Cusp of Democracy, accepting development and the New Government

Elections is nearing to end in the heat of 2019 in India for the national government. Some say this is to save the democracy and others for the security of Nation under threat from terror. The response of the people is neither hysterical nor its indifference. There is a spate of reasoning given to politically finish the erstwhile ruling party but more the suppression it resulted in the expansion of thoughts. The personal aura of the current ruling party faces a crisis for putting its mask over the face of its candidate. The overselling of ideas, high pitch debates and declaration of nationalism has been a political drama guided both by the leader and his media supporters. A successful pitch stays straight and stressed on its main plank of development but a deviation to suit the political outcome is showing discomfort and lack of confidence of the ruling party.

There is a rise of leaders in hordes in response to the singular leader of a ruling party. The face of person so loved or hated is the point of an axis in India politics over the last five years. No matter the ideas of development continued from the government kudos to the people who engaged themselves in providing their ideas. The schemes of success or rather a failure did not enchant the voters for long. India slips back to traditional social dynamism linking with political outcomes. The ignorance of voters now depends on the pitch of media which could never be abstained for being polarised. The expense of the election is high for the government and rather many folds to the parties who were fighting for it. The cost of India democracy has increased but the focus of the development still remain fixed with farmers, youth, poverty and employment. The more the deviation more the dissatisfaction of the electorate. The threat to democracy is from the people who diverted the debates and ready to get away with it by raising and playing the emotional issues.

To an extent, the development of rural India cannot be negated with glittering lights in the cities. The hinterland of India now demands attention and basics of infrastructure might be the deciding factor in this election. The relations with Pakistan may not improve as the majority has won election and minorities in the country has been ignored to showcase political upmanship. There is a possibility of fractured mandate this time to adopt a corrective path without disturbing the essence of Indian constitution. The disturbance at the institutional structure is surprising when central agencies, defence forces, judiciary, planning, banking and commerce feel fate depends on government in power. They are going to lose anyway by following and ignoring someone destined to be powerful.

The point of uncertainty when elections results are yet to declare, makes people feel too long for wanting to go ahead. The country holds breadth after a long pause, last time it happened during 1997-99. The change in the situation would also mean omission or negation of lead whereas efforts lost but continuity would also mean finishing the institution to establish a new wave of governance. There is a possibility of both, yet new government in India would be exciting for all to forecast the arrival of a competitor who needs to face bullying by the US and China.

There are hope and despair in accepting the new government in the nation, not making a life for social media writers easier. A series of humour would continue with new government prank making somebody's nights sleepless. The hunch by industrialists and investors would drive the mood of the nation, however, the spirited entrepreneurship would find its way in to journey to the future. We are into the cusp of democracy when the maturity of the nation is to be achieved by the year 2022. India@75 would be again interesting for the world for the learning it is going to offer a nation. Who so ever may come in power must make nation shine with the hopes for generations to come. Be a part of global society and enhance the partnership to sustain our needs and vision for the future.

Right to Question must be made fundamental to make Government Responsible

The three year session is closed for 'Modi Sarkar' and the leader is making five country trip take the feedback for his governance. The restlessness is visible among the leader but the others in the team is quietly following leader with blind system of believe. The media, politicians and capitalist have taken the right of the people to question, they have made questions pre-conceived to benefit the ruling parties.

The problems and issues of the people across the nations are overshadowed with debates where agenda of the parties across is overcasting the concerns of the masses. The money of the people were extracted to fulfill the coffers of the banks not as customers but as tax payers. The shadow of government over the banks have targeted the lower and middle class to get away with debts which were planned, executed and sustained by banks. The people were made to believe that they were doing service to nation when their rights as the customers were curtailed through executive orders of the governments.

Now when the impacts on the markets are negative the same banks would again start giving the additional funds to these very enterprises who never bothered to return the finance they could not return. The failure to understand the black money over black economy was huge when they were after black money the economy flourished. The corruption in the system did not go down instead the digital was deliberately used to channelize the funds to have organized crimes. Its hard for the person on the street to understand the micro economies when interest rates of the loans to SME's or households were not brought down but subsidies was passed from govt to banks through people using PMAY scheme.
The doomed real estate sector is recharged with govt. support to en cash the market using the funds when little surplus is available to govt. budget. Even if 10 percent of the households buy new house in India it would require more than Rs. 62500 crores per annum to finance loan subsidy from GoI. This is non workable beyond few years and budgeted.  
The inter-caste conflicts in the nation have disturbed not only the largest state but has potential to move the communities across the nation. Though the government wanted to derecognise the caste and community divide through slogans like Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas but little they realise the diversity of the community in India requires prudent policies and actions. The dominance of the communities over another in the name of religion is first step people in India the second step would be to target the supressed. The fears of the communities have not been addressed by the political class but divisions were sustained.

