India 60: The Task Ahead

When the President, Smt Pratibha Patil, addresses the nation on the eve of the 60th anniversary of our Independence, she will have the distinction of being the first-ever woman to be the President of the largest democracy in the world to perform this sacred duty. It is not a mere coincidence that the Congress party, the largest political party in a democratic country, is also headed by a woman, Smt Sonia Gandhi. Another significant coincidence is that the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, belongs to a minority community. This is enough proof that India has came a long way and indeed fulfilled the wishes of the founding fathers of its Constitution in ensuring gender equality and in offering equal opportunity to its citizens irrespective of caste, creed or religion. This, happening in the 60th year of independence, is enough reason for Indians to feel proud of their accomplishment, which becomes all the more important considering that other big democracies are yet to fullfil their constitutional promises.

India could achieve these distinctions despite numerous problems and hurdles mainly because it pays equal attention to social justice and economic growth, unlike some other countries where one or the other is sacrificed. This is perhaps one reason why India’s economic growth cannot be compared to that of any other country. Very often some intellectuals compare India with China ignoring the basic fact that China does not have a multiple-party system like India and China is yet to develop institutions and practices that are essential for long-term stability. India’s case becomes unique if viewed from its heterogeneous character. For instance, China lags behind many countries in the legal system, tax and banking procedures etc.

Yet, India has a long way to go in promoting economic justice to its people. No doubt, it made tremendous progress in a number of sectors since its independence in 1947. At a time when countries were being classified on the ideological basis, Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress party successfully synthesised what is good in Marxism and Free Enterprise without losing sight of the national objectives. The public sector that Pandit Nehru and Smt Indira Gandhi promoted energetically may not have yielded the desirable economic results, but it has served two important purposes. First, due to the public sector India’s dependence on basic imports was averted making the country largely self-reliant in a number of areas. Secondly, it played an important role in spreading economic activity in the country accelerating industrialisa-tion. Thanks to these two great visionaries, and Rajiv Gandhi, India today is on the way to becoming a superpower, being already the ninth industrial power in the world.

However, all this is no reason for complacency. India has to devise new ways to guarantee its citizens’ basic needs and offer a stable political environment. First, the mushrooming of political parties has diluted the quality of governance. There is obviously a need for political polarisation in which political parties subscribing to a particular thought and ideology function together so that the electoral mandate is strong enough for definitive action. Secondly, economic planning will have to be reviewed periodically keeping in mind new changes and developments both inside and outside the country. Our economic thinking has largely been influenced by Western percepts which laid great emphasis on urban development. India will have to formulate its own economic philosophy. Several attempts have been made in this direction in the Five-Year Plans after Pandit Nehru initiated the socialistic pattern of society and launched the public sector. But somewhere on our path we lost our way.

WHAT is required today is greater attention to rural areas where there is an urgent need to take at least 50 per cent people from dependence on land. This is possible only if rural industrialisation takes place. Village and town enterprises should be encouraged to grow utilising local resources and to meet local demands. Why should people in Tamil Nadu or AP depend on goods made in Punjab? This will also help eliminate monopolies and generate employment which will in turn reduce the pressure on land. Why should a number of cash crops such as oilseeds, cotton etc. not be processed at the rural and town levels? The government should offer incentives like excise duty exemption etc.

Economic activity in villages and towns will keep the youth engaged and keep them away from extremist ideologies and attractions. The current agitation for land for the landless in rural areas being conducted by the Left parties in Andhra Pradesh is an important event to be taken note of. The agitation has already spread to a number of districts in the State compelling the Telugu Desam also to join it. This agitation has a political angle as well. The landless and poor in the rural and urban areas are being mobilised by the Left parties. Whether or not the Left parties succeed in their objective of getting government and surplus land for the landless, they are certainly creating for themselves a firm base in the rural areas just as Mao had done during the Chinese Revolution. Widespread unemployment and poor condition of people in the villages is helping the Left campaign. The only way to avoid a political turmoil is to create employment potential in the rural and semi-rural areas to engage the jobless youth and utilise surplus farmlands.

It is not that nothing is being done for the uplift of the rural areas. But what is being done lacks direction and the progress is slow. It is not enough if funds are allocated. They should be spent productively and judiciously. It is time to give up planning from one Five-Year Plan to the next. In China and other countries, roads are built to last at least a century. How come in India we dig up roads every other year? There is obviously a need for macro planning, taking into account the future needs and demands. Even in new colonies in Indian cities, including New Delhi, roads are so narrow that they are widened on a regular basis causing all kinds of hardships and wasting resources.

In spite of the realisation that power holds the key to growth, power availability is extremely poor in all States. This is another area where we, as a nation, failed miserably. The hydroelectric potential of India is enormous. Yet, not even one per cent of this resource is exploited or put to use. Why not encourage mini-power plants to exploit the hydro potential? In this regard the Panchayati Raj institutions, apart from the private sector, can take the initiative. Already some have taken the initiative. The entire Yamunotri area’s power needs are met by a 2MW hydroelectric power plant set up by the local panchayat. There are no power cuts in that area.

Our former President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, has rightly called economic reconstruction as the “second freedom moment”. Sixty years have passed since we began the second freedom movement. We have made some excellent progress, but there is a lot more to be done. It is this task ahead that should demand our attention. In discharging this noble duty we have to keep in mind a few important lessons drawn from the experience of others who moved fast ahead of us. First, we must stop thinking about export-oriented growth. Instead, we should seek to develop the domestic market which, in the final analysis, is dependable and permanent. Secondly, the development gap between urban and rural areas should be narrowed to such an extent that migration from village to towns and cities is reduced considerably. Thirdly, proper attention should be paid to improve infrastructure which alone can promote growth. Fourthly, the government should provide incentives in place of wasting resources by trying to do things itself. For instance, providing incentives will probably encourage doctors to move to villages and set up clinics.

Finally, each district in each State should prepare a plan of action. There should be enough freedom at the grassroot level in order to cut down red tapism. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has set the target when he said:

The challenge before us is to increase the skilled work force from five per cent at present to 50 per cent which is the usual norm in developed countries. Let us work hard with a greater sense of purpose and renewed commitment to take our nation to greater heights of industrial development:

And as smt Sonia Gandhi said perceptively, growth without equity leads to destabilised societies, while equity without growth simply cannot be sustained.

At 60 India’s task ahead is clear!

(Courtesy : Congress Sandesh)

The author is the Managing Editor of Congress Sandesh.