The report says that despite an evident agrarian crisis in rural India, government’s policy direction seems to favour the corporatization of agriculture, which could further make farming unsustainable for small and marginal farmers.

The Wada Na Todo Abhiyan, a campaign of over 3,000 civil society organisations committed to promoting governance accountability, released its flagship annual report, ‘Promises and Reality 2025’: A Citizens’ Review of the First Year of the NDA-III Government’ on Monday.

The report offers an independent citizens’ review of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government’s third term, focusing on its first year in office. It examines key gaps in democratic functioning, governance, and socio-economic development, with particular attention to the impact on vulnerable communities. The review is a collaborative effort, with contributions from academic experts, civil society organisations, experienced practitioners, and rights-based campaigns across the country. It has also been endorsed by 30+ civil society organizations in India.

Elaborating on the salient features of the evaluation, the WNTA convenors said in a statement: “This year’s report spans nearly 30 chapters, organized across four broad themes: the status of democracy, development, governance, and marginalized communities offering an inclusive, comprehensive analysis of governance during 2024-25, with a focus on policies affecting the lives of India’s most vulnerable citizens.”

A Generalised Approach to Development

Keynote Speaker at the event, Prof Aditya Mukherjee, former Professor of History at JNU, and President of Indian History Congress, said “Our nation was built on five foundational ideas, inspired by the vision of Tagore: sovereignty that respects all nations, democracy and secularism that go beyond mere voting, a commitment to pro-poor policies rooted in the fight against colonial poverty, scientific temper over superstition, and the freedom to dissent.

“Today, each of these pillars faces erosion. Even the very capacity to resist is under threat. And yet, in the face of this regression, civil society, activists, academics, and young people across India persist, refusing to let the soul of the Republic be quietly extinguished.”

Prof. Tanweer Fazal (University of Hyderabad and BML Munjal University) said, “Development indicators did not include markers of caste and religion until a couple of decades ago. This evolution and the ideas of targeted development needed to address inequities get dismissed when development takes a generalised approach such as ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’“.

Outdated Census Data

On the status of development, the report highlighted the government’s announced launch of ₹3 lakh crore projects within the first 100 days, in line with its continuing achievements in infrastructure development in the past 11 years. The report says that government estimates also tout India as a global economic powerhouse – leading in real-time digital transactions globally, improved in ease of doing business, and projected as the fastest-growing major economy.

The report speaks of corporate profits hitting a 15-year high in 2023–24, but wage growth lagged and employment rose just 1.5 per cent, indicating a “job-loss” growth model and stagnant incomes.

The report also speaks of how the government’s infrastructure push overlooks productive manufacturing and technological innovation along with causing detrimental impact on vulnerable populations.

Promises and Realities alludes to the outdated census data that is causing an estimated 13 crore eligible individuals to be excluded from receiving free food grains.

It also speaks of the advancements in coal production reveal troubling contradictions to India existing climate commitments, environmental law rollbacks and weak climate policies undermine climate resilience for vulnerable communities.

It says that there have been nearly three thousand (2936) disaster-related deaths in 2024-25, but financial policies remain ill- equipped for routine climate extremes and inadequate in addressing the multidimensional impacts faced by vulnerable communities.

Rising Hate

On the status of marginalised communities, the report says that the government’s claims of achievements towards commitment to welfare include completing over 4 crore homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), 52 crore Mudra Yojana loans and support for 68 lakh street vendors under PM SVANidhi, ₹18,593 crore distributed to pregnant and lactating women under PMMVY, the extension of paid maternity leave, nurturing youth through the National Education Policy (NEP), skill development via PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana, and entrepreneurship support, backed by a ₹2 lakh crore package, and PM Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan aims to benefit approximately 5 crore people in 63,000 villages for tribal development.

It says that despite defined targets, major implementation gaps persist in existing tribal development programmes – only 2,450 of 7,370 PM-JANMAN housing units are complete, piped water remains scarce, 40.6 per cent of the country’s tribal population remain poor, and FRA impact is limited. Despite an evident agrarian crisis in rural India, government’s policy direction seems to favour the corporatization of agriculture, which could further make farming unsustainable for small and marginal farmers.

It adds that despite some policy and judicial advancements, persistent implementation gaps and unaddressed structural barriers continue across marginalised communities—evident in caste-linked manual scavenging deaths, underfunded disability and DNT schemes, and inadequate protections for transpeople.

The report also speaks of the rising hate that religious minorities face, defined against the backdrop of over 840 attacks on Christians reported in 2024, while Muslims experienced voter exclusions, property demolitions, and political targeting under growing majoritarian nationalism.