What is the article about:
- In a span of four days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioned twice the practice of politicians making mindless promises of ever profligate schemes in pursuit of votes, and termed it a dangerous trend.
Relevance:
- GSII: Issues regarding Development
- GSIII: Inclusive growth; Unemployment
Analysis:
- Populism might mean different things to different people at different times. The PM said it is easy to make populist promises and collect votes through “shortcut” methods. He termed it as ‘revari’ (a sweet dish) culture.
- He also advanced his own ‘development as justice’ theory — expressways and power projects, providing gas, toilets and houses in backward areas such as Bundelkhand were all leading to “true social justice”.
- He was challenging the more commonly understood meaning of social justice.
Thus the question arises regarding Development Model:
- What should be the threshold of precariousness at which state interventions such as free food, job guarantees, or cash doles should kick in to provide social security is a debate long overdue.
- But it should not be forgotten that India is far behind the standards of social security that advanced capitalist democracies guarantee to their citizens. Perhaps one reason why politicians are showering voters with doles is the disconnect between overall economic growth and job creation.
- The clamour for more state intervention for redistribution in democracies must be viewed against the backdrop of mounting evidence of inequality on the one side, and the increasing vulnerability being experienced by classes ranging from white-collar workers to farmers on the other.
- India cannot achieve its development goals in education, health or infrastructure without considerable state support. In what conditions does it become dangerous populism that could ruin the financial stability of the state and when does it function as enabling and empowering welfare are discussions that are desirable.
