"Try not to have a good
time... this is supposed to be educational."
—Charles M. Schulz
(American, 1922-2000)
Word for the day
Bonce (n)
Head, Skull
Malice towards none
Any nomination for Twitter
Vibushan award for Pidi?
First random thought this morning
Only 4years back, a brigade of enthusiastic youth driven by an
septuagenarian ex-soldier had made politics an acceptable profession for Indian
elite as well as middle classes. We saw a large number of people from across the
social spectrum joining active electoral politics and committing to change the
political landscape of the country.
But that momentum seems to have dies completely. The political
ethos have recommenced their descent.
Who is to blame for the midterm abortion of political renaissance
—Congress, BJP, AAP and other regional parties, or all of them?
Trust your own people
Before I discuss my view on public
expenditure any further, let me ask you "what would be your reaction to
the following situations?"
(1) Your housemaid comes to you and tells, "I have cleaned more
than half the utensils. As you yourself told me that before hiring me, you were
cleaning the utensils yourself and would do the job only every alternative day.
In that light my performance is excellent. So, appreciate my effort and order a
pizza for me".
(2) You are a branch manager of a bank. your clerk comes to you and
tells, "I have cleared more than 65% of the checks presented today. In my
view, it is an outstanding performance. Please allow me to leave early
today."
(3) A young girl in your neighborhood gets molested and killed by
goons. The area police inspector comes to the condolence meet and claims,
"this year the number of heinous crimes in your area is lower by 30% as
compared to the average of previous five years".
While you contemplate your
responses, I may tell you mine - I will be incensed. My education &
training that makes me obsequious may not permit me to react with violence, but
if someone does it may not be totally unjustified.
Now extrapolate these conditions
to the claims of our political establishment. After 70yrs if someone wants
appreciation for partial execution on essential services like clean drinking
water, primary health, electricity, access of all weather roads, education, two
decent meals a day, clean toilets etc., it is deplorable in my view. I think
the entire political establishment should be apologetic about it and commit to
a time bound program for provision of a standard quality and quantity of all
basic amenities to all the citizens.
Coming to specific suggestions for
public expenditure reforms, I have been giving numerous suggestions from time
to time. Some of these suggestions have in fact been implemented but in a more
convoluted way. I would like to reiterate the following in particular:
(a) The government (both state and central) may exit all industrial
activities. If under the present circumstances it is not found feasible to sell
out all PSEs, consider transferring all PSEs under a listed holding company.
Majority voting power in this listed holding company may be owned by Indian
citizens with no individual owning more than 1%. All these companies should be
professionally managed with no intervention from the government whatsoever.
Dismantle all departments and ministries managing these PSEs.
(b) From my experience gained through extensive travels across the
length and breadth of the country, I understand that there are numerous
democratic assemblies within various communities and localities in our country.
Most Indians not only feel comfortable working with the members of their own
community, but are usually honest, dedicated and more productive when operating
within the network of their “Own people”.
This “communalism” is arguably
a key strength of Indian society. Therefore, in my view, the social ecology
model suggested by author and activist Murray Bookchin which advocates a
“stateless, classless, decentralized society consisting of a network of
directly democratic citizens' assemblies in individual communities/cities
organized in a confederal fashion” appears relevant in our context.
Unfortunately, our politicians and
social activists have dissipated the term “communalism” to
mean intolerance and hatred towards other religions, especially amongst Hindus
and Muslims. This debauchery has introduced many distortions in our
socio-political order. In my view this needs to be corrected as pre-condition
before we begin working on any course correction.
Allocating resources to these
democratic assemblies within the society for creating social infrastructure and
managing it for the larger benefit may not only minimize the cost of
administration materially but also enhance the efficacy of the expenditure.
For example, if the government
funds XYZ Samaj (a registered association of people belonging to same ethnic or
religious community) construct and manage an educational institution or
healthcare center for the members of their community and others as well, the
outcome is more likely to be positive than the government doing the job itself.
Let SC/ST/OBCs construct schools
and colleges for their kids and manage these as well. The impact, in my view,
would be phenomenal.
Similarly, management of water
bodies, rural roads, primary health, skill & training etc. may also be
assigned to local Panchayats.
(c) The rise in aspirational consumption; distortion of social
customs (especially marriage, death, birth) for the sake of vanity, ignorance,
and misguidance; rise in crime and litigation expenses; rise in cases of
chronic diseases and hence prohibitive healthcare expenses form an overwhelming
part of "household" debt". This debt usually has nothing to do
with asset creation, education or skill enhancement.
To solve this conundrum, it is important
that economic reforms are implemented with social reforms.
The social initiatives like focus
on cleanliness, cooking gas connection to BPL families are commendable. But
what we need is a social renaissance. Small correction and incremental improvement
might not be enough given the serious nature of the problem, in my view.
I am not a social scientist. I may
therefore not be an appropriate person to suggest the steps that could be taken
within the Indian sociological framework. But this does leaves me at freedom to
throw some thoughts that may not belong to the box. For example, consider the
following:
(i) The government should take strong affirmative steps to eradicate
social distortions that have crept in over a period time in our social,
religious and cultural events.
To begin
with the government may totally nationalize the religious part of the birth,
death and marriage ceremonies.
The
government may appoint qualified religious persons (QRP) who can perform these
ceremonies at the designated venues established by government in every Block of
the country . All the expenses like salary of QRP, cost of performing the
rituals, food offered to QRP, cost of feeding upto 25 close relatives of the
person for whom the rituals being done, etc. may be borne by the government.
The
designated officer at Block level may be appointed to supervise all such
ceremonies and issue certificate (Birth, Death, Marriage) on the spot.
The
government may actively discourage any profligate spending on the social part
of these events. All expenses on marriage & birth related parties and
social functions relating to death, shall be taxed @100%. Meaning, if anyone
wanting to spend Rs10,00,000 on marriage party of his/her child, shall be
required to pay an equivalent amount as tax. This money may be used exclusively
for performing the religious ceremonies stated above.
(ii) A dignified birth and death shall be made fundamental right of
every citizen.
In case
of birth, the government should assume responsibility of the child from the
conception stage, for upto two children for each mother. This includes good
diet for mother, medical tests, medicine, delivery expenses and immunization of
the child. This should be done on a global standard basis not the way typical
government medical facility is run by the government.
In case
of death, the final rights of the deceased should be performed in a dignified
manner, as per his/her religious traditions. This should apply to all unclaimed
and unidentified bodies also.
The
insurance companies may be directed to make the claim payments on the spot when
the final rituals are done on 13th, 17th or 40th day as the case may be, in
cases where the deceased's life was insured, either individually or under some
government group scheme.
The
corporates may be required to fund this initiative under their CSR obligation.
Also see
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