All-encompassing approach of Modi

“Let’s think big. Let’s think far. Let’s think above politics.” This message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to NDA MPs over Diwali Milan is all encompassing. Five months in Government, Modi is providing a leadership whose key constituents are good citizenship “Swachh Bharat” (not the controversial concept of Indianness) and mass movement/urge for development, his Make-in-India slogan (he has special praise for Gandhi for creating a mass following during Freedom movement). There is nothing sectarian about this agenda. Issues of Ram Mandir and Babri mosque have been left far behind. No trace of these. His journey hopefully is in search of a better secular future for all countrymen.

What is new and in a sense intangible in the situation is the emergence of Narendra Modi as the virtual head of the Government and the ruling party. Hence, a lot of speculation is going on.

Since early days in our national life we have traversed the path of a socialist pattern of society. In many other areas the State is a dominant player. Private enterprise has thus largely been at the mercy of the government and the regulations. In pursuance of the socialist agenda, the State has also regulated private wages and labour employment conditions etc. It has also introduced various cross subsidies and floated several State-sponsored social welfare schemes.

Net result of it over the years is before us. There are shortfalls everywhere, and more particularly in areas reserved for the State. Be it power, be it railways or road network. This has happened despite the continued existence of the Planning Commission which was supposed to plan and take care of our future needs.

We find the State withdrawing itself in desperation from a lot of activities due to its inability to deliver. That gave birth to the concept of public-private partnership. Let the government seek the helping hand of private sector.

What if we unleash not the control of the State as we did in the first instance but the entrepreneurial power of the people? That is the economic context of Modi.

Despite rising costs Railway passenger fares have been kept static for the last so many years in the name of not burdening the common man. Starved of the needed resources railways have failed miserably to deliver against the rising demand. Other instruments of socialist policy such as repeated rounds of loan-waiver schemes too depleted our resources while at best giving doubtful relief to the needy but always enabling the channel to absorb much of the flow.

MNREGA is a much-touted rural employment scheme. With all our accumulated experience of manipulated PWD muster roles we still chose to go the whole hog. Studies have shown that States with lower poverty rates have absorbed greater MNREGA outlays. How did that happen unless the musters were false?

The chief lesson our socialist experiment taught us was to expect something for free. Most of our national energy went into that lacklustre exercise instead of going into an effort to enlarge the size of the cake. That led to shortages we face today.

We are now being taught to aspire and to achieve. It is a totally new lesson for many. That is the attraction of the slogan that better days are to come: “acche din aane wale hain”. It may be a distant memory recall for us but still a great confidence booster.

As a follow-up to his vision, Modi is prioritizing on infrastructure development (power, roads, railways, ports) and liberalization (reforms in regulatory, energy and labour sectors). He is encouraging decentralization through an enhanced role for State governments in the policy making process. His search for inclusive growth leads to mass opening of zero-balance savings accounts in banks. Latest we learn is that RTI enquiries/answers are to be put on line creating mass viewership and participation. How close do we get to Plato’s democracy by using modern technological instruments?

As has been said in the beginning, these are early days to judge. But the indicators all point to a hopeful direction for all and a sound future for the country. Provided the Modi approach doesn’t get deflected.