Transition from brawn to brain power needed

LAST month, Andhra Pradesh launched an initiative to equip one million residents in quantum technology mechanisms and the manufacturing of quantum computers with the aim of developing the state as a 'quantum valley'. On the day of the launch, 50,000 students from all over the state enrolled in the project, networked through IT connectivity. Coupled with AI inventiveness and an announcement of a Rs 100-crore award to whoever from the state wins the first Nobel Prize in ingenuity, the youth and industry joined the race to meet the challenge. At the other end of the spectrum, nine states, including those perceived as indifferent performers like Assam and Jharkhand, were in Davos in January to project their strengths and attract value chains and digital FDI.

And, what are we, in Punjab, busy with? Political tu-tu-mein-mein, gangsterism and violence, chitta that earned us the sobriquet of udta Punjab, social conflicts, be-adbi and sacrilege episodes that simmer forever, farm agitations, long unresolved inter-state legacy disputes, how to migrate, including by the 'donkey route' and freebies, to name a few.

We are essentially caught in a non-developmental spiral — a society in conflict with itself, a laggard state that has slipped from the first position to the 19th on most economic indicators, including per capita income, a low GDP growth rate with negligible gross fixed capital formation, agrarian distress, ecological crisis, a high unemployment rate and an eclipsed MSME base.

The state must take the major blame for the present situation. It is a failure of the leadership. At the same time, Punjabis themselves are equally culpable. The crisis we face today is intrinsically rooted in our past, our socio-cultural ethos and our attitudes. Politics, society and economy are symbiotically intertwined. Just as there is a political economy, there is also what I call an 'attitudinal economics', which determines developmental outcomes. The governments strive to deliver what the people prioritise or would be happy with. You enjoy free bus rides, you will get those; you want your homes lit free, you will have them. If these lead to a debt-GDP ratio that is the second worst in the country, so be it.

This is not to suggest that we are regressive. It is just that our attitude, orientation and worldview need to be realigned with today's matrix of economic evolution. We are capable of delivering the best. Sir Malcolm Darling, a British administrator, has described the Punjabis as "the finest specimen of men I have ever seen." A confirmation of this comes from the Government of India's latest report on Good Governance Index. It has ranked Punjab as number one among all states in human resource development.

What then has gone wrong? To put it simply, the society has failed to transform itself from brawn to brain or, from somatic dynamism and valour — that led Punjabis to achieving glorious heights and distinctions in 'physical' professions like defence, agriculture, transport and sports — to a 'thinking- and knowledge-driven' people, innovating and comprehending the imperatives of modern knowledge metamorphoses.

Secondly, society's attitude towards markets and commerce, religion, law and crime, government and establishment, women and history, to name a few, influences outcomes. Economics and finance are today's main measures for growth. But a substantial rural part of Punjabis has a poor sense of commerce and fiscal and money matters. Compare Punjabis with Parsis, Gujaratis and Marwaris to know the difference.

We are still consumed by an agrarian ethos, a single sector-driven growth in the historical bind of 'uttam kheti, madhyam vyapar, nakhid chakri' (a proverb highlighting the social hierarchy of professions: agriculture is best, trade/business is medium and working for others (service/jobs) is low). This traditional thought process is mainly behind the prevalence of the production of low-value, soft-farm commodities and survival on around Rs 75,000 crore inducted in the economy as MSP annually. The share of agriculture may have declined to about 25% in the GDP, but nearly 45% of the population still survives on its income, with a fast-degrading ecology. Our aspiration is the Swaminathan pricing formula, little appreciating that it would only enhance the average rural household income to a maximum of Rs 45,000-50,000 a month from the existing Rs 31,500.

Our service sector — 46% of the economy — is characterised by low-value transactions like transport, restaurants, retail trade, real estate, entertainment, etc, with a poorly paid workforce. Industry and FDI, despite our two years' consecutive ranking as 'top performer' by the DPIIT, continue to elude the state. There is negligible surplus capital with Punjab or individuals for setting up new manufacturing units or the much-needed futuristic knowhow.

What is the way out? A crusade to upgrade the human capital in knowledge and skills of the modern development matrix is needed. A campaign as massive as the one undertaken to eliminate illiteracy by ensuring 100 per cent enrolment and adult education is needed. The endeavour should be extended to all sectors of economy and society.

In agriculture, for instance, switch over to precision agriculture and field management, micro-technology and knowledge-driven crops, etc. It will enhance incomes as well as conserve the ecology. The displaced workforce should be simultaneously skilled in other professions, ensuring equity and social justice. There is tremendous scope within the allied sectors. For example, even sub-arid Haryana, with almost no freshwater body, has a higher share in fisheries production and productivity per kg/hectare than the land of rivers, Punjab.

The push requires a huge R & D effort, extension and dissemination mechanism, strengthening of infrastructure, IT and AI backbone. We need handholding by the Central government, private investment and active involvement of corporates. At the same time, we must activate our universities, research institutions and administrative systems and mobilise such social intermediaries as deras, gurdwaras, NGOs and self-help groups to create local-level learning platforms for equitable access. Their effective role during flood relief activities reaffirms their reach, resources and capability. The challenge is to marshal them.

The cost of non-action would be devastating as Punjab is at a tipping point. As historian Arnold Toynbee cautioned — civilisations die not by murder but suicide. The choice is ours, Punjabis.