Narendra Modi Sworn in for Historic Third Term as Indian Prime Minister

Pictures Source: www.pmindia.gov.in

Narendra Modi took the oath of office as the Prime Minister of India for the third consecutive term on Sunday at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath in the forecourt of the presidential residence on June 9.

Narendra Modi is the first individual since former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to be elected for three consecutive terms as Prime Minister.

Modi shared his thoughts on the occasion via X, stating: “Took oath as Prime Minister at the ceremony earlier this evening. I look forward to serving 140 crore Indians and working with the Council of Ministers to take India to new heights of progress. Congratulations to all those who have taken oath today. This team of Ministers is a great blend of youth and experience, and we will leave no stone unturned in improving the lives of people. I am grateful to all the foreign dignitaries who joined the swearing-in ceremony. India will always work closely with our valued partners in pursuit of human progress.”

Council of Ministers

The Modi 3.0 cabinet comprises 72 ministers, including 30 Cabinet Ministers, 5 Ministers of State with Independent Charge, and 36 Ministers of State. Modi has retained key ministers for crucial positions, also allocating several posts to NDA allies.

The cabinet represents various social groups, with 27 Other Backward Classes (OBC), ten Scheduled Castes (SC), five Scheduled Tribes (ST), and five minorities. Notably, 18 senior Ministers will lead major ministries.

Prominent new entrants include BJP chief JP Nadda, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, six-time Sundargarh MP Jual Oram, and BJP Gujarat unit chief CR Patil. Jitin Prasada, a Cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, and former Karnataka minister V Somanna also joined as Ministers of State.

Returning figures in Modi’s cabinet include Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, S Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Kiren Rijiju, Dharmendra Pradhan, Sarbananda Sonowal, Bhupender Yadav, Giriraj Singh, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and G Kishan Reddy, among others.

Members from Allies

Allies from the NDA also secured significant roles. Chirag Paswan of LJP (Ram Vilas), JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, Hindustan Awam Morcha founder Jitan Ram Manjhi, JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan aka Lalan Singh, and TDP MP Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu were inducted as Union ministers of Cabinet rank.

Dignitaries Attended

The swearing-in ceremony witnessed the attendance of 8,000 guests, including national and international leaders. The guest list featured outgoing Parliamentarians, BJP leaders, opposition leaders, current MLAs and MLCs, celebrated doctors, lawyers, religious leaders, sanitation workers, rat-hole miners, and heads of state from neighboring countries.

Notable international attendees included Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Seychelles Vice-President Ahmed Afif, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge attended the ceremony, describing it as his “constitutional duty” as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

In the 2024 general elections, the BJP won 240 seats, and the NDA alliance secured 293 seats, ensuring a majority. Conversely, the Congress won 99 seats, while the INDIA bloc obtained 234 seats. Despite BJP not achieving a majority on its own, Modi will lead a coalition government.

PM-KISAN Scheme-The First File

On June 10, a day after his oath, Modi signed the first file authorizing the release of the 17th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, benefiting 9.3 crore farmers with around ₹20,000 crore. “Ours is a government fully committed to Kisan Kalyan,” Modi stated.

The PM-KISAN scheme, launched in February 2019, provides ₹6,000 annually in three equal installments to cultivable landholding farmer families. Over ₹2.42 lakh crore have been disbursed to more than 11 crore beneficiaries.

Message for the Global South

In the aftermath of the swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged with leaders from neighboring countries and emphasized India’s ongoing commitment to the ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and ‘SAGAR Vision’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region). The Ministry of External Affairs highlighted Modi’s pledge to strengthen regional cooperation for peace, progress, and prosperity.

“The prime minister emphasized that in his third term, India will continue to work for the peace, progress and prosperity of the region in close partnership with the countries even as it pursues its goal of Vikshit Bharat by 2047. In this context, he called for deeper people-to-people ties and connectivity in the region. He further added that India would continue to amplify the voice of the Global South in the international arena,” the MEA stated.

The ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy focuses on prioritizing India’s relations with its immediate neighbors to ensure a harmonious and cooperative regional environment. The SAGAR Vision, meanwhile, aims to promote sustainable economic and security cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. Both policies underscore India’s strategic intent to foster regional stability and prosperity, reinforcing its role as a leader in the Global South.

After the event, Modi expressed gratitude to the attending dignitaries on X, writing: “I am grateful to all the foreign dignitaries who joined the swearing-in ceremony. India will always work closely with our valued partners in pursuit of human progress.”

PM 3.0: Inaugural Foreign Policy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first foreign visit in his third term is anticipated to be to Italy, following an invitation from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Modi has accepted the invitation to participate in the G7 Summit, scheduled from June 13 to 15 in Borgo Egnazia, Apulia.

The Ministry of External Affairs announced that Modi discussed with Italian PM Meloni the significance of the G7 Summit Outreach Sessions. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni extended her congratulations.

to Modi on securing a third term, expressing her commitment to deepening Italy-India relations through continued collaboration.

Furthermore, Modi will attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, marking one of the first major international engagements of his third term. The two-day meeting, chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, precedes the BRICS Summit scheduled for October.