Disclaimer: This post is meant to offend anyone who has too much emotional attachment towards their caste, religion or political beliefs and truth and justice become secondary considerations for them. If so, your education is useless, your exposure is useless and you are truly a burden to mankind.
Even if you have managed to keep yourself secluded from social media, print media or those screaming during the Prime Time News debates, you would have probably come across the ’10 trillion dollar economy’ prediction for India, the likes of which aren’t limited to just eminent economists and members of the current political establishment, but a plethora of young entrepreneurs are vouching for it as well.
Well, guys, I hate to be the one to be giving you this message, but for India to be able to achieve that feat is going to take a lot more than just construction of a few flyovers or announcement of Startup Incubation Programmes by several states.
India is nowhere close to that number and we seriously need to think why. Yes, I do agree that we as a nation, have come a long way since Independence, and have even outperformed several major economies in key sectors such as Software, Manufacturing, Power to name a few. But to achieve that dream cum opportunity, some persistent radicle issues must be addressed and acted upon, and NOW is the time to do it. Let’s start, shall we?
The Agrarian Crisis
“A society is only as empowered as it’s farmers”. Yeah, I know I changed the quote(original one says is for women). But that’s the respect and importance farmers in any civilized society deserve. And we, collectively as a nation, have failed them.
Time and again, farmers have come out and protested for their right to live a decent life, but all the cries for help fall on deaf ears, while we leisurely decide which movie or TV series to binge watch next, in the comfort of our urban homes.
Governments change once every five years, bringing in new hope for the country. Every political manifesto assures us that farmer issues would be resolved in their tenure. But those promises remain unfulfilled once the party comes to power.
Here is a list of a few of their prime issues amongst thousands:
- Desertification has increased in 90 percent of states in India.
- Conflicts over water.
- Insurance companies hhavenot paid 83% of farmers’ claims.
- Not being able to procure the Minimum Support Price(MSP) for their crops.
- Almost negligible assistance from the government during droughts and natural calamities.
And countless other issues. At a time when farmer suicides are at an all-time high, we are still concerned as to what religious structure should be built in Ayodhya. Media houses are least interested in covering the farmer grievances and politicians are busy fighting amongst themselves. The least we, as citizens, can do is acknowledge that our nation cannot survive without their contribution and let them know that they aren’t alone in their struggle.
A Jobless GDP growth – Is It Really Possible?
Yes, you heard it right. As per the current official data, the GDP growth rate is 7.3%, while the unemployment rate is at 6.1% and is projected to trend around 7.5% in 2020. Post- demonetization, 3.5 million jobs were lost and the country is facing a 45-year high unemployment crisis. Sounds confusing, right? How can the GDP be growing at this pace and still no jobs for people? Well, one simple but probable answer might be that the projected GDP growth is factually incorrect. But who am I to say this!
There can’t be a nightmare worse for a graduate than sitting idle at home owing to non-availability of jobs. But what caused this grave situation? Where did we go wrong?
- Financial policies of the current and previous governments.
- Lack of Foreign Capital in the manufacturing sector.
- People lacking relevant employability skills.
- Little to least Industry-University collaboration.
- Heavy regulations on export and import.
The unexpected Startup Boom has definitely proved to be a relief-provider in this situation. Encouraging people to become job providers rather than job seekers through entrepreneurship will pave a long way for the Indian youth. This might be the only way to realize the dream!
The Education Carnival
I believe the Indian Constitution is one of the best democracy can have, you ask why? It’s because it entitles all children aged between 6 and 14 to a free and compulsory education. Several policies of the government such as the Mid Day Meal Scheme or the Rashtriya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan have effectively managed to curb the dropout rates at the School level. But when it comes to higher education, India still has a long way to go.
Just imagine, more than a million people applying for a few thousand seats at the prestigious IIT’S. Those people who get in, are darn lucky. But what about the rest? They too have worked hard, haven’t they? Where do they all go? Majority of them end up in mediocre private institutions only to be burdened with hefty fees and student loans. Be it Engineering, Medical, Arts or Commerce, the scenario is the same. There just aren’t enough government aided Institutes to provide quality and affordable higher education.
Compared to its peers, India spends the least on education,2.7 percent to be precise. Now, 2.7 % of the total GDP may seem huge, but one has to view it in proportion to the total expenditure.
To combat this issue, we definitely as a nation need to spend more on education and more importantly on quality education. Getting out of this menace should be a priority for any upcoming governments.
I accept that there are numerous other factors affecting our economy, but the above three causes are, according to me, are the most concerning. So where does this leave us? What do we do to be a part of that dream and ensure it is achieved?
In the forthcoming elections, when you are deciding whether to stay at your house and chill or go to the polling booth and cast your vote, remember, not casting your vote could be one of the biggest sins you can commit as a responsible citizen. Now if you are wondering whom should you vote for, just do some basic research. Find out who is representing your constituency? What are the issues the candidate is willing to work for? Will they be accessible to you once they come to power? Will the candidate be able to effectively convey your demands to a higher level? You must have answers to all these questions before you go and fulfill your sacred duty.
Look around you, people are constantly looking for help. If you can, listen to them and do your bit, it has the potential to change the lives of many.
Think of the Bigger Picture, think of the Nation!