Former PM & Bharat Ratna awardee Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, passed away yesterday at the age of 93. He was an iconic leader of BJP, who became the PM of India three times.  He was one of the finest statesman and orators India knew. The steps Vajpayee took for the nation set India on the road to later progress and gave the BJP an image of a party willing to consider modernism and economic growth in favour of growth. Vajpayee, always a man of his words transformed India with some of the following contributions: POKHARAN II – In May 1998, Vajpayee cemented India’s position as a nuclear power with Pokharan-II. The world took notice when India conducted nuclear tests and emerged as a nuclear power with Operation Shakti in Pokhran. SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAAN- It was one of the most important projects by the Vajpayee government towards the education sector of India. Launched in 2000, the campaign aimed to provide free and compulsory education to children between 6 to 14 years of age. As a result, the number of out of school children dropped by 60 percent. In fact, most people will remember the tune ‘School Chale hum’ courtesy the TVC, which also featured Vajpayee. MAN BEHIND MODERN TELECOM OF INDIA- The telecom revolution of India was led by the Vajpayee government announcing the New Telecom Policy (NTP) on March 3, 1999. This helped in increasing the telecom penetration rate in country from less than 3 percent in 1999 to more than 90 percent so far. India witnessed change during Vajpayee’s government when mobile phone call tariffs fell from Rs 15.50 per minute during 1998 to Rs 1.50 in 2004 due to the telecom revolution. The Vajpayee government's New Telecom Policy unleashed the telecom revolution in India by replacing fixed license fees for telecom firms with a revenue-sharing arrangement. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. was created to separate policy formulation and provision of service. The gentle soul and the man with conviction will be greatly missed by the nation. May He Rest In Peace!