The late Prime Minister, during his tenure, coined the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”

January 11 is one of the darkest days in Indian political history because on this day, India’s second-ever Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, passed away in mysterious circumstances. The late Prime Minister had visited Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to sign a peace treaty with PAK during the INDO-PAK war in 1965. What truly led to his demise remains a mystery to date. However, on his death anniversary, we are not here to spin a web around his demise but to give a shoutout to his contributions that many people, especially the young generation, aren’t aware of today.

Given that he was a key political figure of Indian history, people must read about him and his works that led to a strong foundation of the nation. Therefore, on the late PM’s death anniversary, here are his major contributions for the betterment of India.

White Revolution

(Credit- Amul)

The late PM made India the biggest dairy product producer in the world by promoting the White Revolution. He was the man behind the formation of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and also supported Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL) to lead the dairy industry in India. The vision of the late PM is the reason India has produced an excess of 240 million tonnes of milk annually.

Green Revolution

In the 1960s, India also faced chronic food shortages across the country, and therefore, Shastri pushed for the Green Revolution, i.e., increasing the number of agricultural products. He even requested the country to skip one-time meals, and surprisingly, many parts of the country observed “Shastri Vrat” with eateries shutting their businesses on Monday evenings. This was the period when India started focusing on blending technology with agriculture to increase India’s production.

(Credit- Polomap)

On 19 October 1965, when India and PAK had engaged in a 22-day w*r, Shastri had coined the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan,” highlighting the importance of not only the army but also farmers because of whom everybody gets food on their table. And after all, no w*r can be won with empty stomachs.

Shastri Formula

The India we live in today has forgotten that even in the 1960s, there was a disruption in communal harmony based on language. Hindi imposition was a problem back in the day, but it was Shastri who established a three-language framework. According to the framework, Hindi, English, and regional languages were allowed to be used in administrative operations and education in different regions of the nation.

Sirima-Shastri Pact

We are all aware of the Sri Lankan Civil War, which started in the 1980s and ended in 2009. Years before the conflict had started, India’s second PM, Lal Bahadur Shastri, had shown concern for those India-origin Tamils who were taken to Sri Lanka by the Britishers, but when Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948, those Indian Tamils were left stateless. India’s then PM had signed a pact with his counterpart, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, to settle the citizenship status of such Indians and also made efforts to bring back those who weren’t offered citizenship.

On Lal Bahadur Shastri’s d*ath anniversary, we hope his contributions will inspire people to respect India’s history and the struggle the country has gone through even after independence to make itself a powerful nation. Indeed, India still has a long way to go, and the political scenario of India isn’t a rainbow, but some people, like India’s second PM, always rise to the occasion and try to do what’s correct for the nation’s development.