Mercifully, the year 2020 is coming to an finish. Every nation is bruised, some are battered. Covid-19 has not gone away, but it is much less threatening, and the vaccines that are getting distributed give us hope. As far as India is concerned, our economy is battered and the lives of millions of persons (specially the migrants and these who lost their frequent jobs) have been severely bruised. Further, the divisive and polarising utterances of, amongst other people, Mr Amit Shah and Mr Adityanath have torn the social fabric asunder.
The abiding lesson of 2020 is that a nation will endure if there is a decline in 3 measures — work, wealth and welfare. I want to devote this year-finish column to reflect on this lesson.
Work: Ultimately, it is work that distinguishes one particular human from yet another. There are several thousands who do not have to work, however they do, due to the fact work is pleasurable, enhances esteem, earns rewards and determines one’s standing amongst peers and in the society-at-substantial. At the other finish, there are millions who require to work, but can’t locate work they are the unemployed. By final count, the unemployment price in India was 8.7 % (CMIE, December 22, 2020). In among, there are persons who do not want to join the work force and there are persons who are household workers who are not counted as portion of the work force.
Unemployment is normally a substantial challenge in a creating nation like India. The speedy decline in development prices (2018-19 and 2019-20) triggered the rise in unemployment, the pandemic produced it worse and the unplanned lockdowns exacerbated the predicament. At its peak, 130 million persons lost their jobs or livelihoods. Jobs have come back gradually, but some jobs have disappeared permanently. The figures speak for themselves (see Table).
Wealth: The most conveniently understood measure of a nation’s wealth is the Gross Domestic Product. If the GDP grows, wealth is enhanced, and the typical share of a citizen in the pie (per capita earnings) is bigger. I have taken the simplest measure: GDP in continual rates. Look at the slow development prices immediately after 2017-18 and appear at the destruction of wealth in 2020-21 (see Table). Not at all encouraging for a creating nation that has several millions who are poor. Is it any wonder that amongst the persons there is pessimism about the future?
Welfare: A mixture of unemployment and slow (or damaging) development will effect welfare. My concern is not financial welfare alone. Food, healthcare and social safety are certainly vital, but welfare goes beyond material and tangible goods and services. Ask oneself some concerns: Do persons assume they are a cost-free persons? Do they have a heightened sense of worry? Are persons afraid that presumably independent agencies like the CBI, ED, Income Tax Department, NCB and NIA will hound and persecute them? Are persons confident that the courts of law are accessible and will render swift justice?
Can two young persons be pals, go out with each other, fall in really like and marry? Can one particular, according to her selection, consume, put on garments, speak, create and associate with other persons? ‘Welfare’ is the sum of these factors. Some indicators exactly where India stands, in relative terms, are the Human Development Index, Index of Freedom, Press Freedom and so on (see Table). Overall, there is a decline.
Three Abiding Images: In a democracy, great or negative, the lead to getting external things or internal developments, the government should bear duty. The government may possibly be effectively-intentioned, get the most effective offered assistance or may possibly have committed unintended errors, but the buck stops with the government. Good or negative, governments should
be changed. That is why, in several nations, there are term limits on Presidents and Prime Ministers. A sense of
permanence is the lead to of the starting of a downfall.
As we finish the year, the 3 abiding photos of 2020 are:
1. The millions of migrants — tired, hungry and sick — trudging hundreds of kilometres along highways and railway tracks with their meagre belongings to attain what they believed was household.
2. The extended and peaceful protests — initial at Shaheen Bagh and now on the borders of Delhi — demanding that the government hear them and heed their appeals for justice.
3. The resounding vote in the Kashmir Valley comprehensively rejecting the unconstitutional coup staged by the government on August 5, 2019.
In sum, Work, Wealth and Welfare suffered in 2020, producing it a forgettable year. I urge you, nonetheless, paraphrasing George Santayana, by no means to neglect 2020 so that we may possibly by no means repeat 2020. Instead, be proud, fearless and freedom-loving Indians. I want you a satisfied, healthier and prosperous 2021.
Website: pchidambaram.in
Twitter @Pchidambaram_IN