Empowerment through inclusion is an opportunity than a challenge for India!

Being a big economy does not mean freedom from socio-economic disparities. In fact, lopsided development and uneven distribution of national resources and facilities among different social groups not only create multiple chasms but also make the task of empowerment through inclusion more challenging. It is our sheer bad luck that we as a nation suffered hundreds of years of servitude despite being the cradle of human civilization and the golden bird. Mass brutalities of invaders, foreign rulers and harrowing acts of caste-based discrimination, persecution, subjugation, and horrendous practices of untouchability for centuries jolted our foundation. Needless to say, in the past 75 years we have recovered remarkably, healing deep and agonizing socio-economic and political wounds thanks to the brilliantly crafted Constitution under the mentorship of visionary leader, lawyer, statesman, economist and saviour of social justice Dr BR Ambedkar. There was near unanimity among our founding fathers that post-independence we have to build an India which is inclusive and firmly premised on the foundation of equality, justice, fraternity and liberty.

None of us would disagree with the fact that post-independence, we as a nation desired and strove for shared prosperity. Unfortunately, we miserably failed in uplifting the vast population of poor people who are categorized as Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Income disparities continue to be an area of concern, while the majority of national resources and opportunities remain the fiefdom of a miniscule percentage of people among us. The struggle of have-nots to earn their livelihoods is far from over. A vast chunk of fellow countrymen and women are not in a position to afford nutritious food, quality education and health to their children. Most governments have done their bit in improving their lot but the desired results continue to elude us. There can be many reasons for this but the most prominent among them is our inability to build a national character and implement affirmative measures and welfare programmes meant for deprived sections of society with honesty.

It is a piquant situation we are caught in today and the blame has to be shared by all and in equal proportion. Thanks to the advent and spread of social media at an alarming rate, nothing can be hidden from the people now. Ground realities are in the public domain if not the data. Within minutes, rumours, fakes and facts get viral on social media, and that too in an institutionalized manner as they travel so fast. It was so bewildering to see the reactions on social media platforms from different walks of life about the recent Supreme Court judgement on the quota for economically weaker sections (EWS) of society. Since the judges of the apex court were themselves divided over the issue, there was a floodgate of multiple-shaded reactions. One may or may not agree to the majority or minority view of the Supreme Court bench about EWS quota, what came out glaringly was the feeling of alienation and discrimination among a vast chunk of masses. It has survived for 75 years and is so deeply etched in our people's minds. It is not a healthy sign at all. It is ominous. Committing mistakes by mistake is justified but committing mistakes advertently and pretending to be ignorant is dangerous for the nation.

Exclusion in any form is a serious threat to the goal of sustainable development. We need to be ever alive to the fact that India has become 5th largest economy of the world but with monstrous socio-economic and financial gaps. Multiple data strongly point to the poor representation of deprived social groups in key seats of learning, decision making bodies and other platforms. Complaints and allegations of denial of rightful share to even deserving applicants from deprived sections of society are quite disturbing. In order to attain true economic resilience, we will have to ensure empowerment of all through inclusion. Anything which is exclusionary must be rejected. Criteria must aim at inclusion – economically, socially and educationally – since our endeavour is to enable all sections of society to uplift themselves. Poor must get rich, and the rich not richer at the cost of the poor's prospects for prosperity. Jobs in government and private sectors must not only go to deserving ones but to the meritorious among deprived sections as well. The basic structure of our Constitution is inclusive. It mandates due representation to all in jobs, privileges, facilities and opportunities. Since there are poor among all castes and communities, they must be treated equally under the Constitution but preferential treatment should be given to those who have suffered because of their castes.

Economy and economics will not help us if we allow the stigmatization of our own people by negative stereotypes, leading to their disempowerment instead of empowerment. If a vast chunk of our "people have limited freedom to renounce inherited occupations or degrading or hazardous work and are often subjected to debt bondage without sufficient access to justice, "then what kind of social and economic resilience we will have. Our human development index (HDI) is steadily catching up to the world average since 1990, indicating a faster than the global rate of progress in human development. Over the last decade, India has lifted a staggering 271 million people out of multidimensional poverty. The country is improving access to clean water, sanitation, and affordable clean energy. India has also boosted access to social protection for vulnerable sections of society, especially during and after the pandemic, with a 9.8 per cent increase in the budgetary allocation to the social services sector in 2021-22 over 2020-21 but due representation of deprived social segments in the services sector – public or private – is elusive.

I am tempted to share here a paragraph from President Droupadi Murmu's address given on August 25, 2022, on the occasion of call on by the IAS officers of 2020 batch at Rashtrapati Bhavan: "Dear friends, you have joined the Civil Services at a historic juncture. We have completed 75 years as an independent country. We are looking ahead at the next 25 years as the period to re-imagine India and make it a developed country … In the past 75 years, we, the people of India, have increased our life expectancy from 32 years to nearly 71 years which is more than double the base-line after independence. Our literacy rate has increased more than four times, from just over 18 per cent to nearly 78 per cent. Our GDP has gone up 10 times, and we are a 3.2 trillion-dollar economy. There is much more which makes us feel proud as citizens of India ... But the new India aspires for much more. It seeks a much higher standing in the global community on all major parameters of growth and development. As civil servants, you have an important role to play in the emergence of India as a global hub of knowledge, supply-chain, innovation, technology-development and various other fields. At the same time, India has to strengthen the leadership position it has taken in the areas of socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable development." Inclusivity and sustainability are the real strength, which must be at the core of our developmental pursuits.

(The writer is a senior journalist, columnist and author. The views expressed are strictly his personal)