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Reducing poverty
Cruising to success
Trivialised |
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Strategy to tackle poverty
The VP’s ‘darshan’
‘The bottomline is that these mosquito bites from Pakistan must stop’
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Reducing poverty India is behind Nepal, Bangladesh and Rwanda in poverty reduction, according to an Oxford University study released recently. The study, based on research in 22 countries, measured poverty through a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) which looked at indicators like health, education and living standards. The study does not throw up a single formula for decreasing poverty.
Bangladesh improved on sanitation and school attendance; Nepal scored on nutrition, electricity and child mortality; and Rwanda excelled in sanitation and water. At the current rate of progress these countries can eradicate poverty as assessed by the MPI in 20 years, while it will take India 41 years to do so. Within India the best-performing states are Kerala and Andhra Pradesh and the worst are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. The Oxford study puts a question mark on the efforts of the Centre and states to lift the poor out of poverty. Opinion is divided on India’s definition of poverty. Earlier, it was assessed on the basis of the amount spent to consume a certain number of calories, which put the number of people below the poverty line at 27.5 per cent of the population. Later, a committee set up under economist Suresh D. Tendulkar calculated poverty taking into account the spending on food, health and education. This put the number of the poor in India at 37.2 per cent, which fell to 29.8 per cent by 2011. There has been some reduction in poverty in recent years but not enough. After the 1991 economic reforms the GDP growth rate has accelerated but so have income disparities. India may be shining, Bharat is not. For inclusive growth the Centre and states focus more on handouts to the poor than spending on water, nutrition, affordable houses, education, health and employment generation. Systemic leakages ensure a large part of freebies do not reach the poor. The PDS has failed to deliver in many parts of the country. Malnutrition persists though food rots in the open. Focus must shift from populism to over-all human development if India is to emerge as a genuine economic power.
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Cruising to success
The
successful test-firing of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile that was launched underwater is an important milestone in the nation’s quest of acquiring weapons that would act as deterrents. The supersonic missile, which is built with Russian collaboration, is said to be the first of its kind in the world. The launch is also a much-needed shot in the arm of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) since it comes just a week after its long-range subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay veered off-target and had to be remotely detonated before it could complete its flight. The 290-km-range and speed make the newly tested version of the cruise missile a formidable anti-ship weapon. The BrahMos project has empowered the nation, with its ship and ground-launched versions. BrahMos, a portmanteau formed from the names Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers, is a good example of successful Indo-Russian defence collaboration. The DRDO and NPO Mashinostroyenia have shown how they can work well together. The Russian Federation and India have been gainers from the experience. During a recent visit of Defence Minister A K Antony to Russia, they agreed to broaden cooperation on developing the next generation air-launched hypersonic BrahMos-2 missile. Such a missile would be capable of speeds of 3,800-5,300 mph. The success of the 15-year-old programme, in spite of some failures along the way, shows how excellence can be built into systems and organisations. While the DRDO cannot claim an unalloyed record, the latest achievement will give it a boost. The changing and challenging geo-political environment has necessitated increasingly sophisticated weapons systems, and the BrahMos is yet another weapon in the arsenal that India needs to successfully negotiate an increasingly complicated world. Our scientists and defence engineers who were tasked with producing such weapons have demonstrated their capability yet again.
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Trivialised
When atrocities against women are on the rise, one expects the elected representatives of our democracy to be a bit deferential towards women, at least in the case of women of substance. When the criminal justice system is aiding faster delivery of gender-related cases with modern, reformed and just laws to help women fight social injustices, it is shocking how our political class continues to live in a time-warp of obsolete patriarchy.
