The Young Chronicle: For Grade 3 December 26th, 2014 | Page 6

The Young Chronicle

Atal Bihari Vajpyee, the Bharat
Ratna Awardee

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the 11th Prime
Minister of India. He had a short stint of 13
days before his government toppled the first
time, in 1996. But thereafter, he was able to
form the government again in 1998, and served
a full term of 5 years. He was the first PM
outside the Indian National Congress, to serve
a full term.

Aside from being the PM, Vajpyee had been
elected in the Lok Sabha 9 times, and the
Rajiya Sabha, twice. After his Primeministership got over, he became an MP from
Lucknow, and later left politics in 2009.

Vajpyee is one of the founding members of
the BJP, and as the PM, he was known for his
progressive thinking.

Under his governance, India conducted five
underground nuclear tests in Pokhran, in the
Thar desert in Rajasthan, 24 yrs after India
conducted its first nuclear test Pokhran-I, in
1974.

In late 1998 and early 1999, Vajpayee began a
full-scale diplomatic peace process with
Pakistan. He inaugurated a bus service
between Delhi and Lahore, in February. He
also endeavoured to resolve the Kashmir peace
process once and for all. He expanded trade
relations and mutual friendship with Pakistan
and envisaged a goal of de-nuclearised South
Asia. But Pakistan had other things in mind.
They had already infiltrated the Indian
Border in Kashmir, and the Kargil war broke
out in March-April, 1999.

December 26th, 2014

After India won the Kargil War, in October 1999,
the national elections happened again as AIADMK,
a major party from Tamil Nadu, had pulled the plug
on BJP, but post the Kargil War, BJP got full
support of the people and won in vast majority.
During his term, Vajpyee encouraged the private
sector and foreign investments, reducing
governmental waste, encouraging research and
development and privatisation of some government
owned corporations. The country’s economy grew
at a record 6-7% in his term. In fact, by the end
of his term, the government had developed half
the roads in their 5 year term through the

National Highway Development Project
and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
You could also be part of the good governance crusade. All
you need to do is, set up a team and reach out to your
colony’s Residence Welfare Association, and find out about
problems which the society faces. As children, you could
clean your society, install dustbins even outside your colony,
plant more trees, and distribute pamphlets amongst
residents on how you think they could contribute to make
your society a better place to live.
Let’s change the world, society by society.

5
New Year Resolutions You Could Keep?

Are you planning to keep any New Year resolutions? Do
share them with us through the box below. We would be
more than happy to keep track of them and ask you
periodically if you are sticking to them.

Tip: Keep them simple and realistic.