FOCUS-SEPTEMBER 2021

INDIA @ 75- A STORY OF NEVER ENDING WORK-IN-PROGRESS “Kaarwaan Nikal Gayee aur Ghubaar Dekhtey Rah Gaye” is an old urdu couplet, which literally means, ‘Caravaan has passed by but the dust, left behind, kept gaping at it’. 108 years ago in 1912, one Ram Jiyawan, a landless labourer, from a village, in the assembly constituency of Tiloi (in 2003) Uttar Pradesh, was picked up by the British as an indentured labourer and transported to far away British Guyana in South America. Three generations down the line Ram Jiyawan’s grandson Mr. Bharat Jagdev, in the last week of August 2003, came to India in search of his roots. The family of two households had multiplied to 24 households in the intervening 9 decades that passed by between 1912 & 2003. India had become a free nation in 1947, from its colonial past. Yes their numbers had increased by some 12 times but nothing else had changed to these Lonias, the community to which Ram Jiyawan belonged. They were landless then in 1912, they were land less in 1947 when the country became free and remained landless for all the 56 years, between 1947 & 2003. They were working for big landlords then and continued to work for those landlords for all these post independent years as well. Indeed, for these Lonias in the village Pure Thakurian, nothing really had changed for all these years except that Mr. Bharat Jagdev, who came from half-the-globe-away, was the President of British Guyana. What an incredibly sensational contrast!? Nothing could describe the starkness of the skewed socio/ economic development of India, despite 12 development plans of redistribution exercise. “A few poor men dressed up for the occasion provided by the district administration were presented to the head of a nation, as his family. A bewildered Mr. Jagdev spent a few hours with ‘his family’ and left probably in tears, like his grandfather did 108 years ago. Except that Ram Jiyawan left in a ship as a human cargo dumped on the deck and Mr. Jagdev flew out in a chopper with full honour, wondering at the distance covered by him unlike the lot of these Lonias of Pure Thakurian village in UP, caught in the time warp largely due to the welfare delivery system of independent India that failed for decades. Writing on the 50 years of free India-(1947-1997), George Mathew of Institute of Social Science, wrote “On August 15, 1947, some 347 million Indians set out on a voyage of self discovery and renewal. It was a movement of a people yearning for a freer and better life. Where have they and their children arrived half a century later?” When extrapolated further, 75 years later? While, it is true, as historian Mukul Kesavan says “Most of these 75 years of uncertain change, it was possible to think of this nation inaugurated on 15th August 1947, as an inspiring project, simply because its ambition was both awesome and so benign. For the first time in the history of the modern world, a country was going to undertake economic modernization under the auspices of mass democracy”. But 75 years down the line, what is the story? Isn’t it a profoundly mixed story of bungled governance and missed opportunities? However as Rajeev Mantri, author of A NEW IDEA OF INDIA says “Until the 1991 economic reforms, India’s per capita GDP grew at a snail’s pace (gloriously named by K N Raj as Hindu Rate of growth) and poverty was endemic. Stagnation was accepted as a way of life for almost 3 generations, as India’s GDP per capita crawled from $ 330 in 1961 to $595 in 1992, annual growth of just 1.86%”. According to World Bank data, in 1977, three decades after independence, nearly 2 out of 3 Indians lived on $ 1.90 a day or less. It was only after 1992 economic liberalization that per capita GDP increased and grew at about 5% per annum during 1992-2019 period. According to Mantri “The poverty headcount ratio had declined to 22.5% by 2011, and by some estimates this number has now declined to below 10% by 2019”. Clearly unlike Nehruvian socialistic-pattern-of society model, economic liberalization has been an unqualified success in making India more prosperous. But the truth remains that incidents like that of Mr. Bharat Jagdev, a grand-son of an Indian migrant in a faraway British Guyana becoming the first citizen of that country, and his own people back in India, continue to suffer the deprivation of every kind, is an ever-present reflection of an India on the move for all these 75 years, for the collective failure of its representative governance. It is true that there have been progress in all fronts, but if the absolute number of those at the end of development ladder has remained high, there must be some profound reasons, while it is a clear indication of our failure in redistributive justice. Look at the experience of those smaller nations of South-East-Asia. Unlike our political masters and their elite babus, the men at the helm in those countries showed more practical concerns for fundamental human well being. Without making noise, these countries went about pursuing primary health care, basic education and economic sustenance to all its people. Look at the Human Development Index 2020 released by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). From among 189 countries, India is ranked lowly131, whereas Singapore is ranked 11, Malaysia 62, Thailand 79, while even Sri Lanka, our Southern neighbor, is ranked 72. Sometime in July 2011, the first ever Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) was held in Nagpur as a bench mark for new teacher appointments for CBSE schools. Reportedly over 