Bhagwat’s wake-up call on affordability matters

IN his recent address inaugurating an affordable cancer-care centre in Indore, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat delivered a pointed admonition: healthcare and education — long seen as societal duties — have morphed into profit-driven ventures, increasingly inaccessible to the common man. Bhagwat’s appeal to resurrect the ethos of “dharma” over corporate-style CSR strikes at the heart of a troubling reality.

For millions of Indian households, the financial burdens of healthcare are crushing. Only around 17 per cent of health spending nationwide comes from public coffers, leaving an overwhelming 82 per cent to be met through out-of-pocket payments. The consequences are acute: hospitalisation can push families into lifelong debt or even poverty. In Punjab alone, households managing chronic illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular disease face catastrophic costs, especially for diagnostics and outpatient services — gaps barely covered by existing insurance schemes. Education tells a similarly dire story. In tier-1 cities, parents are shelling out over Rs 60,000 per child annually, with some dedicating nearly half their monthly income to tuition and related costs. The outrage peaked recently when nursery admission in a Hyderabad school was reported at Rs 2.51 lakh per year, prompting public shock and discussions on runaway educational costs.

These numbers underline a creeping commercialisation. Bhagwat’s critique, coming amid reports of strain between the RSS and the BJP, signals a call for policy redirection: re-emphasise access, affordability and service, not commodification. The Delhi Assembly’s passage of a Bill to regulate private school fees may be an encouraging nod in this direction. The Modi government must heed Bhagwat’s message. Restoring healthcare and education to the realm of rights — not market goods — is vital for social equity. Only by treating these sectors as civic obligations rather than revenue streams can the government bridge ideological divides.