Essay Test-6 : ForumIAS UPSC Mains General Studies Test Series for UPSC CSM-2017

Essay topic: Economic growth doesn’t mean anything if it leaves people out.

ECONOMIC GROWTH DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING IF IT LEAVES PEOPLE OUT-J.K Kemp

In common parlance, economic growth is measured in terms of GDP of a country. If GDP is high then a country is said to be prosperous and wealthy.
By this definition of economic growth, currently India may be said to be a one of the prosperous countries in the world as it is the fastest growing economy in the world with growth rate expected to touch 8% in near future.
But J.K Kemp would not concur with this definition of growth. For him economic growth should be inclusive in nature i.e nobody should be left out while achieving the goal of economic development. Now the first question to be answered is that why economic growth is linked with development very often? Why there is a belief that if a nation is growing economically then its people would also be prosperous?
Answer is that it is believed that once a country starts achieving economic growth then its effect trickles down to its people. They become empowered economically, politically, socially and ethically too. This can be seen as follows.
Economic growth would require investment by government and private companies in the form of building infrastructure. They would require inputs in the form of land, labour, capital and technology. This would create employment opportunities for the people living there. These employment opportunities would mean decent wages, increased demand and increased purchasing power parity of people. Hence economic growth is leading to economic empowerment of people here revealing its potential of inclusivity.
Now these economically well off people would be able to have decent standard of living. Sanitation and hygiene would no longer be a problem. Also, they would be able to take care of health and education of their children. These educated children would be able to understand that casteism, racism and sexism are injustices met to certain segment of society. With their little understanding, they would start nudging their parents against any discrimination and some day or other these evils would become thing of past. Henceforth birth of an egalitarian society would take place with flourishment of social equality.
Now, socially empowered people would be able to understand that they possess some constitutional and fundamental rights. They could go to Supreme court if any of their rights is violated under article 32.They posses universal adult franchise under article 265 and also have right to contest elections when they turn 21.
While understanding their political rights and contesting elections these people would understand the grievances of the society. They would be able to make difference that injustice done to some people is not right. They would understand that it is not right to rape a woman, discriminate against a person or murder a person over petty issues or not to lie for the sake of winning trust of somebody. And this understanding would prove that they are ethical.
So from the above passages it should be easy to decipher that it is economic growth which leads to development and inclusivity of people. However, barring a few exceptions things are not as rosy as have been stated above. This is because there were some assumptions involved where things start falling at place when economy takes off. In reality this is not the case. This can be seen in following section.
Though investment may lead to creation of employment opportunities but what about the people who are being displaced due to creation of infrastructure? Many people may have only land as an asset. If they lose it in the course of development of economy then this is not inclusivity at any cost. Recently Lucknow got its first metro but this would not have come without the cost of displacing some people and costing them their livelihood even if environmental consequences are kept aside.
Further, at pan Indian level we are achieving economic feat but flip side is that employment opportunities for women and transgenders are less. Recent International Labour Organisation’s report has revealed that women in India are paid 30% less than their male counterparts on hourly basis.
Moreover, Dalits are also lagging behind when it comes to entrepreneurship. This has led them to resort to Dalit Capitalism. Lastly,as per India exclusion report 2016,though Indian economy grew three times post 1990 but reduction of poverty slowed down from 0.94% to 0.65% in the same period.
So, clearly,some people are being left out. This would have many unintended consequences which has the potential to prove the hallowness of economic growth.
Such growth would mean some section of society would remain deprived forever implying that social divides are not going to be eliminated in near future. This can be seen in atrocities committed against Muslims in communal riots or various incidents of honour killings in some regions of Northern India. These misfortunes may serve as precedents for extremism, separatism and break down of social values.
Not only social impacts are negative due to exclusive economic growth but political consequences are more dangerous. Punjab and Gujarat are said to be prosperous states of India but these are also the states where demands by jats and patidars are frequent for reservation in employment.These demands pose threat to the motto for reservation for ‘socially and educationally’ backward class.
Similarly in states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar vote bank politics is played on the basis of caste and religion posing a threat to egalitarian aspirations of India.
Thus,economic growth without inclusivity questions very morale and ethics of democracy as a nation and conscience of an individual.Where does our conscience go when a rape takes place every two hours in India?or when a homeless minor is raped and is forced to deliver her baby?If we are so ethical then why on the very first day of inauguration of Lucknow metro,200 kilos of pan masala is recovered?Dont we know our mission of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan?Lastly where does our ethics go when a road accident victim is left to die just because we do not want to indulge in police case?

Therefore,while economic growth of India is commendable but at the same time we need to be careful that no one is left behind.In this respect our Prime Minister’s call for ‘sabka sath and sabka vikas’ alongwith schemes like Stand Up India,Prior Recognition learning scheme,Nai Roshni,Mission of power and housing for all by 2022, and activeness of various civil society organisations give us hope that India’s economic growth would not fail the test of Kemp’s definition of inclusive growth.And with our GDP,strength of 125 Crores would also grow in every arena of life.