The division within the political parties ruled state have been more stark in current centre state relationships where even the BJP ruled states have stopped questioning the government. The media do not ask independent questions, the social media is filled with trollers or paid agents who would hound the celebrities for any negative remarks against the government.
The one way communication of the government through single spokesperson i.e. PM himself has done more damage to India. The government functionaries like officials, ministers etc are not responsible for peoples question but the ruling party spokesperson is responsible for answering. The media instead of confronting the government is playing the troll with party in power across the nation. They behave differently in local, state and national level, the regional parties are feared locally but muted nationally by them.
The questions posed by farmers, professionals, educationists, entrepreneurs are never replied by the government but information is provided about what is befit of the government. The election mode in which government has remain since last few years have not resulting in questions, where instead of the answer the mandate becomes the response. The ruling parties and their policies more than bridging the people's demand have imposed the thoughts of their parent think tanks. This shows the emergence of the parties were not from the people but from ideology based institutions who were supposed to be given free hand during their governance.
The right to information is more potent, but just a thinking can it be converted into right to question and seeking answers from the public organizations. Since the information has low potent where if the questions for which information is sought remained unanswered.

The Irony of Corrupt Nation - A Two Year Revolution?

Remember the campaign by Indian Against Corruption, the stage set for the revolution under the leadership of Shri Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejrival, and others. The protests and high pitch action at Delhi transformed the force against the congress regime which was later picked up by the leading opposition party for an political opportunity. The seats of power was later unseated by the steady political campaign and later seeds of anti-corruption force gained power in the centre and state. The present government has benefited from the anger of the middle class on the political governance of the nation.

The theme of anti-corruption rules the political dialogue among the power circles when the ruling party charges again and again for its desire to remove corruption from the nation. From political cause to general corruption indicator, the developing nation like India continues to be branded corrupt and unethical. The free market economy and globalization era also led to opening of the economy to transnational corporations. The political class on the other land found lucrative to attempt intrusion of the MNC towards its economy. But all these also required earning the goodwill of the government by bribing the ministers and bureaucrats. Where else you can find the corruption promoted to facilitate the private players to have play in the market and capture the consumer early. In most of the cases the government is biggest consumer with most of the private players wanted the share of government sector which was thrown open to privatised.

The telecom, railways, road, banks, power and consumer goods were segments were disinvestment were made and red carpet was allocated to private players. The capital investment of any sorts were required to be translated on ground through benefiting the political parties in power. The parties with increasing cost of election, keeping electorate happy and purchasing the votes tend to indulge in easy money and thereby increased the corrupt nation image in world.

The current government even though tries to erase the image of the corrupt nation the basic ingredients remains same the political parties are vary from getting donation through legitimate means. The electoral reforms and resultant political expenditure has not led to reduction in corrupt practices. The evidence of the selecting and electing the 'money bags' means people who are rich and can spend amount required to be candidate is preferred over others. What must be changed is the manner in which the political parties  collecting funds from various sources. The corruption is among the government function not on the common citizens. The large brokers are more serious crime than pitty brokers with Rs.100 charge on their services. The image of country is tarnished with close nexus between the government servents, politicians and businessman. This has not reduced infact they act as gate keepers in order to control the flow of people towards decision makers. They make access to decision makers difficult. You cannot run enterprise with straight face, you must be humble to people in power.

They are the one who decides your fate, the two year massaih of people who keeps on reminding 60 plus year of corrupt nation must understand the greed of market based economy, The ever corrupt system is due to urge of the economic players to maximise the profit with minimum investment. The corrupt nation tag is not due to people and common person who simply wants to have poor interface with government. The connection with the government due to its subsidised nature of governance must be reduced. The transfer of the power to people has not happened and its difficult to make the government offices respond to people needs efficiently. The political parties cannot be only torch bearers, but unfortunatly they have taken the role of being sole authority and with little understanding of the national character they are likely to come back to same old tactics.

