Review letter, July 9, 2013, from
Lakshmeshwar Dayal, Retd. ICS, now living in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Email at L.dayal@hotmail.com.
My dear Israr Hassan Saheb, Adab,
I have read your Travelogue
with great interest. I appreciate your account of conditions in India, as far
as it goes.
Travelling for three weeks
from place to place in a vast country, one can stumble upon facts, but cannot
go behind the facts and find their inter-connection to make a composite
picture. India is struggling with the problem of poverty at the lowest levels
compounded by rising population; its well-preserved democratic system slows
down effective results with problems of this kind. Quite independently of this,
however, India has moved far ahead, socially, politically, and economically,
over past six decades since Independence. I would briefly enumerate some facts
in this letter.
There is nothing
“baffling” about the “legacy” left in the subcontinent by the
British. As they moved closer to granting independence, they made it a part of
their long term strategy to create a soft state on the Northwest which would be
pro-West, and dependent on Western superpowers, as an ally in this region to
checkmark Soviet advance towards South Asia. Post- independent India which had
had a long drawn conflict with the British, under the leadership of Jawaharlal
Nehru, well known as friendly to the Soviet Union could not be depended upon as
an ally during the Cold War period. It was a clear design which Mountbatten
imposed, upon the country, taking advantage of the political circumstances
which prevailed here.
1.
Reviewing the
situation over past 66 years, one cannot fail to notice the unbroken
continuance of parliamentary democracy in India. It may be noticed India’s
army, right since Independence, has been continuously in action meeting with
incessant challenges of external defense as well as internal security, but has
not attempted to enter into the arena of political authority. The democratic
system having taken roots, such a possibility is ruled out. Beginning with its
intervention in Kashmir in 1947, the army has continually been deployed, with
three conflicts with Pakistan, simmering confrontation with Pakistani and
Chinese troops on the Western, and North-Western and with the Chinese on
North-Eastern borders, infiltration by terrorists and encounters with them in
Kashmir, engagement with tribal insurgency in the North East, invasion by China
in 1965 and 1971 War with East as well as West Pakistan. The balance between
civil and military power has, however, never been tilted and the Indian army
has maintained its professional character.
2.
It has to be noticed
that political parties, with conflicting goals and ideologies, have changed
hands in governments in the States as well as at the Center following the
peaceful constitutional process. Violence or clashes during elections are very
rare. This shows the continuing strength of the political system. A significant
enlargement of the democratic rights of the people was provided by the recent
law on the Right of Information. Citizens are now entitled to demand full
information concerning decisions and actions of Government. On failure to
provide the information within the prescribed time, suitable punishment can be
imposed on the guilty officials who omit or delay compliance with the demand.
The law is intended to curb arbitrary actions and highhandedness on the part of
authorities, including those who may have come to office through the electoral
process.
3.
Welfare of Muslims and
other minorities is a high priority program in India and is treated as a
Ministerial portfolio in State Governments as well as in the Central
Government. In addition high level Minority Commissions have been set up
consisting of leading personalities of the same communities to promote and
monitor their educational and economic progress. Scholarships and other
facilities are being made available to poorer students of these communities for
their school and college education. To make higher education accessible to such
students, Government of India has just decided to set up six special
Universities in areas where there is a concentration of Muslims or other
minority communities where 50% of the seats will be reserved for
them. Muslims or Christians have not encountered any handicaps in their
political or professional advancement. Muslims have occupied high positions
such as President, Vice-President, Governor, Chief Justice, Ambassador and Vice
Chancellor.
4.
We should not
exaggerate the diversity of caste as the situation today is vastly different
from how it appeared in the early decades of the past century. In the Hindu
community, lower, backward, and untouchable castes as well as tribal had been
victims of suppression and discrimination for ages, but over the last six decades
history has gone into the reverse. The castes and groups which were so long
denied opportunities of educational and occupational advancement now find this
much easier, compare to the so called upper castes. This has been made possible
by deliberate state policy, providing special funds to enable them to overcome
their age-long backwardness combined with reservation for them in the services.
High powered Commissions have been set up to monitor these programs.
5.
