CII President Mukundan credits Modi's leadership for GST, JAM, UPI milestones on PM's 76th birthday
Synopsis
CII President R Mukundan's birthday message to PM Modi was more than a congratulatory note — it was a structured industry assessment. By spotlighting GST, JAM, and UPI as the three pillars of Modi's economic legacy, CII is also signalling what it expects next: a reform pivot from corporate ease-of-doing-business to citizen-level ease of living.
Key Takeaways
CII President R Mukundan congratulated PM Modi on his 76th birthday on 17 September 2026 .
Mukundan credited Modi with 25 years of public service spanning his Gujarat tenure and national leadership.
He cited GST (formalisation), JAM framework (financial inclusion), and UPI (digitalisation) as the three defining achievements.
CII called for deepening reforms at the state and urban level, shifting focus to ease of living and cost of living for citizens.
Mukundan urged Modi to continue setting high aspirations for the country to sustain growth momentum.
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President R Mukundan on Thursday, 17 September 2026, congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 76th birthday, crediting his leadership with transforming the Indian economy through formalisation, financial inclusion, and digitalisation over the course of 25 years in public service.
Three Pillars of Modi's Tenure, According to CII
Mukundan identified three defining achievements of the Modi era: the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as the landmark step towards economic formalisation, the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) framework as the backbone of financial inclusion, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as the centrepiece of India's digitalisation drive. He noted that significant groundwork had been laid both during Modi's tenure in Gujarat and subsequently at the national level.
From Ease of Doing Business to Ease of Living
Looking ahead, Mukundan urged that the reform agenda be deepened and extended to states and urban centres. “The focus should move from ease of doing business to ease of living, cost of living and the speed of living for the common citizen,” he said. This marks a notable shift in the industry body’s framing — moving from corporate-facing metrics to citizen-centric outcomes, a signal that CII sees the next phase of reform as inherently retail in nature.
Aspirations and the Road Ahead
Mukundan called on PM Modi to continue setting high aspirations for the nation. “As our leader, he needs to continue to have very high aspirations from all of us, from the country at large,” he said, adding that this would help India capitalise on what he described as a positive environment for growth. The remarks reflect CII’s broader expectation that the government will maintain reform momentum into the coming years.
Context: Industry-Government Ties Under Modi
The CII, one of India’s most influential industry bodies, has consistently backed structural reforms under the Modi government. The GST, rolled out in 2017, unified a fragmented indirect tax regime; the JAM trinity has reportedly brought over 50 crore previously unbanked or under-banked citizens into the formal financial system; and UPI now processes billions of transactions monthly, making India a global reference point for digital payments infrastructure. Mukundan’s birthday tribute, while ceremonial in form, doubles as a public policy position paper from organised industry.
Point of View
By convention, warm — but Mukundan's remarks carry a policy subtext worth noting. By naming GST, JAM, and UPI as the three pillars, CII is implicitly ranking what worked and, by omission, flagging what remains unfinished: manufacturing depth, labour formalisation outcomes, and urban service delivery. The call to shift from ease of doing business to ease of living is quietly pointed — it acknowledges that the first decade's reforms were largely supply-side and corporate-facing, and that the political economy now demands a citizen dividend. Whether the government responds to that framing in its next reform cycle will be the real measure of these 25 years.
NationPress
17 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did CII President Mukundan praise PM Modi on 17 September 2026?
Mukundan congratulated PM Modi on his 76th birthday and 25 years in public service, crediting his leadership with driving three key economic transformations: formalisation through GST, financial inclusion through the JAM framework, and digitalisation through UPI.
What are the three pillars of Modi's economic legacy cited by CII?
CII President Mukundan identified the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as the formalisation milestone, the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) framework as the financial inclusion driver, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as the centrepiece of India's digitalisation push.
What reform agenda did CII recommend for the future?
Mukundan urged that reforms be deepened and extended to states and urban centres, with a pivot from ease of doing business to ease of living, cost of living, and speed of living for ordinary citizens.
How long has PM Modi been in public service according to CII?
According to Mukundan, PM Modi has completed 25 years of public service, which includes his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat before his elevation to Prime Minister.
What is the significance of the JAM framework cited by Mukundan?
The Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity is credited with bringing tens of crores of previously unbanked or under-banked Indians into the formal financial system, enabling direct benefit transfers and reducing leakage in welfare delivery.
