Status of inequality: A probe into the Nehruvian pledge

Source: The post is based on the article “A probe into the Nehruvian pledge” published in The Hindu on 17^th August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.

Relevance: About the status of inequality in gender, society and the practice of democracy.

News: On August 15, 1947, in his historic speech, Jawaharlal Nehru said,  “The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity.” 75 years after the pledge, the inequality of opportunities which Nehru wanted to eradicate has only systematically widened.

This article reviews the pledge of ending inequality of opportunity made at the time of Independence under three broad heads: gender inequality, social inequality and the practice of democracy.

What is the status of inequality in gender?

Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): According to the global Sustainable Development Goals target, all countries are expected to have an MMR below 70. But the MMR in 456 out of 640 districts of India is above 140 per lakh live births.

The Global Gender Gap Index, produced by the World Economic Forum, India’s position fell from 98 in 2006 to 135 in 2022. On the sub-indices, a) On economic participation, India fell from 110 in 2006 to 151 in 2021, b) In health and survival, it slipped from 103 in 2006 to 155 in 2021.

Crime against women: The reported Indian Penal Code (IPC) crimes against women as a proportion of total IPC crimes increased steadily between 1990 and 2019.

Why does the status of inequality in society still persist in India?

In India, social disparities in gender, caste and class coexist. Constitutional guarantees of reservation in employment and education do not expand their opportunities. This is because 1) Historically marginalised communities have to contend with powerful groups with great initial endowments, 2) India has failed to seriously implement land reforms. So, the landless Dalits, Adivasis and the poor have not been able to go forward,

3) A 2019 paper shows that the egalitarian achievements up to the early 1980s have been lost following the liberalisation turnaround. The paper estimate that the top 1% of earners captured less than 21% of the total income in the late 1930s, 6% in the early 1980s and 22% in recent times. Further, the share of the bottom 50% income group grew over 90% in the 1980-2015 period, while that of the top 10% grew 435%, 4) The sustained gains of economic growth have not been channelled to widen the access to education, health care, social security and so on.

What about the practice of democracy?

Shankkar Aiyar termed India as a “Gated Republic”. With growing social and economic inequality, Indian democracy is emerging to fulfil the term “Gated Republic”. For instance, the privileged classes do not demand key public goods such as drinking water, electricity, and law and order because they have bottled water, storage tanks, water purifiers, inverters, and private security.

On the other hand, many of the avoidable deaths, and diseases, that happen in India are due to the public failure in providing water, public hygiene, education and the rule of law. Corruption is pervasive and undermines democratic practice.

So, the inequality of opportunities which Nehru wanted to eradicate has only systematically widened in India.