Open Forum

New Delhi, 10 September 2025

Applauding Govt Feats

WHAT ABOUT COMMON MAN?

By Dhurjati Mukherjee 

There is a tendency of our politicians to applaud achievements wherever the opportunity rises. While there are areas where India has moved ahead,it hasn’t reduced the problems of the common man. Political scientists and economists have repeatedly pointed out that due to the somewhat misplaced priorities in the development process, the bottom-up approach is missing, resulting in the people at the lower tiers of society having to struggle for survival.  

Recently, while addressing the ET World Leaders’ Forum, Prime Minister Modi stated the Centre is ready to address “an arsenal of reforms” on multiple fronts. Guided by this mantra, India is able to help lift the world out of slow growth. He was so optimistic that he said that “Bharat carries the strength to even head the course of time.” Listing various reforms, the Prime Minister said a major reform is underway in GST to rationalise the tax structure and bring down prices.  But unfortunately, he failed to mention who would benefit from these reforms and whether, if at all, there would be any effect on the lives of the poor and marginalised sections of society. 

Achievements in the realm of space technology have seen a significant uptrend in recent years with the dedicated efforts of our scientists and India is set to launch the Gaganayan, which needs to be applauded as also the advances in defence manufacturing.  Modi also mentioned recently that 350 startups are emerging as engines of innovation in space technology. 

And very recently, the changes in GST rates will benefit the middle-income sections and maybe the LIG groups, specially because the cost of medicines, some of the consumer durables has seen reduced tax rates. According to Finance Minister Sitharaman, “these reforms have been carried out with a focus on the common man”. But the question arises what part of the ‘common man’ would benefit the common man? Does the common man buy electronic items, small cars or even branded shampoos? These reforms, which have resulted in a sharp slash on tax, could lead to a revenue loss of over Rs 1 lakh crore for the country, according to economist Dr. Amit Mitra. Obviously, welfare spending may be slashed.  

Does it not indicate that the poor are subsidising the middle-income sections? Despite this, the simultaneous need of looking at the problems of the common man cannot be overemphasised. A lot of economists, not just in India but the world over, have been urging the government to turn its attention to development of social infrastructure, i.e. education and health sectors,which are in a terrible state in backward and interiors of the country. Sadly, these have not cut ice over the years. 

A recent report of the parliamentary committee on education and women and child development has highlighted the dismal state of school education and the urgent need for the government to allocate more funds to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Thisis because over 14,000 government schools have shut down between 2020-21 and 2023-24, delivering a blow to the goal of achieving universal education. The mid-day meal scheme, which worked wonders in improving both nutrition and enrolment for school education, is being starved of funds too, spiking school dropout rates and deepening gender disparities in education. Saksham Anganwadi, meant to address the nutritional needs of children between 6 months and 6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers apart from adolescent girls from ‘aspirational districts’ has seen cuts in funding as well. Added to this, the purse strings for the National Social Assistance Programme, which plays a crucial role in providing benefits to vulnerable sections such as the elderly, the disabled and widows, follows a similar trend. 

Another aspect of the problem which Modi did not mention is the revision of GST rates. Some analysts believe that this would enhance competitiveness and create a fairer and more predictable system. As an analyst wrote recently in a national daily that “cheaper goods and services for the common man will drive consumption.” This obviously is an erroneous statement as the so-called ‘common man’ does not buy things whose GST has been brought down from 28 to 18 percent. It is tragic that experts do not have a clear idea of the common man. While business environment no doubt is expected to improve, the purchasing capacity of the common man remains static. 

The inequality problem persists in the country. In a book of Thomas Piketty, A Brief History of Equality, he rightly pointed out that modern capitalism has been characterised by military force, oppression, economic exploitation and the forced extraction of resources and wealth from the colonies. Optimists feel that there is a long way on the road to equality though, as per current indications, this may never be achieved if the same economic system persists, at least in the case of India. To start with, income and assets must be redistributed and employment and some basic income guaranteed while concerted action against climate change, ocean acidification and chemical pollution need to be taken. Importantly, economic redistribution towards greater equality may not succeed without reducing racial, religious and ethnic discrimination along with adequate attention to the poor and marginalised sections of society. 

The question about applauding achievements while ignoring the common man's problems highlights a common societal tension between celebrating successes and addressing widespread issues that affect our everyday life. While achievements are celebrated, it's crucial to also focus on the real-world problems faced by poor citizens, such as the rising cost of living, access to healthcare and education and job security, which receive very little public attention. 

It goes without saying that the government needs to balance the celebration of achievements with a conscious effort to highlight and address the critical issues that impact the daily lives of ordinary people. A critical lens should be applied to assess whether celebrated achievements genuinely benefit the majority population or primarily serve a select few. Addressing common man's problems requires more than applause; it demands active policy changes, advocacy, and collective action to create tangible improvements in areas like infrastructure, healthcare, education and economic stability. 

Keeping this in view, we do not hear much from our politicians. When will the government come forward with a comprehensive plan that will ensure that the bottom segments of society can, over a time-period, be able to increase their per capita income. As is well known, small and marginal farmers, small shopkeepers, craftsmen and rampant unemployed and underemployed are struggling for existence. Where will these people go if a basic minimum income cannot be guaranteed to them? ---INFA 

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)