Their behaviour continues to echo a nineteenth century mindset that lulls them into the slumber of delusion of their gender superiority. Else, how could an MLA from Haryana pass derogatory remarks on a national-level woman coach of kabaddi, under whose tutelage India has won six gold medals in different international events? Sunil Dabas is also the first woman coach from Haryana and the fourth in the nation who is conferred with a Dronacharya award. These are not small feats for a woman who hails from a small village in Jhajjar district. The incurable myopia of these so-called leaders fails a fair vision when it concerns a woman’s accomplishments. Then their foot in the mouth disease compels them invariably to pass a comment on the way a woman dresses up. In this particular case when the MLA suggested the woman coach should wear a ‘decent’ dress like saree or salwar-kameez, he not only showed a complete lack of common sense for the requirements of clothing of a kabaddi coach, but also undermined all her other accomplishments by trivialising her person to her dress. In the debate preceding the clearance of the anti-rape Bill, one witnessed the same mindset, where politicians of all shades romanticised women as devi, mata and behen but refused to acknowledge them as persons equal to them. Quite befittingly, in this case, the young girls of the engineering college where the MLA was invited protested against his objectionable behaviour, forcing him to leave. Next time, hopefully, the MLA will wake up from his patriarchal slumber to acknowledge women’s power. |
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A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy? —Albert Einstein
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Strategy to tackle poverty
India
has witnessed rapid economic growth at 8.5 per cent (CAGR, 2004-05 to 2011-12) and is poised to be among the top two economies of the world by 2050. However, this alone cannot ensure a good quality of life to all its citizens. We need to focus on inclusive growth. The idea of inclusive growth is well reflected in the government’s agenda and plans. The focus on inclusive growth which was a key priority for the 11th Five Year Plan continues in the approach of the 12th Five Year Plan also, which lays down faster, more inclusive and sustainable growth as its key objective. In a country like ours, where 32.7 per cent of the Indian population still lives under $1.25 per day, with 43 per cent of children being underweight and 48 per cent of children stunted, inclusive growth is the best ideology. Absence of inclusive growth often leads to social unrest and revolutions and there are many examples globally. In the long run we cannot have pockets of prosperity amidst widespread poverty and deprivation. For the country to be a truly developed nation, all its citizens have to be a part of the Indian growth story. Therefore, the agenda of inclusive growth is not just a social responsibility but a precondition if we have to survive as a civilized nation. So, what should be the action plan? The answer lies in reviving the agriculture sector and focusing on manufacturing sector and skill development. Agriculture is a critical sector for sustained economic growth and food security for our billion-plus population. More than half of the population depends on this sector for its livelihood either directly or indirectly. With the north accounting for 31.7 per cent of the national agricultural GDP, the sector gains even more prominence for the region. The agricultural sector can be given a big push by necessary policy interventions such as strengthening agricultural infrastructure, facilitating the supply chain network, strengthening contract farming, crop diversification, thrust to the food processing sector, creating common agriculture markets and seamless integration of agricultural value chain from the farm to the fork. Another aspect of inclusivity is employment and livelihood opportunities for the masses. It is estimated that in 2020, around 65 per cent of the population will be in the working age group. The employment opportunities in the agriculture sector have already reached a saturation level. Moreover, the services sector requires highly skilled manpower. So, the onus lies on the manufacturing sector to provide additional employment opportunities and livelihood avenues. The Indian manufacturing sector is going through a tough phase owing to global slowdown, high interest rates, lack of skilled manpower, infrastructure bottlenecks, etc. Presently, the share of the country’s manufacturing sector in GDP is only 15 per cent as compared with China’s share at 34 per cent and Thailand’s at 40 per cent. However, this low share is not commensurate with the size and potential of the country. It will be difficult for the country to achieve inclusive growth unless we increase the share and growth of the manufacturing sector in the economy. Understanding the importance of manufacturing in the context of inclusive and economic growth, the Government of India has framed the National Manufacturing Policy. The CII has worked closely with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in drafting the discussion paper and also the policy. The CII believes that the policy would be immensely helpful in addressing the major concerns of the manufacturing sector and we are also working closely with the government in the implementation of the policy. The target of the National Manufacturing Policy is to increase the share of manufacturing sector in GDP to 25 per cent by 2025, thereby creating 100 million new employment opportunities. This will require the manufacturing sector to grow at 12-14 per cent per annum. However, this rapid growth should not be at the cost of the environment. So, focus should be on green manufacturing and employing