Liberalisation with a human face

THIS refers to Mr Hari Jaisingh's article "Liberalisation with a human face: socially just order a must" (December 17). For the last eight years we have been talking of economic reforms as if a new dawn of promise and prosperity has emerged on the Indian horizon. But where are the reforms? Do we find them in the blood and bones of our body politic? Is structural adjustment in our economy anything beyond a clever manipulation? Does it have a reformist soul?

Genuine and lasting reforms imply a fundamental change in the outlook of the nation; a change in the work culture of the people, in the social and ethical environment of the country, a deeper concern for the depressed and disprivileged, a stronger commitment to truth, justice and fair play. Do we see any such change? The answer I am, afraid, is an assertive “no”. A close look at the various vital areas of our economy, politics, administration and social and cultural life will bear the truth of this assertion out and show that we are undergoing another exercise of shallow and superficial thinking.

We have perhaps failed to take into account the burgeoning roots of free enterprise in the West, particularly in the USA. The concept of open market economy did not develop there within a period of five to 10 years as our leaders are trying to achieve in India. Rather, it evolved gradually over a period of two centuries through the notion of “work ethic” espoused by Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of America.

In the absence of a new national vision, determination, dedication and commitment to truth, justice and fair play, the “reforms” are turning out to be what they really are — superficial and hollow — and not what they were projected to be by their drum-beaters. It is time the present government thought afresh, deeply and constructively, and carved out a design for life, suited to our special requirements and consistent with the positive and healthy features of our heritage.

India's open-arm flirtation with the Western system of market economy has given birth to a triplet out of wedlock: privatisation, deregulation and liberalisation in economic reforms. This has brought into the urban Indian market Pepsico, Coca Cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken, refrigerators, washing machines and dishwashers — all symbols of prosperity among the affluent and the upper middle class.

Oddly enough, these new Western businesses are going to hurt the indigenous cottage industries which for centuries have been prime sources of livelihood for the poor and the lowly consisting of the two-thirds of the Indian population. How conscienceless it is to throw cold water on the welfare of the whopping majority of the country!

K.M. VASHISHT
Mansa

Rural poverty: The writer has rightly held: “There is no reduction in the number of people below the poverty line”. The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), after four years of study of 33,000 rural households in 16 states looking at 300 parameters, has reported that the rural population is earning less than Rs 2,444 per capita per year. According to the government, those earning less than Rs 1,100 a year are said to be below the poverty line.

The survey shows that 55 per cent of the rural population of Orissa is living below the poverty line and in West Bengal 51 per cent are in the poverty trap.

Dr Abusalef Shariff, principal economist and head of the Human Development Programme Area — ACAER, says, “the poor are everywhere — even behind palaces. They survive without knowing where the next meal will come from.”

Poverty can be measured by the poor people’s access to piped water, electricity, “kutcha” or “pucca” houses and the public distribution system. A staggering 55 per cent of ruralites live in “kutcha” houses. Though about 50 per cent of the rural households have potable water, piped water is still like manna from heaven in most villages. Electricity remains a distant dream.

No Manmohanomics, please. Liberalisation and globalisation as part of economic reforms are meaningless for the starving country where women scream for a dhoti to hide their skin, where children and the elderly die for want of medicare. Basics of human life, a socially just order, precedes all else.

S. S. JAIN
Chandigarh

Dangers from FDIs: It has been very aptly observed that there should be “Lakshman Rekha to help us identify the area which should be open to direct foreign investment, and the areas which should be out of reach of multinationals”. Unluckily, the Lakshman Rekha has been already badly violated during the last half a century. As a result, thousands of crores of rupees of our wealth is being annually drained to rich developed countries. How to prevent this huge loss should be an important element of the future policies.

We should be cautious in inviting foreign direct investment (FDI) for infrastructure and related sectors. After all, the profits generated in these sectors too would ultimately go to foreign countries. How we would manage to take that burden must be decided at this stage, so that India does not remain simply a source of supply of raw material and semi-finished goods to rich countries. Such a situation would be at the cost of our own prosperity. The Swadeshi Manch had this perspective in mind, which, it seems, is not being fully followed. The Vajpayee government has certainly inherited many problems, which must be creating a lot of hurdles. Misrule and mismanagement of the last 50 years cannot be undone so easily.

Lastly, we must see our own limitations, and should not ape the West blindly. Apart from our cultural and spiritual values which stand badly eroded by the consumerism of the West, we have although vast, limited natural resources, with a huge population to support. Therefore, we must not compete with the West and the USA in consumerism and life-style.

ANAND PRAKASH
Panchkula

Laloos loot the land

Mr Laloo Yadav has become a phenomenon. The operational area of scandalous dimension is not confined to Bihar. He has spread his tentacles far and wide. There are endless instances being reported by the media almost daily that testify to the fact, that almost in every part of the country, in every segment of the governing system, every official set-up and department the parthenium of corruption has grown wildly and without any check. Our politicians have won the unique distinction of bringing the name of India at almost the top on the list of the most corrupt countries in the world.

The Road Transport Department, perhaps in all states, is the key symbol of corruption, speeding on wheels, enjoying every type of impurity. The Pathankot Depot scandal is only the tip of an iceberg. Apart from being enormously corrupt, the illiterate staff manning the buses, etc, present the picture of sheer rudeness, crudeness — nay of behaviour bordering on uncivilised conduct.

As a matter of fact, one is confronted with the uncivilised behaviour of the staff in all government departments having public dealings. There is no exception. It is said that people love their brief moment of authority. But then official people going almost to unimaginable ways in dealing with persons who come to the counter for service, say in a post office or government bank, are many times baffled by the way petty officials deal with the public.

The administrative set-up is vitiated in more ways than one. We all know it. But those who claim to govern are busy in things far bigger and vital than caring for the genuine grievances of the public. As a matter of fact, the effective system of governance has ceased to exist; it has more or less collapsed. Greasing the palm is the only flourishing way that matters, and that accomplishes things. It is money alone that now rules the roost. Nothing else counts.

The new century will dawn soon, but the dawn of benign governance appears to be a far distant dream.

D.P. VERMA
Panchkula