7,00,000 candidates appeared for the test, and believe it or not, not even 100,000/- managed to clear it, that’s a lowly, not even, 14% pass. So for all the 64 years after August 1947, we had teachers teaching in Central Board of Secondary Education who were dismally incompetent and patently unqualified to be teachers. And these CBSE schools are better than vernacular medium government or municipal or panchayat run schools. All these teachers are getting high government salaries. How were they appointed without competency and necessary IQ required for a teacher? We all know all government jobs commands premium. So these teachers with questionable competence get into these schools by paying the unofficial premium, another word for bribe. No wonder most students whether from CBSE schools or government schools end-up in some coaching institutes. And those who couldn’t afford coaching fees would end up as drop-outs, do miserably at the end of their academic life! Aren’t there stories that a 5th std. child couldn’t do a 2nd std. sum! Isn’t it true that India has a huge unemployable literate population! Isn’t this one way how corruption got into the life of ordinary Indians without really realizing how corruption ruined their life?! Yet, teacher as a developmental lamp post has not been touched since 2011. No wonder, this is what former Supreme Court Justice late VR Krishna Iyer had to say “In India, a socialist, secular, democratic republic, is over a billion strong and is perhaps the world’s first in its ancient heritage, second in primitive poverty, third in contemporary crimes, twelfth in total wealth. In the context of institutions and the developmental dynamics desiderated by modern technology, India can be a Kohinoor diamond and can be rich in resources if creatively catalised. Yet is a frustrated fraction of mankind because of environmental, colonial, corrupt and stultifying contradictions. Our creative statesmen can transform the country if they wished to. Feudalism, Capitalism and Marxism co-exist in a Bharath which is plunged in widespread socialist injustice. Perestroika and glasnost and a do or die struggle for systemic transformation are the militant urgency of the hour”, as we were celebrating 60th Independence Day. Don’t these provoking thoughts of Justice Iyer reflect the unease in growth! We surely need to address it, and address it quickly, consciously, transparently, and from many fronts. Comes 2014, as if in response to Justice Iyer’s clarion call, Narendra Damodardas Modi arrives on the national political firmament, with the roar of an untamed lion, unlike any of the past grass root leaders. “Good days are coming”, has been the clarion call of Modi’s campaign in election 2014. Modi has been rather innovative and verbose in his election rhetoric. Its result is wide open for all to see. After 30 years, there’s a single party government in New Delhi. Narendra Modi had arrived on the national stage like none before him. Hence the expectation of ordinary Indians, especially those who voted for him, was justifiably there, hoping for good days ahead. Come August 15, 2014, it was like the Latin exultation ‘Veni Vidi Vici’, he came, saw and conquered. On the ramparts of the Red Fort, Narendra Modi, a first time prime minister of India, spoke with no holds barred, extempore and spirited, took the entire audience and all of Indians through television and radio along, in his rhetorical sojourn. It was a virtuoso performance, for somebody speaking for the first time to the New Delhi audience as the Chief Executive of the World’s largest democracy. Speaking from an open podium, he exhorted to everybody to stand up and be counted in the task of nation building. He mesmerized his audience, those who were present at Red Fort and those who wanted to hear him first hand through TV and radio, across the country that he is speaking to the nation not as prime minister but as prime servant. He shocked Delhiites by speaking about Delhi’s work culture, of coming late, of absenteeism and infighting within the department and between departments. He asked ‘how can we take the country forward in this fashion?’ Exhorting youth, who have lost their way to become naxals and terrorists, he appealed to abhor violence and walk the path of peace, for only peace shall take the country forward. Invoking the goodness of cleanliness he asked citizens to shun selfishness for nation building. He even asked MPs, MLAs and MLCs to go back to their constituencies and try to adopt a village to make it a model village in all respect, within these 5 year period with the help of their Local Area Development Fund. This way some 5000 villages, if upgraded, can change the face of whole of India, he stressed. While touching on the empowerment of farmers, in the face of increasing incidence of farmer suicide, he also asked the youth to make India a manufacturing hub, which will not only generate employment but also shall save foreign exchange by import substitution and increase it by increasing exports. Bringing the female factor to the centre stage, he spoke about the assault on women and girls and responsibility of parents in counseling their boys and men, of the skewed gender ratio, and of doctors committing female feticides only to make some more money. Reminding the nation that 1/3 of the medals at Common Wealth Games were won by women athletes, he said, it could have been more, if there were more females taking part. All in all, it was, like a paper put it, “A stirring performance all the way”. Justifiably most Indians felt for the first