Deepak Dwivedi
Modi magic has worked, yet again! Bringing the BJP back to power in four out of the five states that went to the polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proved that he is the tallest leader in the country and there is no perceptible challenge facing him in 2024. A decisive victory in the biggest state in the country, UP, as also comfortable majorities in three other states, proves that the voter has given a huge thumbs up to the development agenda which Modi has been pursuing relentlessly for almost eight years at the Centre. So, in many ways, the BJP victory under Modi can be seen as the victory of development and good governance over divisive agendas which had been the staple of elections till recently.
Also strengthening this perception is the AAP’s landslide in Punjab where Arvind Kejriwal’s governance model in Delhi has made all the well-entrenched parties bite the dust. Blitz India’s Cover Story and a related report focus on all these takeaways from election results.
The major political developments at home, however, did not make us lose sight of the ongoing war in Eastern Europe. This issue again covers the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its fallout from diverse angles. The Centrespread zooms in on the swift steps announced by the Modi Government to reform medical education. As a first step, the Government has mandated that private colleges in the country will have to provide 50 per cent of their seats at the fees of Government colleges.
As a follow-up measure, the Haryana Government has announced that students who have completed their medical courses in Ukraine will get internship opportunities in the state. Our story dwells on PM Modi’s resolve to bring
about reforms in this field. It’s heartening to know that his call to the private sector has been immediately responded to by the billion-dollar Mahindra Group. The Ukraine-related coverage is carried forward to the Multilateral Page, which features two stories on the humanitarian and relief work being carried on by international agencies the Red Cross and the Unicef amid large-scale devastation. Working through the week that saw the celebration of the International Women’s Day, Blitz India decided to devote two full pages in this edition to the annual event. In an impassioned piece on the subject, the writer pours his thoughts on the defenceless girl-children and shelterless women, the hapless victims of the unnecessary war in Ukraine. Besides, we carry two insightful writeups on women empowerment by women writers of international repute. As part of our Globetrotting series, we travel this week to Africa’s most populous state Nigeria, which also happens to be India’s largest trading partner in the region. Read and enjoy this week’s package