sustainable production practices towards the sustainable growth of the manufacturing sector. The north can greatly benefit from the National Manufacturing Policy and is best suited to emerge as a hub of manufacturing activity. However, North India being landlocked has been unable to fully tap the potential of its manufacturing sector. The high transportation costs added to the cost of finished goods impacting the manufacturing competitiveness of the region. The proposed mega infrastructure projects such as the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors will prove to be the game changers for the region. About 50 per cent of the Western and 65.7 per cent of the Eastern corridor will transverse through the region. These projects have the potential to enhance the manufacturing and industrial activity in the region and enhance connectivity to the eastern and western ports of the country, giving fillip to the region’s manufacturing sector. This in turn will help in the creation of more employment opportunities and boosting the region’s economic and inclusive growth. The other aspect is how to effectively leverage our human capital. According to an estimate, by 2020, the average person in India will be only 29 years compared with 37 in China and the US, 45 in West Europe and 48 in Japan providing India with a huge demographic dividend advantage which is expected to continue till 2040. We thus have a window of three decades of immense opportunity. To achieve this requires equipping the youths with appropriate industry-linked skill sets and make them employable, necessary to make manufacturing more competitive and thereby promoting inclusivity in growth. However, only 2 per cent of the existing workforce in India has skill training against 96 per cent in South Korea, 75 per cent in Germany, 80 per cent in Japan and 68 per cent in the United Kingdom as per the 11th Five Year Plan. In this respect, corporates can fill the gaps in training and skill development through the internship programmes specific to their industry and partnering with ITIs in identifying skill deficits in various sectors and providing employment opportunities. This will serve a dual purpose of plugging the skill deficit in the manufacturing sector and also fulfilling the corporate social responsibility. The CII has taken the mandate of catalysing industry’s involvement in India’s social development agenda and of bringing the social objectives, including skill development, into every corporate
boardroom. The writer is Chairman, CII, Northern Region, and Executive Chairman, Fortis Healthcare Ltd. |
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The VP’s ‘darshan’
Dr
Radhakrishnan, when he became President of India, was acclaimed as the philosopher-king and a great exponent of Hindu religion and philosophy. Even as Vice-President, he had such a stature that he could pat Pope, Stalin and Mao-se-Tung on their cheeks. Known all over the world for his scholarship, oratory and his analysis of the Hindu thought, he evoked feelings of pride and admiration. As Vice-President, he once visited Ambala Cantonment in the 1960s for a function organised by The Tribune. For me it was a golden opportunity to see this great man of learning. I paddled fast on my bicycle to be on time. Dressed in a long “band gala” coat, dhoti, wearing his ‘pagadi’ – all white — tall and erect, he exuded grace and calm composure. When he spoke, it was like Melvel de-Mellow reading his news bulletin in English on AIR. Each word fell on the ears of the audience with rare resonance. I resolved to see him in person some day. Our college organised a sightseeing trip, including a visit to Delhi. I guess it was the month of December and winter was not severe. While driving around Delhi and visiting various monuments, we chanced to be in front of the Vice-President’s residence on Maulana Azad Road. I recalled my resolve to meet Dr Radhakrishnan one day in person. Not being a scheduled destination, our professor in charge of the trip was extremely reluctant to meet the Vice-President without prior appointment. Some students and I vehemently insisted that we take a chance. Security at the Vice-President’s residence was hardly visible. All of us got down and stood in a body at the entrance gate. Through the sentry we conveyed our request to the Vice-President’s staff for a “darshan” of Dr Radhakrishnan. The staff hesitated but sensing our keenness, our request was conveyed to the Vice-President. Very promptly, a “durree” was spread on the front lawn and a chair was placed for Dr Radhakrishnan to sit. We all sat on the ground. It looked as though we were holding a “dharna” demanding his “darshan”. A while later, Dr Radhakrishnan came slowly to the place where we all sat. We all got up and paid our respects. Our teacher apologised for barging in unannounced but also mentioned how keen we were to have his “darshan”. Dressed in “dhoti”, a full sleeve sweater with a shawl around his shoulders and not wearing his “pagadi”, his fair skin and his-gold rimmed glasses, he appeared at ease with himself. No trace of any annoyance for having to meet us without appointment. The king-philosopher gave us a short and inspiring discourse on the role of students in nation-building. He, particularly, exhorted us to refrain from anything that came in the way of our studies. He spoke without any pause and we listened spellbound. At last, he put his hand on his bald pate and said in low tone that the sun was sharp –— it was a signal to us that the meeting was over. Those were the days when taking autographs of great people and celebrities was a craze. I produced a small paper, which he saw and said this is not an autograph book but obliged by writing on it “Radha” and walked towards his colonnaded residence.n
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