History · Spectrum Books A Brief History of Modern India
Chapter 48 : The UPA Years (2004-2014)
Table of contents22 sections
- 1.The UPA Years (2004-2014)
- 2.UPA First Term (May 2004-May 2009)
- 3.Social Welfare and Other Measures
- 4.Foreign Relations
- 5.New President
- 6.Terror Attacks
- 7.Situation in the States
- 8.Trouble in Kashmir
- 9.The 2009 General Elections
- 10.Key Terms
- 11.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 12.UPA Second Stint (May 2009–May 2014)
- 13.Telangana Issue
- 14.Historic Change in West Bengal
- 15.Social Welfare Measures and Legislations
- 16.Space Venture to Mars
- 17.Corruption Charges and the Lokpal Act
- 18.Conditions before General Elections
- 19.The 2014 General Elections
- 20.Key Terms
- 21.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 22.Quick-Recall Box
Chapter preview
The UPA Years (2004-2014)
UPA First Term (May 2004-May 2009)
- Formation of Government: Following the 2004 elections, the Congress allied with minor parties to form the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to outnumber the NDA.
- External Support: Provided by the BSP, Samajwadi Party, Kerala Congress, and the Left parties.
- Government Formation: President Abdul Kalam invited the UPA to form the government.
- Leadership:
- Sonia Gandhi (Congress party president and UPA chairperson) declined the Prime Minister's post, stating she was following her "inner voice" (likely aware her foreign origin would cause issues).
- She nominated Manmohan Singh (economist-turned-politician and Rajya Sabha member).
- Manmohan Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister on May 22, 2004.
- Policy Framework: Guided by a Common Minimum Programme (CMP). Due to the crucial role of communist parties in devising the CMP, policies were perceived as "left-of-centre".
Social Welfare and Other Measures
- National Advisory Council (NAC): Chaired by Sonia Gandhi, comprising social activists with a welfare agenda. The NAC's ideas were adopted by the government, which probably curbed Manmohan Singh's economic reformist tendencies.
| Act/Scheme | Year | Key Provisions & Significance |
|---|---|---|
| National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) | 2006 | → Later renamed MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi added). · → Largest welfare scheme of its kind globally. · → Guaranteed rural households 100 days of paid labour in a year to tackle rural poverty. · → Mandated one-third of the work for women. |
| National Rural Health Mission | 2005 | → Started by the government's health ministry. |
| Right to Information Act | 2005 | → Allowed any citizen to request information from a 'public authority'. · → Required replies expeditiously or within 30 days. · → Mandated public authorities to computerise records for wide dissemination to reduce formal requests. |
| Value Added Tax (VAT) | 2005 | → Introduced by Manmohan Singh's government to replace the complicated sales tax. |
Foreign Relations
- United States (Indo-US Civilian Nuclear Agreement):
- July 2005: PM Manmohan Singh visited the US to initiate negotiations.
- 2006: US President George W. Bush visited India; declaration over the agreement was made.
- Terms: India gained access to American nuclear fuel and technology…
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View plans Chapter 49 : The NDA Government (2014 Onwards)