On the slow train to viksit Bharat

 Deepak Sinha

The one word that best describes the behaviour, attitudes and actions of our political class here, is undoubtedly, infantile! One has to look no further than the storm in the teacup over Dr Manmohan Singh’s funeral, marred by petty infighting and an utter lack of civility on what should have been a solemn occasion. Indeed, the political establishment would do well to heed the wise words of the Athenian, Pericles, written nearly 2500 years earlier, “what you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” Regardless of one’s views about Dr Manmohan Singh’s performance as Prime Minister, it is indisputable that as the Finance Minister he totally changed our lives for the better.

But here’s the nub, it’s not just only politicians who should be in the dock for their crass and superficial behaviour, but each and every one of us as well, for letting them get away with it. The naivety we so readily display, and the lengths we are willing to go to excuse their actions, either because of being fervent supporters, or to avoid having to take a principled stand, is indeed astonishing. The plea that the deluge of information makes it difficult to discern truth from untruth, is nothing more than justifying the unjustifiable. 

For instance, the vast majority of us have been greatly taken in with the vision of Viksit Bharat, a prosperous and developed India, propounded by Prime Minister Modi and the ruling party. We have been led to believe that if we unswervingly follow the Prime Minister’s lead, this vision, that is just over the horizon and well within our reach will become certain reality. Indeed, aspirations are a noble sentiment, as so fittingly expressed by the poet Robert Browning, “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?” 

Nevertheless, in reaching for the stars we seem to have lost our ability to discern between reality and fantasy and  fact from fiction. The simple truth that the philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche,  so aptly pointed out, “he who would learn to fly one day,  must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.”  Seems to have passed us by. Viksit Bharat, to become a reality, cannot be simply pulled out of thin air. Even the most proficient of magicians, and our politicians are just that, would fail in such an endeavour. 

Success, as the Chinese have so brilliantly shown us, requires a stable geo-political and social environment. A visionary, focused and empathetic leadership that has neither personal agenda nor is beholden to others and is committed to providing good governance without fear or favour. But, the most essential ingredient in the mix, that ensures the structure we build rests on a strong foundation, are the people. The necessity for an educated and literate citizenry, that is disciplined, motivated and willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make that vision a reality. Without this critical ingredient, everything else is just simply smoke and mirrors, a house built of cards that will blow away at the first puff of breeze.

It is a no-brainer that without an literate and educated population, society will continue to plumb the depths of ignorance, prejudice, parochialism and superstition, that can also be easily manipulated. It is therefore instructive that the expenditure on education for the first two decades of our Independence never crossed 2% of our GDP, being less than 1% till 1955, at a time when the literacy level was just 12%. Even today, as per the Hindustan Times, it hovers around 3.5% of GDP, when literacy levels are at around 70%. Of this amount, the Central Government contribution is just 25%, while the State Governments contribute the rest. 

Interestingly, as far back as 1966, the Kothari Commission recommended a minimum expenditure of 6% of GDP on education. It therefore, seems fairly obvious that our political masters continue to see an advantage in keeping our population uneducated and illiterate as that allows for the manipulation of vote banks. In the circumstances what hope does the vision of Viksit Bharat have of becoming anything other than just another slogan to win elections, much like Garibi Hatao and Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan. Consequently, health, hygiene, nutrition and sanitation continue to suffer and standards remain at par with Sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest region in the world. Garbage on the streets and in the countryside tell the real story of our progress, or rather the lack of it.  

While many may consider these aspects of little importance and instead point to the fact that we are a U.S. $ 3.5 Trillion economy, well on our way to becoming a US$5 Trillion one before the decade is out. That may be so, but it counts for little, given the fact that income disparity today is greater than it was during the British Raj. As veteran business journalist, RN Bhaskar, points out that as a result of this humungous inequality in terms of income and wealth that hounds us, in 2023, the Per Capita Gross National Income of 90% of the population was US$ 889, if we do not take into consideration the top 10% who account for approximately 60% of our GDP. This per capita GNI, is half that of Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The truth is that this Viksit Bharat train is going nowhere. If the Government is really serious about it, then, it has little choice but to abandon its divisive policies to ensure social stability. It would have to make education the central tenet of its policies and concentrate on providing good governance and rooting out corruption. Actions always speak louder than words and respect has to be earned, not demanded. The irony of it all is that leaving aside the past 500 years or so, this Sub -Continent was the centre of the civilised world for Millennia. The question we need to ask our politicians, and ourselves as well is; are we going to continue wallowing in the past and fighting amongst ourselves, or are we going to grasp the future together to regain our past glory? The answer is in all our hands.