The people who started the anti-corruption drive is on side lines and one of serious opposition to the current government shows the fragmentation and ideological divide on who is fighting against the graft. The fall back on the current leadership also indicates the heads needs to be counted on the faces of new corrupt systems. The two year also resulted in the corrupt practices with more government departments getting private players and tenders being rigged to protect and provide for particular suppliers.

The lobby system works in market economy, the planned system gone its only money which is available to flow.

Planning Commission gone to dustbin, now 'Niti Ayog' : India reduced to blah blah development

The government must set the priority on the basic essence of Indian planning system. The proposed renaming of planning commission, has no meaning unless there is functional change. Its not clear what the government wants, just throwing away the organisation and function is not the intention. May be blindly following the US way of doing of the things means we are entering into capitalist based economic system. But this would always increase fight between the states, and center should have minimum role in planning of state. Are states prepared to open planning and policy making. Policy making at the national level had been centres task and planning commission did many good things, just before rejected due to dislike of developed state as well as BJP ruled states. The axis of development would change post congress era but whether it should go away from constitutional commitments. If not, planning commission is best option available with little reform to suit the current macro requirements. Its sad that intellectuals and politicians who had taken big and bold steps are silent on serious basis of Indian economic and development system. This also shows serious lapse on our commitment to the world bodies. Is that so simple to change the name ' Niti Ayog' i.e. Policy commission, what about five year plan, we are getting away from plan regime means we do not now talk of poverty, inequality, inclusion and employment, but talk more of export-import, national security, industries, SEZ and urbanization. The national macro priorities have flipped now till they receive some serious thoughts from planning from below.

The policy making is loose till there is some essence in planning. Many have in past talked about planning from below, which mean decentralization of decisions. India needs to rethink on the development agenda at par with the directions from the UNDP or ADB or WTO or UNFCC in order to follow the agenda of world on one hand and look for the solutions for the problems at hand. The land and agricultural policies connected with the livelihood of the masses cannot be resolved by making policy (we already have plenty). The centre needs to redistribute the funds in order to reduce the inequality amongst the states and its people. The resources in the country is not equally distributed thus making the role of centre very important to address the regional and sector based issues.

The past commission did not pay much attention to the regional needs including those of states and districts, the legislative power given to the local bodies including district authorities also needs to be enhanced. The district development plans must now be given top priority while taking for the developments. Most of the problem facing the country are felt locally and can be resolved by having the integrated development plans. The resource exploitation has become serious threat to the eco-systems, fueling the migrations trends. The justifiable development must be achieved by going towards the people centeric approach in planning.

Where is direction to the nation by changing these names, the frequency of neglect of the primary and secondary sector is serious. While growth may happen from the FDI investments but this would also destroy the synergies between the people and state. The manufacturing capacities of the Indian people and markets are understated and killed by systematic intrusion by the foreigners in our economic space. It seems we would be back to the imperialism of economic character with more loose strings now going into the MNC giants. The vested interest have taken now control of the economic systems to retain the benefits of economic growth to few and planning to leave the rest of India on its own.

Instead of reviving the public systems if governments in power in centre and state chooses to ignore them, there is going to be total chaos in social order which might be starting from below. The time might be appropritate for the citizens and working class to understand that their strengths are misunderstood in present context. India, must be awake to the changes and support where ever  these are appropriate but also be strong enough to resist the change which can hamper their economic and social prospects. 

Upsetting the Planning Commission: Old Wine in New Bottle

The setting of the planning commission in year 1950, an about 54 years ago and up to 12th five plan it served the nation with advising the central government and directing the states from time to time. The planning commission established to promote and protect the rights of the citizens. The development planning emerges as science which was practiced and researched while we planned for our nation. The basis of planning commission was following;

The Constitution of India has guaranteed certain Fundamental Rights to the citizens of India and enunciates certain Directive Principles of State Policy, in particular, that the State shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting as effectively as it may a social order in which justice, social economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of the national life and shall direct its policy towards securing, among other things:-
(a) that the citizens, men and women, equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood;
(b) that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to sub serve the common good; and
(c) that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment.

With new government elected in May2014, there is urge to change and new direction to be sought from the organisation which now is allowed to shut and become defunct. The new regime with eyes on the growth of economy, and post libralization effects give rise to capital and market based policy making. The rights based approach subsided by the economic and employment concerns of the urban India. The rising middle class and their hopes giving way to new thinking promoting greater participation from the enterprises. 