India, as of today,
offers an open landscape for the self-fulfillment of every individual,
irrespective of ethnicity, religion, language, and caste. Social outlook today
is secular and inclusive rather than communal and divisive. At the highest
echelons, persons from diverse groups, without discrimination of religion,
community or gender are working together for a common national agenda. A
Christian woman, a foreigner, is head of the ruling party (Sonia Gandhi), a
Hindu is the President of the country (Pranab Mukherjee), a Muslim is
Vice-President (Hamid Ansari), a Sikh is the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh), a
Muslim is Chief Justice of Supreme Court (Altamash Kabir), a woman of the
untouchable caste is the Speaker of the Parliament (Meira Kumar)
and a Christian is the country’s Defense Minister (A.K. Antony).
6.
There has been
remarkable improvement in income levels since Independence, particularly over
the past three decades, although this has had slow and limited effect on the
large poorest section of the society. The economic growth is evidenced in the
impressive rise in collection of individual and corporate Income Tax over the
past 10 years. It increased by more than 615%, rising from about Rs 69 thousand
crores in 2001-2 to about Rs 494 thousand crores in 2011-12. There has
been similar rise in taxes received from other sectors. Wages in both
government and corporate sectors have consequently recorded enormous rise. The
highest functionary in Government (Secretary to Government) drew a salary of Rs
3,500 in 1980; today this stands at Rs 80,000. The salary of the lowest staff,
the office peon, now is more than double of what the highest functionary was
receiving in 1980.
7.
Increase in income
levels did not benefit the very poor classes, because the development programs
were for long oriented towards infra-structure and long term results. Rise in
standard of living had to depend upon the “trickle-down” effect of these
developments. In the meantime the poor would become poorer and whatever results
would sprout on the ground were cut-down by rising population. The direction of
policy went through a radical change in about three decades ago, when ‘poverty
alleviation’ was adopted as the new strategy. Schemes were launched,
and multiplied over time, for improvement in employment, wages, housing, primary
education, health care and, above all, supply of food grains at cheap rates. In
addition to the on-going programs of providing cheap food grains to the poor,
Government have now promulgated a law for “food security” under which 810
million people, 67% of the population, will be entitled to receive 5 Kg of food
grains in a month at incredibly low prices. Rs 3 per Kg for rice and Rs 2 and
Re 1 for wheat and coarse food grains. A program of direct intervention of such
magnitude to overcome hunger and malnutrition has not been attempted in any
other country.
8.
At the time of
Independence only 40% of the population was above the Poverty
Line. Now more than 80% in the urban areas and 66% in the rural
areas stand above the Poverty Line. The law has granted the Right to Education
to every child between 6 and 14 years of age and primary education for them is
free. Literacy level is now about 74%. There has been extraordinary expansion
of network of hospitals and health centers all over the country. Life
expectancy has, within past six decades, risen from 54 years to 70 years.
Serious diseases like leprosy and malaria have been eradicated and over the
past decade HIV cases have declined by as much as 57%. During the past 2 years
no polio cases have been reported and it is hoped polio too has been
eradicated.
9.
Agricultural activity
in Bihar was not adequate to absorb the landless labor that lived in abject
poverty and year to year they had to migrate to Punjab and Haryana where they
got employed. Over the last five years agricultural operations in Bihar have
developed well and migration of labor has stopped. Land owners from Punjab have
complained about shortage of agricultural labor as their migration from Bihar
had stopped. Agricultural production in Bihar has risen during past 6 years
from 17.32 million tons to 27.9 million tons.
10.
Construction of
highways, trunk-roads and other roads during the last six decades has brought a
sea-change in social and economic life of the people all over the
country. Special attention is being given in Bihar to communications
and 3418 km of roads and 518 bridges were constructed in past five years.
11.
The corporate sector
in India has recorded impressive progress particularly over past three decades
resulting in substantial growth in trade and industry. India has also reached
up to global standards in science and technology including space science. It
has put up its own satellites and this month it sent its first Navigation
Satellite, to monitor movements on land, sea and air, joining the small group
of nations who have set up such satellites.
12.
It was not an
easy task to overcome the consequences of 150 years of an exploitative alien
rule and embark upon economic development on large scale in a democratic set
up. The effort made over past six decades has however shown encouraging
results. India has emerged as a strong, forward looking nation and a rising
economic power in Asia. Its economic potential is considered strong enough to
bring it up as a close second to China.
The country has been moving in the right
direction, although the challenges are enormous.
Regards, L. Dayal
July 9, 2013.
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