On the 75th independence day of India, Prime Minister Modi candidly admitted that corruption and nepotism are a big hurdle in the development of the nation.

Mr Modi also gave a clarion call for the Jai Anusandhan pledge. This is a significant move as India not only needs to bring back focus on Scientific Temperament, we need to give impetus to scientific research and funding.

Coming back to the issue of corruption and nepotism, I truly appreciate the candid admission by Mr Modi. However, being the Prime Minister and having a clear-cut majority in the Parliament, I would call upon Mr Modi to enact the following REFORMS with immediate effect. While these 10 reforms are not an end in themselves, they will pave the way for larger reforms. The country needs an overhaul of the system. Incremental changes alone will not meet the needs and hopes of India – a vast country with huge potential.

List of Reforms that India needs without losing further time:

1. Higher denomination bank notes (Rupee 500 and Rupee 2,000) should be taken out of circulation.
2. All political parties must be brought under RTI(right to Information)act.
3. Right to Recall
4. Right to Initiate.
5. One Nation – One election. Thus,
   Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and Gram Panchayat elections must be
   held every 5 years at the same time.

6. All courts of law must work 7 days a week. The number of courts must
   be increased and the vacancies for judges ought to be filled.
7. A simpler single tax should replace the present GST.
8. Should a sitting MLA or MP change his party then he/she must step down
   and a fresh election in the constituency be held.
9. In order to bring transparency to political funding the ‘ Electoral
   Bonds ‘ must be done away with.
10. Approximately 7% of the total national budget should be allocated
    to Gram Panchayats in order to facilitate them carrying out village
    developments. This will truly bring Swaraj to the doorstep of villages.

Issue of Nepotism: Let us admit, that party-based politics is actually hampering the growth of the country as the politicians continue to divide us with partisan agendas. Political parties have become like organized gangs with ills of high command culture, family rule, and ill-gotten money. Dear Prime Minister, the constitution of India is not very specific about the role of political parties. As a statesman, can you take steps to lessen the role of political parties in Indian democracy? The nation will be forever indebted to you. While partyless democracy may sound like a utopian task, at least the Parliament can enact laws that bring Inner party democracy within political parties. Some electoral reforms like holding primaries, Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) or preferential voting, or treating NOTA like a candidate (eg. if NOTA gets the highest votes, the election will be held again), etc. can improve the level of democracy.

India is capable of deciding its destiny. Let the political will complement the resolve!