Swachh Bharat
The "Clean India" mission — a nationwide campaign on sanitation and keeping public spaces clean, launched in 2014.
Prime Minister of the Republic of India
Narendra Damodardas Modi
A politician who has led the Government of India since 2014. Before that he served three terms as the head of the state of Gujarat. This page brings together reference information about his biography, political career and the government initiatives associated with his tenure.
2014
took office as Prime Minister of India
2001–2014
Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat
Varanasi
constituency in the Lok Sabha
Early years and rise
From a tea stall by the railway station to the leadership of a state.
Narendra Modi was born on 17 September 1950 in the small town of Vadnagar in northern Gujarat, into a family of modest means. According to a widely told biographical account, as a boy he helped his father sell tea at the local railway station.
From an early age Modi was associated with the civic organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), where he moved from being a rank-and-file volunteer to an organiser. He later earned a master's degree in political science and devoted himself fully to party work.
Through the 1980s and 1990s he focused on building the Bharatiya Janata Party's organisation in Gujarat, managing election campaigns and gradually becoming one of the party's leading strategists at the state and national level.
Political career
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2001
Chief Minister of Gujarat
Became head of the state government and held the post until 2014, winning re-election several times.
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2014
First term as Prime Minister
After the BJP's victory in the general election, he was sworn in as Prime Minister of India on 26 May 2014.
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2019
Second term
The BJP-led coalition won the election again and Modi retained the office of head of government.
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2024
Third term
Following the general election, the NDA alliance formed the government and Modi was sworn in for a third time.
Government programmes
Some of the best-known initiatives associated with his time leading the government. Scroll the cards sideways.
Make in India
A programme to encourage domestic manufacturing and attract investment into industrial sectors.
Digital India
A drive to digitise public services, expand internet access and promote electronic payments.
Jan Dhan Yojana
A financial-inclusion programme centred on opening bank accounts for citizens without access to banking services.
Ayushman Bharat
A healthcare initiative aimed at improving access to medical care for lower-income families.
Foreign policy and the international agenda
During Modi's time at the head of the government, India actively developed ties with neighbouring countries and the world's major economies and took part in the work of multilateral groupings.
In 2023 India held the presidency of the Group of Twenty and hosted the G20 summit in New Delhi — one of the largest international events held in the country in recent years.
- Priority The "Neighbourhood First" approach to regional relations
- 2023 India's G20 presidency and the summit in New Delhi
- Yoga India's initiative to establish the International Day of Yoga (21 June)
- Diaspora Large gatherings with the Indian community abroad
Modi has consistently promoted the image of India as a growing economy and an independent player on the international stage.
A summary of public sources