BJP MP Anurag Thakur, representing Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, on Monday, June 8, 2026, credited the Modi government's 12-year tenure with delivering a decisive crackdown on black-marketeering, financial irregularities, and corruption across India.

Context

Posting from Hamirpur under the hashtag #12YearsOfGaribKalyan (12 Years of Welfare for the Poor), Thakur stated that the government had 'put a check on black-marketeering, manipulation, and corruption' during this period. The post is part of a coordinated BJP communication effort marking the party's 12th anniversary in power at the Centre, framing the governance record as one of pro-poor economic reform.

Thakur, a former Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports, is among the party's prominent voices on governance and economic policy. His constituency, Hamirpur, is one of the BJP's long-held strongholds in Himachal Pradesh.

Policy Backdrop

The Modi government, since taking office in May 2014, has pursued a series of measures aimed at formalising the economy and reducing opportunities for rent-seeking. The Jan Dhan Yojana, launched in August 2014, expanded banking access to previously unbanked households and enabled Aadhaar-linked Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), which routes welfare payments directly to beneficiaries, cutting out intermediaries.

The demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes in November 2016 was explicitly aimed at disrupting black-money circulation. The rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July 2017 consolidated a fragmented indirect-tax regime and introduced digital audit trails intended to reduce tax evasion. Faceless tax assessment processes introduced in subsequent years further reduced discretionary contact between taxpayers and officials.

Together, these measures form what the government has described as a systematic effort to eliminate middlemen from welfare delivery and reduce corruption in public procurement and taxation.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary stated beneficiaries of these reforms are common citizens and welfare recipients — particularly those who previously lost a share of entitlements to leakages within delivery chains. The DBT framework has been cited by the government as having prevented large-scale diversion of subsidy funds, though independent assessments of the full savings figure over the 12-year period remain ongoing.

Critics have at various points questioned the pace of implementation, the disruption caused by demonetisation to informal-sector workers, and the completeness of anti-corruption outcomes. The government's position, reflected in Thakur's post, is that structural reforms have fundamentally altered the incentive landscape for corrupt actors.

What's Next

The BJP's #12YearsOfGaribKalyan campaign is expected to continue across social media and public events in the coming days, with party leaders amplifying governance milestones ahead of upcoming electoral cycles. Analysts will watch for fresh data releases from the Finance Ministry on DBT savings and leakage reduction, as well as any parliamentary movement on amendments to anti-corruption statutes, which would give legislative weight to the administrative gains the party is highlighting.