PM Narendra Modi: India's Longest-Serving PM & Achievements

It was May 26, 2014, 6:13 PM IST, and the sun was about to set, when a 63-year-old man named Narendra Damodar Das Modi took oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India. At that time, no one expected that he would become India's longest-serving Prime Minister.

India recently hit a historic political milestone — Shri Narendra Damodar Modi became the country's longest continuously serving democratically elected Prime Minister, surpassing the previous record in June 2026. For a nation of 1.4 billion people, that's no small feat. But beyond the record books, the bigger story is what actually changed in India during this period — from how people pay for a cup of chai, to how the world sees the country on the global stage.

In this post, we cover his background, the major reforms and schemes of his tenure, key national milestones, his global standing, and the honours he has received — all in simple, easy-to-understand language.

1. From Vadnagar to South Block: A Quick Background

Narendra Damodardas Modi was born on 17 September 1950 in Vadnagar, Gujarat, into a family of modest means — his father ran a small tea stall. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a young man and gradually rose through organisational and political ranks. He became Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001, a position he held for over 12 years, before moving to national politics ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

2. India's Longest-Serving Prime Minister

Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister for the first time on 26 May 2014. He went on to win two more consecutive terms — in 2019 and again in 2024 — making him only the second Indian PM in history (after Jawaharlal Nehru) to serve three consecutive terms. In June 2026, he officially became India's longest continuously serving democratically elected Prime Minister, a milestone that drew congratulatory messages from world leaders across the globe.

3. UPI: How India Changed the Way It Pays

One of the most visible everyday changes has been in digital payments. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), launched in 2016, has turned India into the world's largest real-time digital payments market.

• From under 100 million transactions a year in 2017–18, UPI now processes over 23 billion transactions a month (as of 2026).
• India recorded a monthly UPI transaction value of nearly ₹30 lakh crore in May 2026 — an all-time high.
• UPI now accounts for roughly 80–90% of all retail digital payments in the country and has expanded to more than a dozen countries outside India.

What used to require a bank visit or a card swipe can now be done with a QR code scan in seconds — even by a roadside vendor.

4. Cheaper Internet, Wider Digital Access

The rollout of affordable 4G and 5G data — accelerated by the entry of Reliance Jio in 2016 — dramatically cut the cost of mobile internet in India, making it one of the cheapest in the world. This, combined with the Digital India initiative, helped bring hundreds of millions of first-time users online, fuelling growth in UPI adoption, e-commerce, online education, and direct government service delivery through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) and e-RUPI vouchers.

5. Financial Inclusion: Jan Dhan Yojana

Launched in August 2014, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana aimed to give every Indian household access to a basic bank account. Over 50 crore Jan Dhan accounts have since been opened, forming the backbone of India's "JAM trinity" — Jan Dhan accounts, Aadhaar identity, and Mobile connectivity — which together enabled direct, leakage-free transfer of subsidies and welfare payments straight into citizens' bank accounts.

6. India's Economic Growth Story

When Modi took office in 2014, India was the 11th-largest economy in the world. Over the following decade, India climbed steadily up the rankings, overtaking the UK to become the 5th-largest economy by 2022, and briefly the 4th-largest by some 2025 estimates, before currency and global market fluctuations placed it at 6th in early-2026 IMF data, with a nominal GDP of roughly $4.15 trillion.

What hasn't been in dispute is the pace: India has consistently been ranked as the fastest-growing major economy in the world, with growth rates above 6% even as larger economies slowed down. Reforms like the Goods and Services Tax (GST, 2017), the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme have aimed to simplify taxation, ease business operations, and boost domestic manufacturing under the "Make in India" and "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) banners.

7. Make in India and Startup India

The Make in India initiative (launched 2014) sought to turn the country into a global manufacturing hub, while Startup India (launched 2016) provided tax benefits, easier compliance, and funding support to new businesses. India now has one of the largest startup ecosystems in the world, with 100+ unicorns (startups valued over $1 billion) built up over the past decade.

8. BrahMos and India's Rise as a Defence Exporter

India has traditionally been one of the world's largest defence importers — but that's been changing. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, jointly developed with Russia, became India's first major missile export when the Philippines signed a $375 million deal in 2022, with deliveries completed in 2024. Indonesia followed with its own BrahMos agreement in 2026, making it the second international buyer. The missile, capable of speeds close to Mach 3, is a flagship example of India's growing defence manufacturing capability and the government's push to scale up defence exports significantly over the coming years.

9. India in Space: Chandrayaan and Gaganyaan

India's space programme has hit major milestones during this period:

• Chandrayaan-3 (2023): India became the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the Moon's south pole — and only the fourth nation overall to achieve a soft Moon landing.
• Aditya-L1 (2023): India's first dedicated solar observation mission, studying the Sun from a stable orbit point.
• Gaganyaan: India's first human spaceflight programme, in active development, aiming to send Indian astronauts into orbit using India's own launch capability.