time that at last they have a leader, they can look up to, with admiration and respect, having already known Narendra Modi, as the CM of Gujarat for 12 long years and the radical change in the work culture that swept through New Delhi’s corridors of power, since his arrival in the capital as the defacto head of the state. However, 7 years down the line, what has NaMo administration done and delivered which while being largely positive, is a profoundly mixed bag of successes and failures. It’s true that the intentions, although noble, many a measures of public benefit were disappointing to put it mildly. While speaking at the 71st Independence Day celebration PM Modi had said “I am impatient about change, I am in great hurry for the progress of the country” etc. So came ‘Smart City Projects’ and Mumbai/Ahmadabad Bullet Train Project. Both are money guzzlers, without proper road map. Smart City Projects in Mangalooru have been constructing only bus stops with no smartness visible. Bullet Train Project is likely to be delayed badly due to the problems in land acquisition with huge cost escalation. Chandrayan was another which could have waited. Look at AAP government in Delhi experimenting to improve schools, something PM Modi should visit to see first-hand, or at least make HRD minister visit these schools to have a firsthand knowledge. In service of Indians, we can learn from all. An important dimension of PMO in this NDA II administration is, they decide what needs to be recognized. Look at the way Olympic medal winners were treated. It’s important that sports and sportsmen deserves appreciation and encouragement. But, in the pomp and show of Olympics, we should not relegate other achievers who brought laurels to India. In 2014, Kailash Satyarthi was awarded Nobel Peace Prize for his exemplary service in rescuing bonded labour children. Nobel Prize is the ultimate in recognition. Yet this government of Modi until today did not recognize his contribution and selfless service. And you don’t get Nobel Peace Prize, just like that? In India there are over 10 million child workers, as per 2011 census. And mind you, we are in 2021, not sure when shall be the next census, since these faceless children do not constitute vote bank. This is Yeh Mera India. Ranjit Sinh Disale, who won the 2020 Global Teacher Award at the age of 33, and he did the unthinkable. His award money of $ 1,000,000/-, he shared half of it- $ 500,000- with other 9 finalists who didn’t get any cash award. This government did not even bother to congratulate him. A model teacher, from a village in Maharashtra, if recognized, what happiness it would have brought for teaching community? By bringing both these- Satyarthi & Disale- on board, a road map for the emancipation of millions of child workers across India could have been drawn. Lokpal is another issue which NDA is stonewalling, despite the oft repeated slogan of BHRASHTAACHAAR MUKTH BHARATH. There have been many initiatives by the NDA I and NDA II on many fronts. Many initiatives have seen good success, like rural sanitation which even WHO commended, and many are seeing marginal success. These did make difference in the life of ordinary Indians. But somehow, the Human Development Index, could not improve despite the best foot put forward by NDA I & II, during the last 7 years. Its not the big ticket initiatives like demonetization, GST, removal of Article 370 etc., it’s the basic needs of those on the margins and those hovering around it, the poor and lower middle class masses needing a relook. While attempts were being made to address health, public distribution of food, primary education and livelihood opportunities, the Covid-19 struck. It exposed the inadequacy of the existing health infrastructure; loss of livelihood on mass scale exposed the underbelly of our weak wherewithal to withstand such a crisis. But sadly chest thumping by leadership with misplaced claims did not win friends and influence people. It further exposed the lack of preparedness and the failure to accept the multiple paucity of avenue of redressal. The 75th Independence Day celebration and the Red Fort show, did not bring any solace except off repeated clichés and worn out verbose. As a print media observed it was “A speech that failed to live up to the occasion”, on the lackluster address by PM Modi from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of 75th Independence Day. There is no denying of the truth that PM Modi means well for the country and our countrymen, but clearly the characteristic dynamism is missing. There is no methodical roadmap for the Covid 19 management in place. The pandemic will stay for some time to come. The only way ahead is supply of vaccine and inoculation of all Indians as fast as possible. He must seek co-operation of all stake holders, political class, industrialists, health professionals and finance experts, since finance is the core of all activities. He is not doing it. He thinks his PMO is good enough. Large scale loss of livelihood options is still simmering with discontent. Measures so far taken have not brought visible improvements. Here too meeting of heads are needed. Of course when all is said and done NDA led by NaMo is the best bet under the prevailing circumstances in the country. But still a lot needs to be done. NDA needs to slow down in its new initiative spree, instead spend more time in reviewing what’s already being done and see that there is progress and these initiatives are benefitting all those who are the intended target group, including the last man out there.