This is in response to the Businessweek story... There are a few points that I'll list first and see whether I can try to tie them together into a cogent thread. Disclaimer: These are nascent thoughts that have been running through for sometime and this story kicked in a few more...
1. "Across the country, we see violence..." There was a recent violent incident at the Ambedkar Law College in Chennai. It was a fight based on caste. Students attacked each other while the police stood by not doing anything. After the attack, I spoke to a lawyer. She said her reading of the situation was as follows -- In the current economic situation, your worth as an individual is linked to your economic status. Especially when there is a supposed lucrative future that could be obtained if you are smart enough to win the rat race. When someone is unable to compete, there are insecurities. So, they look inwards and that's where identity politics comes into play -- a link between the kind of violence that we see around to the economic situation we are in. 2. "How can I invest more in a city which does not protect me?" There was a lecture by C.P. Chandrasekhar, economist. He said that sops provided to foreign investors coming into India meant a decline in the money available to the government for expenditure. (I am putting it very simply, he cited various regulations that meant lesser taxation). So, the first thing the government does is cut social spending. Take the graph of investments in agriculture. The GDP related to agriculture has also been declining. In this situation, the State loses its power in being 'effective' for the simple reason that there is less money available for social spending than before. Hence the shift towards involving the civil society more and towards public-private partnerships in the social sector. 3. Only in 2001, when a stable government focused on the economy with a brand message called "India Shining," did things take off. That government lost the elections. The slogan was a slap on their face. This story reports the symptoms. I think these voices provide a broader thread to understand the situation. Yes, this comes from an ideological viewpoint of the Left. But I've tried to read material from the right to see how they explain the situation. And I have not been able to get cogent answers from there. If someone has material, do mail it. I am planning on reading Nilekani's book because methiks he has certain interesting ideas and am interested to see how he marries it to implementation. My background: I voted for the government which said India Shining and I was taken aback when they lost. Then I read and read and now I am beginning to understand why that slogan is hollow. The question is what's to be done next. Prabhat Patnaik (whose feather is of the same colour as CPC), has some answers in his lectures recently -- so, it is not complete rhetoric without a plan of action. Which is what I think we need in this situation -- not adjectives, slogans but ideas (borrowed from Mr. Nilekani). Cheers ( and have to really really rush to complete a story) Sruthi