10. Welfare and Infrastructure Schemes

• Ayushman Bharat: The world's largest government-funded health insurance scheme, providing free hospital coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year to hundreds of millions of low-income citizens.
• PM Awas Yojana: Over 4.2 crore houses sanctioned for low-income families between 2014 and 2024.
• PM-Kisan: Direct annual income support of ₹6,000 to small and marginal farmer families, paid straight into their bank accounts.
• Ujjwala Yojana: Free LPG gas connections to crores of below-poverty-line households, replacing traditional chulhas (wood/coal stoves) and reducing indoor air pollution.
• Swachh Bharat Mission: A nationwide sanitation drive that significantly expanded toilet access and waste management infrastructure across rural and urban India.
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: A campaign focused on improving the child sex ratio and promoting girls' education.
• National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: India's first major overhaul of education policy in 34 years, restructuring the school and higher education system.
• Infrastructure push: Rapid expansion of national highways, airports (under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme), and the rollout of Vande Bharat semi-high-speed trains across the country.

11. G20 Presidency and Global Diplomacy

In 2023, India hosted the G20 Summit in New Delhi, showcasing its growing role in global diplomacy and using the platform to push for greater representation of the Global South, including securing permanent African Union membership in the G20. India's foreign policy under Modi has also focused on initiatives like the International Solar Alliance, for which India received the UN's Champions of the Earth Award in 2018.

12. The World's Most-Followed Political Leader Online

PM Modi's digital reach is unmatched among world leaders. In early 2026, he became the first politician globally to cross 100 million followers on Instagram — more than double the followers of the next-highest world leader. He had already crossed 100 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) back in 2024, a milestone Elon Musk personally congratulated him on. Combined, his social media following gives him one of the largest direct digital audiences of any political figure in history.

13. International Awards and Honours

Over his tenure, PM Modi has received more than 25 national honours and civilian awards from foreign governments, recognising diplomatic and strategic ties between India and those countries. Some notable ones include:

• Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud — Saudi Arabia's highest civilian award (2016)
• State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan — Afghanistan's highest civilian honour (2016)
• Seoul Peace Prize — South Korea (2018)
• UN Champions of the Earth Award — for the International Solar Alliance (2018)
• Order of Zayed — UAE's highest civilian honour (2019)
• Order of St. Andrew the Apostle — Russia (2019)
• Legion of Merit — United States (2020)
• Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross — Brazil's highest civilian honour (2025)
• Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago — the first foreign leader to receive this honour (2025)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III — Cyprus's highest civilian award (2025)

He has also been featured multiple times on the cover of Time Magazine and listed among the world's most influential people by several international publications.

14. A Mixed and Debated Legacy

It's worth noting that Modi's tenure has also been a subject of significant debate, both in India and internationally — including criticism around economic policy decisions like demonetisation, the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, and his government's approach to issues of religious and political diversity. Critics have also pointed out that several international honours have come even as concerns were raised over minority rights and press freedom in India. Like any long-serving leader, his record includes both widely celebrated achievements and genuinely contested decisions, and different sections of Indian society — and the global community — view his legacy quite differently.

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PM Modi Achievements — FAQs +

Q1. When was Narendra Modi born, and where?
He was born on 17 September 1950 in Vadnagar, Gujarat.

Q2. How many terms has Narendra Modi served as Prime Minister?
He has served three consecutive terms — starting in 2014, 2019, and 2024 — and was earlier Chief Minister of Gujarat for over 12 years.

Q3. Why is Modi called India's longest-serving Prime Minister?
Because of his continuous, uninterrupted tenure since 2014, he surpassed previous records to become India's longest continuously serving democratically elected PM in June 2026.

Q4. How many Instagram followers does PM Modi have?
He crossed 100 million Instagram followers in early 2026, making him the most-followed political leader in the world on the platform.

Q5. What is UPI and why is it considered a major achievement?
UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is India's instant digital payment system, launched in 2016. It now processes over 23 billion transactions a month and is considered one of the most successful digital public infrastructure projects globally.

Q6. What is India's current global economic ranking?
As of early-2026 IMF data, India ranks 6th by nominal GDP, though rankings have fluctuated between 4th and 6th in recent years due to currency movements. India remains the fastest-growing major economy.

Q7. What is Ayushman Bharat?
It's the world's largest government-funded health insurance scheme, offering free hospital treatment of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year to low-income households.

Q8. What major space missions happened under Modi's tenure?
Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed near the Moon's south pole in 2023, and Aditya-L1 became India's first dedicated solar observation mission the same year.

Q9. Has PM Modi received international awards?
Yes, he has received over 25 civilian honours from foreign governments, including top awards from Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UAE, the USA, and Brazil, along with the UN's Champions of the Earth Award in 2018.