New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated emphasis on punctuality is about more than simply asking people to follow schedules. It reflects a broader push to challenge a long-standing mindset in which delays, waiting and missed deadlines were often accepted as an unavoidable part of everyday life.
For decades, punctuality in India was often more an aspiration than a reality. Trains could run hours behind schedule, buses were affected by maintenance delays and government offices were frequently associated with long waits and slow-moving files. Citizens learned to adjust, arriving at railway stations expecting delays or standing in queues with the expectation that even routine applications could take considerable time to resolve.
The culture of waiting became so deeply embedded that people developed their own ways of coping with it. At crowded counters and queues, for instance, people sometimes used a brick or another object to mark their place while stepping away temporarily. Such informal arrangements did not always prevent arguments, but they reflected a larger reality: people had become accustomed to organising their lives around delays.
The same attitude extended beyond public services. Social functions often began well after the announced time, meetings routinely started late and even school programmes could run behind schedule. The phrase “Indian Standard Time” was jokingly turned into “Indian Stretchable Time”, reflecting the popular acceptance of lateness.
It is against this backdrop that Modi’s repeated references to punctuality acquire a wider meaning. When he highlights the performance of systems such as the Delhi Metro and Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, including claims of 99.9 per cent punctuality, the message goes beyond transport. Punctual services become an example of what disciplined and responsive governance can look like.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly spoken about moving away from the “chalta hai” attitude — the idea that delays and shortcomings can simply be accepted because that is how things have always been. His alternative phrase, “badal sakta hai”, conveys the belief that established habits and systems can be changed.
The argument is particularly relevant for an economy seeking greater global competitiveness. In a modern economy, time has a direct economic value. A delayed train can disrupt a worker’s schedule, a delayed government approval can hold up a business and a slow grievance-redressal process can weaken public confidence in institutions.
Transport infrastructure provides one visible measure of this shift. Initiatives such as Mission Raftaar have sought to improve train speeds and reduce travel times, while the expansion of Metro networks has created urban transport systems where adherence to schedules is a central part of their appeal.
The same emphasis on timely action has also been built into governance through digital platforms. The PRAGATI initiative — Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation — allows the Prime Minister to review major projects, government schemes and grievances in real time in coordination with Union ministries and state governments.
Similarly, the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System, or CPGRAMS, allows citizens to submit, track and escalate complaints relating to central government departments and other public authorities. Such systems attempt to replace an uncertain waiting process with greater transparency over the status of a complaint.
This shift matters because bureaucratic delay has historically been one of the biggest sources of frustration for citizens. A person waiting indefinitely for a certificate, approval or response can lose both time and confidence in the system. Introducing timelines and digital tracking can therefore make governance more measurable and accountable.
The larger significance of Modi’s punctuality narrative lies in its symbolism as much as in its practical application. A train arriving on time is easy for an ordinary citizen to understand; linking that experience to the functioning of government makes administrative reform more tangible.
In this sense, punctuality becomes a measure of a broader change in public expectations. The question is no longer simply whether citizens are willing to tolerate delays, but whether institutions can deliver services when they promise to.
The journey from “chalta hai” to “badal sakta hai” therefore represents an attempt to change not only clocks and timetables, but attitudes. For a country seeking faster growth and more efficient governance, the message is straightforward: time saved is productivity gained, and arriving on time can itself become a marker of progress.
With inputs from IANS