Jaimini Bhagwati: Will the real India please stand up?

It is often observed that various sections of the Indian people, across the social and economic spectrum, live in different centuries simultaneously. For example, our call centre employees have benefited from the diffusion of the "knowledge" economy, while the landless poor continue to eke out a living through manual labour. The issue is not whether at every level of our society we are better off than yesterday. That we probably are, in greater or smaller measure, but is this upward mobility sustainable and are we moving fast enough to catch up with those ahead of us at least in East Asia, if not the developed world? Can we achieve this across the country without aggravating the palpable sense of comparative deprivation all around us? If we could, the real India would stand up on its own""i.e. the benefits of education and economic development would spread more evenly across all sections of the population.

At our present stage of development, we are legitimately proud about the increasing sophistication of our financial and telecommunication services, competitiveness of our manufacturing and IT sectors, and a higher education system that meets most of our domestic requirements and feeds some of the better universities around the world. Further, overall GDP growth is healthily around 7-8 per cent per annum with buoyant industry, services, and construction. Two illustrative examples of achievements, based on adequate funding and effective delegation of management, which affect the lives of millions, are the metro railway in Delhi and the on-going construction of village roads under the "Pradhan Mantri Gram Sarak Yojana".

However, growth in agriculture is lagging behind the other sectors, plus there are signs of inflationary pressures and continuing fiscal stress. Additionally, as is well known, shortcomings in basic infrastructure (e.g. ports, airports, railways, power, assured irrigation, and roads) are major constraints in achieving sustainable higher rates of growth combined with equitable development.

My hometown Tezpur on the north bank of the Brahmaputra is located about 200 km upstream from Guwahati. I have often driven between Tezpur and the Assam capital. The paddy fields with women standing in knee-deep water, cattle grazing along the road or in the distance, bullocks pulling carts or ploughs appear unchanged from the time I was in school almost 40 years ago. Every now and then one drives past a sleepy village. The towns look busier with a few better-looking buildings. The conclusion""there is comparatively little of the rambunctious rise in living standards evident in some parts of the country.
 

STATE OF THE NATION
State	Per capita NSDP @ (Rupees)	Public sector bank credit# per capita (Rupees)	Number of persons per vehicle^ as of 31-Mar-03	Infant mortality+ per 1000 live births (2002)
Bihar	6015	883	75	61
Uttar Pradesh	10,289	2,001	29	80
Orissa	10,340	2,862	26	87
Assam	11,755	1,484	n.a.	70
West Bengal	18,756	4,757	46	49
Kerala	21,853	6,953	12	10
Gujarat	22,047	5,811	8	60
Punjab	25,855	9,870	7	51
Haryana	26,632	6,244	10	62
Delhi	47,477	58,498	3	30
@ Per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) 2002-2003 at current prices (as of 30/11/2004). Source: Central Statistical Organisation.
# Total credit provided by State Bank of India, its 7 subsidiaries, and 19 nationalised banks as of June 2004. Source: Reserve Bank of India.
^ Vehicles: Cars, two-wheelers, trucks, buses and jeeps. Source: Statistical Outline of India 2004-2005, Tata Services Ltd.
+ Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India.

The northeast definitely has some catching up to do, but even in the more developed states the uncoordinated energy and purchasing power appear to be concentrated in the bigger cities. It is clear that growth has been uneven across the country and the differences are growing as capital, talent, and labour move seeking higher returns. The numbers in the table above are indicative of uneven development across states.

We do not need numbers to sense the rural-urban divide and the differences between marble-floored gated communities and urban slums. We can see, smell and feel it all around. Erratic power supply, unsafe drinking water, unhygienic living conditions, inadequate public health and transportation facilities""the list is long. Plus, the internal security situation is a cause for serious disquiet. Partly, the security situation is a reflection of contemporary international realities. However, one cannot escape the in-your-face signs of frustration among sections of our people who feel they have been left behind and see no way out of their subsistence existence. Their angst appears to be compounded by a general belief that those in commanding positions of power and privilege are often not held accountable for their irresponsible and even illegal actions. If asked about obviously partisan decisions, officials at the highest levels readily agree in private that personal loyalties and family ties often override considerations of fair play and the due process of law. In this sense, whether it is the northeast or elsewhere, it is a worrisome state of affairs.

A contrary stance taken by some is that this discontent is a reflection of the previously privileged sections wringing their hands about the growing political clout of the hitherto underrepresented classes. However, it cannot be anyone's case that better representation of the weaker sections has to be necessarily accompanied by an indifferent application of the rule of law. We are all aware of the innumerable instances of difficulties faced by private citizens who do not have the means to seek justice or the ability to sit out the long delays in our courts.

In the 1970s, when I was studying physics in college, we often discussed the possibility of a Grand Unified Theory (GUT) which would consistently unite the weak, strong, electromagnetic, and gravitational interactions into one field theory. Physicists are still grappling with this problem. Coming up with concrete suggestions on how to get the real India to stand up is of a much higher order of difficulty!

A daily newspaper is addressing this and related issues by asking Indians to answer the question what "India Empowered" means to them. Obviously, we need to be collectively clear about our objectives, namely that we want to be a prosperous, technologically advanced and equitable society. However, consensus on objectives is only a start. The best of initiatives needs enthusiastic implementation. Enthusiasm is difficult to sustain in an environment in which leadership's authority is eroded by cynicism. My guess, therefore, is that effective leadership would help promote the emergence of the real India. Leadership cannot be effective without being respected and respect has to be earned. Unfortunately, in recent times most of our leadership appears content to be obeyed and does not seek the respect of fellow citizens through its actions. Expecting leadership in India to lead through personal example is not a pipe-dream. We have only to look back to the time of our freedom struggle when by and large the leadership's intellectual honesty or commitment was not in question. Even today we continue to respect them though with the benefit of hindsight we may fault some of their decisions.

j.bhagwati@gmail.com