INDIA@2047 MUST WEED OUT CORRUPTION

|
  • 1

INDIA@2047 MUST WEED OUT CORRUPTION

Saturday, 20 August 2022 | Pramod Pathak

INDIA@2047 MUST WEED OUT CORRUPTION

There is a need for an overhaul of governance

There is no limit to what a man can do if he does not care who gets the credit: this famous quote was written on a plaque that US President Ronald Regan kept on his desk. Something similar needs to happen here.

Leaders may come and go, but the country moves on. And the credit for this goes to all those people, leaders and all, in the last 75 years who saw to it that India keeps on marching. As we enter the 76th year of independence, we need to look forward to the next milestone. Where next? And the Prime Minister has pointed that out. India@100 needs to be a developed country.

From an underdeveloped country 75 years ago to a developing one has been a long and challenging journey. That a member of the third world with a poor and colonial past can think of getting the developed tag is no small deal. More so, because we proved many prophets of doom wrong. But we still have a long way to go. We cannot just sit on the laurels.

Two important questions, then, arise. Where do we go from here? And how do we reach there? The first question has already been dealt with in the Independence Day speech of the Prime Minister who has set a target for the hundredth year. But goal setting is not enough. How do we get there? This calls for a comprehensive and serious SWOT analysis.

Our strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities need to be carefully thought over. In a typical management jargon, this requires a detailed environmental appraisal and an objective status report. If we are honest enough, the past 75 years have been a mixed bag. We succeeded on some counts and floundered on others.

Those on which we failed will have to be addressed in real earnest. The reason being that most of these are persisting ever since we got freedom. Lest we forget, in one of his popular speeches, Jawaharlal Nehru had talked about hoarders and black marketeers, emphasizing the need to hang them from the nearest lamp post. Alas, their tribe has grown, both in numbers and variety. Despite prime minister after prime minister raising concern over corruption, much does not seem to have been achieved.

Rajiv Gandhi in his famous Congress centenary speech at Bombay in 1985 expressed his anguish at the 'fence eating the crop'. It still continues. The present Prime Minister sounded no less concerned about corruption. Why we are so helpless against corruption is the question that must find answers.

Poverty is another concern that is persisting since the famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech of the first Prime Minister. Another Prime Minister reminded us loud and clear about the need for 'Garibi Hatao’. Poverty has been a major challenge all these 75 years, tweaking with definitions and statistics notwithstanding.

If we have to provide free food grains to 80 crore people because they can't earn them, something is amiss somewhere. After all, it is more than half the population.

If we want to graduate from a developing country to a developed one in the next 25 years, there is a need for a complete overhaul of the entire governance system. A paradigm shift is called for to force India's entry into a different orbit. Solutions that did not work will not work. An India where the mind is without fear and the head is held high can do it. We will have to unleash the potential of every Indian.

(The author is former Professor of Management, IIT-Dhanbad.)

Sunday Edition

CAA PASSPORT TO FREEDOM

24 March 2024 | Kumar Chellappan | Agenda

CHENNAI EXPRESS IN GURUGRAM

24 March 2024 | Pawan Soni | Agenda

The Way of Bengal

24 March 2024 | Shobori Ganguli | Agenda

The Pizza Philosopher

24 March 2024 | Shobori Ganguli | Agenda

Astroturf | Lord Shiva calls for all-inclusiveness

24 March 2024 | Bharat Bhushan Padmadeo | Agenda

Interconnected narrative l Forest conservation l Agriculture l Food security

24 March 2024 | BKP Sinha/ Arvind K jha | Agenda