The so called 'think tank' based approach is not new, the guards changed with planning commission paid fitting obituary to its structure and planned era by going beyond the means by extending itself too much into the political economy. India has not achieved coordinated growth among the stakeholders like the states and centre, the federal structure needs to be strengthened with states taking more responsibility in planning.

The tiff between centre and state in earlier regime and emergence of Gujarat Model with more action towards inviting the private players and high stake of state in capital investment. The sector based growth in Gujarat, with more corporate segments of government, due to emergence of companies owned and sustained by Government. The model succeeded in reducing the government department to signing authorities and release of lumpsum financial support to new organisations. The improvised management techniques minus lack of government (middle level management) helped these government run corporate to functions. But none of the corporate (of government) was evaluated for its result except their contribution and zeal in signing the MoUs with limited companies. Public-Private partnership was done in true spirit with both the parties unshackled themselves from the government systems except receiving the financial aid and decision ability. The American dream of Gujarat government to establish the brand succeeded in making the model adaptable to wider use once the ruling party came to power in India.

Now, the model needs to be tested on India's economic fate yet, failing to recognize the need there is little doubt that the re-organised decision making body will not be planning commission. This would work as disinvestment commission on one hand when government departments would give birth to state run enterprises. Eventually, PPP model bringing out the change (financial control) to their own hand for quick decision making. It would be hard to replace the planning commission, by its nature but its easy to open a new way of governance with no government in place to decide the path to development. State and local bodies now need to compete among themselves to get the wider power and investment. It would be not long before they come together to demand more assistance and thus market playing its role.

'Development' in Political Debates: Beyond People Just Elections

Whatever had been our development philosophies the elections have covered a close agenda with parties after parties have not accepted that there is some requirements which can always grow. The needs are endless and thereby no one can satisfy the needs of people to a hundred percent centrality. Thats why we also see the 'development' now equated with 'roti, kapda aur makan' along swasth aur shiksha (Food, Cloth and Shelther along with Health and Education) as the basics of development.

For any development analysis this would be easy plan,

(a) Even America fails on this pretext because these are growing demands and government often do not reach to the target because of many of the people are out of reach to the governments. India too stands on similar line but more harsher, if you want to target any government you may find plenty of instances where they fail on these counts. There are people who are out these circle of development needs (as mentioned above) because they are wealthy and support themselves. In countries like India 80 percent are dependent on the government for these 'development' needs. Even countries like USA, UK and France more population is dependent on state lead mentioned 'development' doles.

(b) Nine out of the ten country would move along with the population growth, but high growth of population and lack of economic attainment do not allow the people to catch up with others. The cycle of poverty catches them since they seldom have resources to match up with the growing demands. What then a 'development politician' can do to serve the people? The promises to supply them enough finance and materials to fight with needs the governments does not reach to all the citizens groups. May be due to priority and difference among those who are authorized to supply. The different and specific approaches benefits only few but harms many for the want of 'development needs'.

(c) Politicians often claim my development is better than yours, but they often forgets the coffers are same, the finance and ability to meet the requirements of the citizens can not be different during the various political regimes. Recent claims and counter claims of the political parties to become messiah of one or other citizen groups often fall flat due to inabilities of the leaders to understand the development sourcing which are same. No amount of work can satisfy the hundred percent population and opposition would always puncture the long lasting claims of ruling parties.

(d) The media houses across the globe is used by the political parties to fool the citizens in favour  of their idea of development, which revolves around the similar development wheel. The image maker overs to market the 'development' products, which are packaged to suit the party and their ideologies. In countries like India there seems to offers from the media managers to take the political leaderships to these development rides advertising the political campaign to sell the 'development products' offered to citizens. 

Election in democracy is chance for the political leaderships to claim the development efforts by the governments, forgetting that they are by chance the trustees of such works. Its the who system which functions to provide for the 'development needs' of the people. Why do the claims of the parties to correct the wrongs be accepted, which in a way justifies the role of political class to claim the development outcome. The scores of industrialists, academicians, scientists and others who toil hard to reach to there goal thereby contributing to the development requirements often feel neglected and fooled by the political class. The assumed power of the political class and their debates often circles around reducing the development to their party framework, forgetting the needs of the people. 

