There is much optimism on India’s economic future
Fine! Then what are the Prime Minister’s priorities to reach out the poor?
The Prime Minister, after the flush of victories in UP and other states, has now come to the theme that he would reach out to the poor. Wonderful! But are his new priorities to attack poverty? You see, it is an old theme. The poor are very much here and they also constitute the world’s largest population, you know?
So, no government honestly anywhere in the world had given any new mantra to accelerate the economic growth.
If the PM sits for a moment and thinks, then he would find himself against a rock! The UP farm loan waiver to the extent of Rs.35,000 crores is in a large state where the expenditure in the current year in agriculture comes to just 2-3%!
So, what sort of relief the farmers would get. And so too other states. The states are in heavy debts. So, the farm loan waiver is no sure remedy to help the poor farmers, not just farmers but other poorer sections. So you need serious policy framework. Rural India is a complex web.
So too the urban migration. Jobs haven’t been created at the rate as Yogi Adityanath imagines.
So, the CM has to spell out more job creating industries. More innovative industries. So, industrial investments also need incentives. The Yogi too has to go for full-page ads and global investment conference. But he seems to be still talking about other priorities, including a Hindurashtra!
Also, the PM has to have an all India perspective. The rivers, from Teesta to Ganga-Southern rivers link is a high priority. But there is no such indication from the PM’s pronouncements so far.
It is also important that other parties too much co-operate with the government.
It is for the Congress to realise that its persistence with dynastic politics doesn’t take it anywhere.
We have to say certain uncomfortable things about the opposition party. Manmohan Singh can help either the ruling party or the opposition party. Otherwise he has to just retreat. He seems to be giving conflicting signals. He should advise Sonia and Rahul what use he can have to the party.
Otherwise, he should allow the party to do things in a different way. The Congress is a large party. It is a historic party. It has to rediscover its mission. The party, to start with should conduct a weekly seminar, though a small seed, on the future ideology of the party. Every week, an evening one speaker must be speaking to a small audience on the critical next steps. It should be a political topic. Say liberalist politics for a multi-party and multi-cultural society.
There should be open discussions and debates within the confines of the party headquarters. Sonia or Rahul must receive visitors or they should make up their minds to retire and be advisors.
Let us all be a bit honest. Our meetings with senior leaders in Delhi show a pathetic picture. Every senior seems to give the impression that the existing state of affairs with some office and a bungalow seems alright and they seem to imagine they can hang on for an indefinite period!
This is a foolhardy affairs. We warn them. Politics doesn’t wait for messiahs! The bad guys are pushed out. Today, there is a wide awakening. Education has spread. Migration has woken up even the illiterates. Old time loyalties are weakened. Let there be a national consensus on the basic economic and Parliamentary political agendas! WE are a democracy. There is no point to look for any nostalgia. Let us look forward and move towards a honourable self-introspection! Thank you!
l say that the world did not prepares to deal with the emerging risks. Gates says that “getting ready for a global pandemic is every bit as important as nuclear deterrence and avoiding a climate catastrophe”. we are concerned with immediate military conflicts and refugee crises but then, as Bill Gates has warned in a recent speech that climate and technological threats are a reasonable probability ,catastrophe may cost millions of lives in the next decade.
Why, here is one more dire predictions! Next 50 years, we are told, are crucial and depending on how countries are able to cut emissions over the next 50 years will determine the conditions of people’s lives on earth. This is from the Stockholm university’s Resilience Centre! The dire predictions are too much and when we think of future we have to keep this aspect of the Paris climate agreement in mind as well.