The poor state of the Indian state

18 Feb The poor state of the Indian state

Pandemic shows the inability of indian state:

• Strong states are based on three pillars.
  •  They are built upon the support from the people
  • A strong administrative machinery to provide stability, continuity and deliver public services to all citizens.
  • managerial ability to shape and implement change required with the time.
• What do builders of strong states do?
  • They have bound people around a shared identity which may be  ethnic, racial, or religious
  • The citizens’ identity cannot be formed by constitutions. 
  • uniting Indians around a shared ethnic or religious identity is hard
    • Because  of the diversity among India’s races and religions
    • There are also entrenched caste divisions.
• Bureaucracy
  • provide stability and compliance with rules
  •  it was not equipped to shape change and the third most requirement of a good developmental state.
• What states must do?
  • perform functions primarily for its poorest citizens 
    • for economic growth to be sustainable and equitable
• How GDP does not reflect the situation in the state
  • Because it fundamentally excludes many things such as disparity in income, inequality among people and their vulnerability to cause.
  • What must be included
    • Economic justice
    •  environmental sustainability
    • improvement of the dignity of all citizens must be measured along with achievement in the people’s aspiration.
• Way Forward
  • India must be built as a strong and good state. 
    • This requires: 
      • political leaders->who unite all Indians
      •  business leaders who are not just wealth creators for themselves , but creators of opportunities
  • Political leaders +  administrators + business leaders must shared vision-> i.e. india to be a strong and good state

The Hindu editorial

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Swarn Singh

Plutus IAS Current Affair Team Member