The recent Jalan Committee Report has again set in motion the endless debate over the limits of government control in Indian markets.
Be it the ULIP controversy or the present Jalan Committee Report, we are yet to get over the era where the government considers the market and the corporate sector too immature and avaricious to stand for the interests of its country. There is an unfounded presumption in the minds of the policymakers that the private sector should never be given enough leash so as to allow it to grow of its own. It should always have to bend down to the government, for approvals, permits, favours yada yada.
However, even these policies and restrictions have supporters who very often try to justify all this in the name of Gandhian Philosophy as supposedly these impositions intend to prevent the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few. I would like to question this concept of Gandhian philosophy that justifies the stunting of growth of our country by over-protectionism and encourages, rather makes sure, that corruption continues unabated.
We as a nation, in the garb of Gandhian philosophy, overrate simplicity and poverty. The entire intention is to make sure that the richer don’t grow any richer, instead of focussing on bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. The attitude of the Government is always to make maximum profits for those in power by making sure that the govt stays in control, and all this on the pretext that they care more about the hungry and poor in India. Fact is India would have long arisen out of poverty if the same government only ensured that the scams and pilferages WITHIN the government system are checked and ended.
However, even these policies and restrictions have supporters who very often try to justify all this in the name of Gandhian Philosophy as supposedly these impositions intend to prevent the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few. I would like to question this concept of Gandhian philosophy that justifies the stunting of growth of our country by over-protectionism and encourages, rather makes sure, that corruption continues unabated.
We as a nation, in the garb of Gandhian philosophy, overrate simplicity and poverty. The entire intention is to make sure that the richer don’t grow any richer, instead of focussing on bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. The attitude of the Government is always to make maximum profits for those in power by making sure that the govt stays in control, and all this on the pretext that they care more about the hungry and poor in India. Fact is India would have long arisen out of poverty if the same government only ensured that the scams and pilferages WITHIN the government system are checked and ended.
40% of the funds allotted to NREGS have been siphoned away, not by the private sector trying to make profits, or any corporate house that does not care about the downtrodden in India, but by the very same government and its functionaries that set up the NREGS in the first place. Hence to blame the corporate world and check its growth in the name of regulating of the market or any financial sector, and instead give the controls to the govt does in no way ensure that the money alloted is not siphoned away for greedy purposes, let alone bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.
On the other hand, it makes me think that while a Mukesh Ambani is heavily criticised for his Antilla, a Donald Trump is something to be proud of in his country. There are poor people in the US also but nobody criticises a Trump Tower and all the same nobody fails to criticise an Antilla. The World's richest home is in India comes to no one's mind. Luxury and any mark of it in public life is somehow felt to be against a flawed Gandhian philosophy of humility in our country.
Gandhian philosophy is not that every man in India who is poor should continue to remain poor. Nehru was a staunch Gandhian but he did not give up his crisp and expensive Sherwanis for a dhoti, because that was never what Gandhi wanted. The need of the hour is to evaluate, understand and imbibe the true Gandhian philosophy in the spheres where it was intended to be applied. On cant stop the growth of Heavy industry under the pretext that Gandhi only encouraged cottage industry!
We need to stop falling for the trap and prevent our politicians from misusing Gandhi for achieving their ulterior motives!
