An Adverse Divide

A British tabloid once called India a poor country of rich people. Our country truly is a kaleidoscope of extremities. The contrast between haves and deprived is too alarming. Walking through the plush suburbs one feels a sense of excitement looking at the development but a few more steps brings us face to face with another dark reality where you see human life vegetating in slums.

Economic surveys tell us that GDP is growing at 7% plus, yet we have farmers committing suicide and people dying of starvation. We sign pacts for acquiring nuclear fuel for our nuclear power generating stations but a sizable population has to live without electricity. We have Institute that are second to none in the field of engineering and management but millions of children still do not have privilege of primary education.

Equality can never be ensured but uniformity must be at hand to really have freedom in true sense. Everyone cannot be affluent but in a civilized society every human should have a right to dignified existence that separates human from the animal sleeping on the street.

The root cause of divide has been this cheap form of socialism that thrives on slogans and promises, it should be understood that Socialism is an ideology which has never managed to distribute power and wealth without some folks at the top getting the bulk of it. The nexus that snatches from achievers under the pretext of disseminating it to have not’s uses it for populist gains and subsequently ends up in achieving nothing for anyone.

In contrast capitalism and laissez-faire , though are theories based on the moral principle of the protection of the individual's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness .their principles assert that wealth is not a fixed quantity and one person's success does not come at the expense of others. They sound good but truly demand a moralistic society where citizens are willing to discharge their responsibilities and duties with the same zeal with which they demand their rights. It demands a society where those who have in abundance have the compassion to understand the hunger of those who have nothing and wisdom to know upsetting dangers of such divide.

To ensure that the gains are fairly disseminated First thing we should essentially do away with is this leitmotif, this misbelieve, that the poor and deprived need charity. In contrast what they need is consistent work near their place of habitation. Instead of finding ways of giving cheap and free and through back doors for political mileage, the prime concern of government must be to ensure an apt conversion of population into human resource. A couple of industrial training Institute and fairly functioning agriculture schools will do lot of help to villagers and make them more aware of latest and prudent techniques of doing the given job. As Robert A. Heinlein said, "Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded -- here and there, now and then -- are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating the people then slip back into abject poverty."

It is fact that post liberalization poverty has decreased because of the additional opportunity available there should be a constant endeavor to move towards free economy. We are a flourishing democracy for 65 years now and it is time we move vigorously towards free economy rather than having protectionist regime that benefits a select few. It is wisely said by P.J .Rourke"Wealth is based on productivity, and productivity is fabulously expandable."