Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar addressed journalists in Amritsar on Saturday, 13 June 2026, marking the completion of 12 years of the Narendra Modi-led central government, which first assumed office on 26 May 2014. The minister used the occasion to highlight the government's record across welfare, infrastructure, and social-sector programmes, describing the period as one of 'public welfare, good governance, and nation-building' (jankallyan, sushasan aur rashtra nirmaan).

Context

Khattar, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Chief Minister of Haryana, interacted with members of the press in Amritsar, Punjab. The engagement was framed around the #12YearsOfSeva milestone — a reference to the BJP-led NDA government's uninterrupted tenure since its first oath-taking on 26 May 2014. The choice of Amritsar, a politically significant city in a non-BJP-governed state, underlines the party's outreach strategy beyond its strongholds.

In his address, Khattar stated that under Prime Minister Modi's 'visionary leadership and guidance, India has made unprecedented progress in public welfare, good governance, infrastructure, economic empowerment, women's upliftment, youth development, farmer welfare, health, and education.' He added that 'the focus of every policy and scheme during these years has been the person standing in the last row of society.'

Policy Backdrop

The Modi government's first term from 2014 to 2019 was anchored on schemes targeting last-mile delivery — from direct benefit transfers and rural electrification to housing and sanitation. The second term from 2019 to 2024 extended that framework into health insurance, tap-water connectivity, and digital infrastructure. A third consecutive term beginning in 2024 has continued this trajectory under the broad 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India) vision.

Khattar himself, as Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs, oversees two of the central government's most capital-intensive portfolios — both central to the infrastructure and urban development claims made at the press interaction. His ministry's programmes on urban housing and power sector reform are among the flagship vehicles of the government's welfare narrative.

Stakeholders and Impact

The constituencies explicitly cited by Khattar — farmers, women, youth, and the economically weaker sections — represent the core demographic targets of central schemes spanning agriculture, skilling, and social protection. Communications of this nature, issued by senior ministers at regional press interactions, are aimed at reinforcing scheme awareness at the grassroots level and projecting continuity of governance outcomes.

For Punjab, where the Aam Aadmi Party governs the state, such outreach by a Union minister carries an added dimension: it signals the Centre's intent to maintain visibility on welfare delivery independent of the state administration.

What's Next

Senior ministers are expected to continue similar outreach events across states in the coming weeks as part of the broader #12YearsOfSeva communications campaign. Parliamentary sessions and state-level reviews of central scheme implementation are likely to serve as further platforms for the government to present its governance record. Khattar's Amritsar interaction signals that such engagements will extend to states where the BJP is in opposition, reinforcing the party's national-level messaging ahead of future electoral cycles.