantri’, meanwhile, has significantly increased since 2014. Under the Narendra Modi government, it is rare to find a scheme without it. In contrast, in the tenure of the Manmohan Singh government, rarely any scheme carried this prefix.

Let’s examine another significant initiative of the Manmohan Singh government.

In 2005, the government set an ambitious goal of achieving financial inclusion, aiming to integrate every citizen into the formal banking system.

To support this vision, the Reserve Bank of India introduced the concept of a no-frills account, which allowed individuals to open bank accounts without requiring a minimum deposit. These accounts remained active even with a zero balance, ensuring accessibility for all, regardless of their financial status. Banks were instructed to facilitate the opening of such accounts nationwide.

To study the challenges and effectiveness of this initiative, a pilot project was launched in Kerala’s Palakkad district in 2006. Collaborating with volunteer organisations, bank accounts were opened for all adult residents, including beggars. During the three months from July to September 2006, a total of 23,097 new accounts were created.

The experiment was a resounding success, laying the groundwork for nationwide implementation. This initiative was subsequently formalised as the Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account Scheme.

By this time, Aadhaar cards had been issued to a significant portion of the population, enabling the direct transfer of funds to individuals’ bank accounts. A press release from the Prime Minister’s Office on 14 December 2012 revealed that preparations for cash transfers under 34 government schemes were already complete. To expedite implementation, a conference of district collectors from all states was organised, instructing them to ensure widespread account creation.

Notably, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh — both BJP-ruled states at the time — boycotted the conference. Gujarat’s chief minister then was Narendra Modi.

Two years later, after Narendra Modi became prime minister, he began delivering speeches across the country, taking credit for the same scheme. The initiative, however, had only undergone a name change to Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.

One of the most vigorously promoted initiatives of the Narendra Modi government is the Swachh Bharat Mission. However, this is simply a rebranded version of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, launched by the Manmohan Singh government in 2013.

The original campaign featured advertisements starring actress Vidya Balan, which continued to run for a significant period — even after the campaign was renamed by the Modi government.

Another notable example of renaming under the Modi administration is the widely publicised Make in India campaign. This initiative is essentially a repackaging of the National Manufacturing Policy introduced by the Manmohan Singh government in 2011.

To amplify its appeal, the Modi government unveiled an eye-catching logo featuring a lion made up of interlocking gears, symbolising industrial progress. This logo quickly became ubiquitous, appearing across the country and even featuring prominently at an international trade fair in Germany to attract foreign investors.

However, the logo's origin soon sparked controversy. It was revealed that the design closely resembled artwork created by a Swiss designer for a train project. Further scrutiny revealed a deeper irony: an RTI inquiry revealed that the logo was not designed in India — but commissioned to a foreign advertising agency, Wieden+Kennedy.

Despite the logo controversy, the larger question remains: How effective was the campaign?

Recently, Rajiv Bajaj, a prominent industrialist and director of Bajaj Auto, criticised ‘Make in India’ as little more than an empty slogan. He pointed out that the skills and infrastructure essential for its success are not being adequately developed in the country.

The National Skill Development Mission, launched by the Manmohan Singh government in 2010, aimed to create a skilled workforce essential for transforming India into a manufacturing hub. When Narendra Modi’s government took office four years later, it rebranded the initiative as Skill India.

However, as Rajiv Bajaj’s remarks on ‘Make in India’ illustrate, the outcomes of this rebranded programme have been... underwhelming.

However, it is especially important to note the schemes that were renamed for political gain, particularly those now leveraged for electoral advantage.

For instance, the Manmohan Singh government introduced a programme in 2010 to provide free LPG cylinders to families below the poverty line, which was later rebranded as Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana under Modi.

Similarly, the initiative to supply free food grains to over 80 crore people, which Modi frequently highlights at election rallies, is based on the National Food Security Act passed by the Manmohan Singh government in 2013.

After Modi assumed office, several schemes were renamed, primarily to distance them from the legacy of Congress leaders who had gone before, creating or spearheading these programmes.

For example, the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana was renamed the Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandan Yojana and the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutkaran Yojana became the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana.

Even the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission was renamed AMRUT — the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation.

Some schemes were given names incorporating more Sanskrit words while others were renamed to honour RSS figures, reflecting the political reshaping of these initiatives.

It’s not just the schemes introduced by the Manmohan Singh government that were renamed; many earlier schemes were also rebranded.

For example, in 1985, the Rajiv Gandhi government launched a programme to provide housing for the rural population, which was called the Indira Awas Yojana. Despite several changes in government and prime ministers over the years, the name of this scheme remained unchanged — until Narendra Modi took office. Under his leadership, it was renamed the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana, with his own photograph replacing that of Indira Gandhi.

One notable exception to this trend of renaming has been the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), a scheme initiated by the Manmohan Singh government.

Given that Modi had previously criticised the MGNREGA, calling it a monumental failure of the UPA government, there were initial concerns that the new government might abolish the scheme entirely. However, fearing the political fallout from such a move, the Modi government decided to continue the programme.

There were attempts to reduce its funding, particularly in the budget, but when the pandemic hit, MGNREGA became a vital support for millions of people.

After the pandemic, though, the priority given to the scheme has once again diminished.

In the list of schemes under the Narendra Modi government, very few can be credited as original initiatives developed entirely by this government.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this; every government builds upon and expands the work of its predecessors. However, what stands out is the extent to which the Modi government has focused on renaming and rebranding existing schemes rather than introducing truly innovative ones.

Had the government shown as much creativity in formulating new programmes as it did in altering the names of those from previous government, the country’s development landscape might have looked quite different.

Views are personal. More of Herjinder's views can be found here.