Development: Must be removed from the shackles of Bad Economics

Election once again has started throwing data on the public forum, when the services of the economists are being used to measure the merits of the development. The key holed eyed economist are again judging using the time and variables which they only can define as the unit for the representation of their argument. The reinvention of the data takes place which even the original collectors of information like NSSO, RBI, WB, or others would have imagined to use. The deconstruction of the economy in the claim to be politically correct development jumps out of the economic boxes and does a shadow boxing for the political masters. The utility of the Nobel and ultra Nobel, elite economists thrown out of race of award often fight for the opposition whom this gentlemen represent. The representation of data in the favour of the parties who tries to disown the economic preferences of the ruling parties often treat the data from the government as farce and not to be quoted. In most of the cases they build the economic argument based on the political notion of the justification as if the data (if its so) can be manipulated to suit a political agenda.

In a way the political masters do not control the economic affairs as it is made to believe, they are not one who can feed the poor or even stop the down slide of the economy. They are no way responsible for the development status of the people, why the economists make us believe that what you are looking at is the outcome of the political gentlemen/women who tried very hard to save you from economic oblivion.

The international development forums have often rejected, economic indicators as true representative of the 'development' of the people and regions. What macro economy represents anyway..a state of health regarding the country. There are some who tries to overthrow the planning commission, who rather shall be strengthened for whatever they would have done in last 60 plus years. Is it so easy that for the sake of the political freedom the division of the nation should be accepted. Whether there is political nexus between a national and regional parties to weaken the development strategies from central organisation, for more federal power to the state in the name of financial autonomy. In the competition between the political parties, which in India is getting transformed into the state autonomy (which on the ground is not true) in the macro economic debates turns out to decentralization of power for the sake of political benefits. If at all the states transfers similar financial autonomy to the constituent districts.

Development in the election year have become a show game for the political parties often reflecting the feudal mindset with exclusive political strategies to corner maximum funds from the corporate. The deprived social class as always were granted little political mileage in the development  debate since they rather contribute little to the national and state domestic product. The growth charts cannot be filled while the poor are serviced by the state, the free education, land rights, rights to health, forest rights, creation of wealth at grassroots shows no insight from the popular economic theorists and thinkers who run after the political masters for the sake of intellectual acceptance. The realization of the development inputs cannot only be take if there is public-private participation where public means government and private means corporate. The sectors which were limited to the government departments mainly tribal, forest, irrigation, education, health etc were privatized by the government citing bad economics after the post liberalization. But these social change by installing the corporate partners did not help in improvement of social sectors. Most of the economically developed states are examples of giving not so good human development indicators. In fact HDI is common indicators where the economic development has lesser impact if the fundamental resources of the respective states remain intact.

In fact the economic principles practiced by many intellectual who often que before the political class are nurtured by desire to gain the power to have say in handling millions of rupees often at the cost of the common men. The idea of the projects and crores of rupees in the schemes gives immense satisfaction to such who are often not bothered to understand the outcome or forget about the social audit. Most the million rupee scheme are wasted on the lack of monitoring, where outcome is not the goal to which economists have worked rather they limit themselves to the funding.

Lets go back to constitution and allow political parties to readjust their agenda for nation..or else!

Repeated debate on the what is 'secularism' in the political circles, which tries to negate fundamental essence of constitution of India. The recent polarisation effort by the GUJ CM regarding remains true to agenda thrown by the RSS ideologists aimed at redefining the idea of secular nature of India, by claiming to be Hindu Nationalist. The development of nation and its people would clearly depend on the agenda set in motion by the political parties, which over the years have diverted for being, suited to ideologies dear to them either indulging in religious or caste based political lines. Below are text from the Preamble, (source: lawmin.nic.in) for the benefit of understanding what we adopted  as Indian.


"WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India
into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and
to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and
integrity of the Nation;"

This was agenda set by people belonging to all sections and political ideologies and signed by all the members and representative of peoples in 1949. If parties do not agree to this text, they should not have right to propagate their ideologies. The spirit of the constitution is lost during last 20 years for the fight between the party ideologies which tends to divide the nation based on religion and caste or sect line. To practice or propogate the political ideologies the parties has to adhere to constitutional framework. The development issues can only be addressed by working on above ideals, and promoting and securing, Justice, Liberty, Equality and help to maintain unity and integrity of Nation.

People associated with religious or related organisation tend to mix national identities with their religious principles, which can be practiced in their private lives but cannot be enforced to the nation, without any constitutional ammendment. Such organisation who do not adhere to the secular principles as described should be debarred from participating in Indian democratic system. You can practice organisation belief and faith but cannot promote division, hatred and polarisation in society.

When would the content of the constitution and its essence?