People & Their Problems
New Delhi,
19 August 2015
68 Years of Freedom
DIGNITY TO ALL STILL
ELUSIVE
By Eduardo Faleiro
The
nation celebrated yet another ‘Independence Day.’ Recall on August 15, 1947,
Prime Minister Nehru proclaimed a tryst with destiny, “a moment which comes but
rarely in History when we step from the old into the new, when an age ends and
the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance”. After 68 long years,
we could do with some soul searching rather than rhetoric.
The
colonial rule destroyed the Indian economy and greatly impoverished the people
of India.
An estimate by the Cambridge historian Angus Wilson reveals that in 1700,
India’s share of the world income was 22.6 per cent comparable to the entire
income of Europe which was then at 23.3 per cent. By 1952, however, India’s share
fell to 2.3 per cent of the world income. By all accounts, India was a
prosperous nation at the onset of Western colonialism.
The
French traveller Jean - Baptiste Tavernier in his ‘Travels in India’, written
in the 17th century, gives the following account of Indian life: “Even in the
smallest villages, rice, flour, butter, milk, beans and other vegetables, sugar
and sweetmeats can be procured in abundance”. Yet, during the British rule, as
per Government records of the time, 70 to 80 per cent of Indians were living at
subsistence levels, two thirds were undernourished and in Bengal
nearly four-fifths were undernourished.
At all
times in its history, even the most distressing, India was revered by the great
minds across the continents. The renowned American historian, Will Durant
summed it up: “India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of
Europe’s languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the
Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals
embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of
self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us
all”.
The
freedom struggle was not just for political freedom. It was not merely to
dislodge foreign rulers and install our own. It was also for social and
economic change and for a life of peace and dignity to all citizens. Whilst India witnesses
rapid economic growth, there are still vast numbers of people in the country
who face grave problems of illiteracy, disease and poverty. What is required is
greater attention to inclusive development that benefits significantly all
sections of the population.
A major
managerial and policy challenge that we face today results from the speed of
urbanization. It is estimated that by 2030, most cities and quasi urban regions
of India
will witness a substantial increase in population. Unless a massive expansion
of infrastructure begins right now, these regions will be affected by a sharp
decline in water supply with a large section of the population having no access
to potable water at all. Towns could have 70 to 80 per cent of sewage untreated.
Whilst car ownership will increase exponentially, shortcomings in the
transportation infrastructure might create an unmanageable urban gridlock.
Affordable housing for the low income group is a most important concern. At
present, a person earning an average salary cannot own a dwelling in most parts
of the country and the price of land is bound to further increase over the
years.
A
strategy ought to be devised to provide affordable housing to the average
citizen. Planning mandates in the United Kingdom have generated 20 to
25 per cent of all affordable units built over the last decade. South Africa
allots free land for houses to its poorest income group. Singapore
provides public housing for more than 80 per cent of its population through a
dedicated Housing Development Board, interest rate subsidies and other
financial devices to make housing affordable to all.
We, the
people of India,
must rise above our religious, ethnic and linguistic diversity and together
deal with the multifarious tasks that confront us today. We must as a pressure
group act to insist on the Government to carry out its responsibilities on the
one hand, and on the other do what is expected of us as citizens.
The
framework for responsible citizenship and national regeneration has been clearly
laid down in the Indian Constitution in three parts. Part III of the
Constitution deals with the Fundamental Rights, Part IV with the Directive
Principles of State Policy and part IVA with the Fundamental Duties. These need
to be reiterated. Fundamental Rights are basic human rights which the State
recognizes and it provides for their enforcement. We are all equally human, the
world is one family and all human rights are for all.
The
nature and extent of State responsibility for the protection of human rights in
India was indicated by the
National Human Rights Commission in the case of the Gujarat
riots of 2002. It stated: “It is the primary and inescapable responsibility of
the State to protect the right to life, liberty, equality and dignity of all
those who constitute it. It is also the responsibility of the State to ensure
that such rights are not violated either through overt acts or through abetment
or negligence”.
The
Directives Principles of State Policy are guidelines to be kept in mind by the
Government whilst framing laws and policies. These guidelines include the
promotion of the Panchayati Raj system, free and compulsory education to all
children below the age of 14 years and provision of adequate means of
livelihood to all. While efforts are underway by successive governments in this
direction, much more needs to be done.
The
Fundamental Duties are moral obligations of all citizens and are specifically
intended to promote responsible citizenship and national unity and harmony. We
often harp on our rights but neglect and may even be unaware of our duties.
Mahatma Gandhi remarked: “I learnt from my illiterate but wise mother that all
rights to be deserved and preserved come from duty well done.”
The
Constitution lists ten Fundamental Duties. Each has a distinct role and
importance in our polity. One of the fundamental duties is “to provide harmony
and the spirit of common brotherhood among all the people of India
transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities”.
What is
needed is a citizenry conscious of their rights and of their duties. The Union and State Governments should work together with
voluntary organizations to promote awareness of our constitutional rights as
well as of our responsibilities and to sensitize the citizens to the values
enshrined in the Constitution. ---INFA
(Copyright, India
News and Feature Alliance)
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