Source: This post is created based on the article “BIN: Build, Inaugurate, Neglect”, published in The Times of India on 1st June 2023.
Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 – Infrastructure
Context: The article critically analyze the politics behind creating ‘edifice complexes’.
The term edifice complex was coined initially to describe the tendency of politicians to build physical structures for electoral gains. However, it is not always bad.
It can bring huge benefits to people as well.
What are the criticisms associated with building edifice complexes?
The edifice complex diverts attention away from priorities that contribute to a nation’s long-term growth and prosperity.
Investments in education and health are avoided due to long gestation projects, which is not feasible for one electoral cycle.
Politicians often prioritize new structures as they offer higher political payoffs than maintaining existing ones. It results in wastage of resources.
Why edifice complexes are not always bad?
The structures such as Nagarjuna Sagar dam are beneficial for the people in the long run. It provided livelihood to millions of farmers.
New ‘Ambedkar Bhavan’ in Hyderabad ss an example that invokes a collective sense of pride and unity.
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