J L Koul Jalali
Exposed to enervating foreign rule for over a millennium, people of India have again demonstrated their maturing political sagacity and returned BJP led National Democratic Alliance to power. They have again voted for a strong, stable and decisive government with more overwhelming support this time. Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister for second term on 30.5.2019. With this the new Government has got established at Delhi. It faces stupendous task of keeping up and building further upon the trust people of India have reposed in it.
Apart from important tasks of ensuring security of the country, elimination of terrorism in all its forms and achieving due place for India in the comity of nations, Agriculture sector too is clamouring for urgent attention. Along with further ensuring remunerative prices for their produce and making crop insurance scheme more attractive, detailed attention is required to be paid for improved storage and marketing facilities for their produce. During elections for the new Parliament of India, people in general and particularly poor masses in the country have demonstrated commendable restraint in not falling prey to allurements of easy and instant incomes. Agriculturalists with poor holdings and agricultural labour still form a big section of poor population in India and somewhat principled restraint they have demonstrated entitles them to a better deal through proper means.
Non-rural poor masses of the country have equally demonstrated their resilience not to get lured by such populist measures and ameliorative steps to better their lot also need urgent consideration. Enhancement of employment opportunities on a large scale to meet requirements of ever increasing population, could provide more job opportunities to urban poor also. Job creation could be enhanced through economic reforms and innovative schemes and projects particularly in manufacturing and small and medium industries sectors.Expansion and development in other sectors of economy as also labour intensive schemes could be other sources of job creation. Had our planning introduced in 1952 gone on smoothly, not to speak of towns, every village in the country could have boasted of reasonable health and educational facilities long back. It has not been so. Apart from further expanding and strengthening developmental, social and welfare programmes including Swacch Bharat Mission undertaken by the government during its first term,it has to make good such backlogs and lacunaes also. Population control has also to be an essential part of these programmes.
In its first term, the BJP led NDA government took various steps to enhance productivity of workers and improve HRD index of India. During last seventy years as an independent country millions and millions of people have joined the middle class ranks in the country. Time appears to be appropriate to make efforts for inculcating the fundamental tenets of human development namely sense of duty,work ethics and secular moral sense in our country particularly in this vast middle class population of India. These very traits lend an edge to west in general in comparison to rest of the world.
India is an ancient civilisation, now taking full shape as a nation state also. Its credentials as a nation state, amidst its diversities, were further confirmed in 2014 when present NDA was elected for its first term. But as a civilisational nation state it has some unique characteristics which distingiuish it from rest of the world. India believes in “Vasudiv Katumbkum” meaning whole world is my home. It also believes that Truth is indivisible but wise men look at it through different perspectives. Consequently India believes in “Sarva Dharma Sambhava” meaning equal respect for all religions. Among its numerous other civilisational characteristics it does not believe in proselytisation nor has it ever set its foot on other lands outside its borders with the intention of attacking and conquering these lands. Essentially these facts continue to be ingrained in our ethos and also form the guiding principles of Constitution of India which guarantees equal rights to every citizen of India without any distinction of caste,creed or religion. But because of various reasons India has not been able so far to establish its proper place in the comity of nations. With about one fifth of world population residing in India,it has not been successful so far even to get a permanent seat in United Nations Security Council.The new government is already committed to procure India its proper place in world.
India is considered to be home to spirituality. But it should not lead to undue obsession with religion. As pleaded by this writer in his article “India Rediscovered” published on 26.7.2014 after Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister for his first term,we should not be obsessed with religion.
Indian philosophy and Hindu religion are mostly based on intuitive understanding and knowledge. Our Vedas are the oldest source to have provided an inkling that the whole cosmos is itself energy. We have to build upon this somewhat scientific though intuitive inkling rather than be guided simply by blind faith. There has also been a strong tendency to depict mythology as history. All this is not in keeping with our fundamental ethos which is not based on blind faith. We have to ensure that apart from our rich intuitive knowledge,logic and reason and ethics and morality as also scientific temper guide our actions. This will enable our country to take on and keep up with modernity,as it is understood in west,with full force but keeping our unique civilisational charateristics intact.
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