Growth v/s Development

Near obsession with the Economic Growth, the state has keen on pursuing the agenda and has forgotten the debates on the Human Development and Sustainable development. Growth would take care of Employment, Education and Health of citizens, thats the mantra we had been pursuing till the recent plan periods. Country has witnessed increasing dissatisfaction in the associated parameters which is related to development. Our annual ritual of the budget does not mention the development goals the world bodies have set out, and we being signatory of it continue to provide lip service.

One recent deliberations on the GDP verses Employment at a national seminar, speakers mostly agreed the lack of relationship between the two, since there is little hope for the organised sector to provide employment, the GDP growth to which they contributes remains non-distributive. Even though the rich demographic dividend which country enjoys by having larger share of youth, would fizzle away if proper actions are not taken. Planning for the given targets and centralization of the growth is leading to backlog on many fronts, we are not doing enough for the youth, women and children. More so, the dance of capital by the way of massive land acquisition has affected the informal economies (which provides employment to 94 percent of work force).

What happens at the state and district levels in development? This has remained elusive in absence of any field data, the information shared by the agencies are hardly verifiable in the actual context. The race for claiming the best acheivements is increasing and districts have been improving their social database rather, playing with data to get positive funding. The failure of programs or otherwise the machanisms have never been detterent in getting sweeping change. The business as usual attitude of planning agencies, force the people to question the validity of the state and in many respect might emerge as distinct social and political agenda for the future.

The distribution of wealth (if at it happens) remains a token sustainance by the state to the people by the way of providing employment guarentees for a limited period. This would never been possible for the urban areas, and thus discontent and corruption prevails in attainment of the social goals of individuals.

Regional backlogs and growth measurements are still not done in many parts of the country and way forward seems to be distributing cash to the hand of people, increasing the doles further in countryside. What makes governments to bypass the constitutional obligation? The right to life and dignity is compromised by system seems to be incapable in dealing with issues.