On our Seven-Point Action Plan for India in this hour of lockdown crisis, Shekhar Gupta needs to cut the ideological clutter and focus on the real questions.
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The India-South Africa series-defining fact is the catastrophic decline of Indian red ball cricket where a visiting team can mock us with the 'grovel' word.
Why did clause 7 want the govt to “consider” private wealth at all?
Because the proponents were aware that the government can’t implement their plan even with a reasonably deficit budget.
The revised 7.1 says, Here is our grandiose plan. Let the govt worry about the money!
Thus, the revised statement is no better than the original!
Here, the core idea is based on the 10th Commandment (“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,”)
So the original clause 7 is like- “In case of emergency, keep in mind that your neighbor has a beautiful wife.”
And then the revised clause is like- “In case of desperation, just do whatever you can!”
In both cases, pardon the neighbor for being on his guard!
I must say, for someone who has given up psephology to focus on Politics, this attempt to not realize that words such as “emergency” or “nationalization” shouldn’t be used as they can be easily misconstrued shows a bit of a lack of understanding of “realpolitik” as Rajdeep would say. Also, “whatever it takes” without giving examples or calling for people to do “whatever it takes”, again, leaves the door open for the misinterpretation as you’ve said primarily because it is ambiguous to the reader and therefore, his or her interpretation will be considered the correct one.
“Do we or do we not need additional resources for a large economic stimulus and relief package? He could either say that we don’t need such a package beyond what the government has already announced. Or show that the government already has these additional resources. If not, there is no running away from the difficult question: where will this scale of additional revenue come from?” – I think you’re making an error in thinking that these are the only 2 answers. No will deny nor has anyone (Govt. especially) denied that we need additional resources for a large economic stimulus & relief package. However, this is politics (cries of keeping politics are with political intentions) & the fact of the matter is that with the 7 point plan you’ve put yourself against the Govt, in such times, if you do not frame your views accurately & 7.1 are not framed as you envisioned them, then Shekhar’s comments are completely apt.
The intellectuals who have drafted this kind of a ‘manifesto’ seems to have zero consequential knowledge. It is easier to concentrate power than to concentrate knowledge. It has to be remembered that intellectuals have many skills which enable them to evade the testing of what they believe. Marx’s ideas were repeatedly applied in different ways in different countries in the past century. The result was the same. More poverty and more social inequality. Simply put, intellectuals are not accountable for any of their bad ideas. Yogendra Yadav, is one of them. He is a kind of expert in Political Science (he is M.Phil from Panjab University and MA from JNU) , he thinks he has concentrated too much knowledge (like the rest of them) and now since they know everything they have the right solutions to the problems the Indian society is facing presently. These people justify their ideas by repeating a line — The idea was brilliant but its implementation was bad. That is consequential knowledge. If you do not know what the consequences of your actions are then how prudent it is to implement it? Finally, all the arguments presented by Mr. Yadav are untested ideas. They might work but given the state of bureaucracy, chances are more corruption and inefficiencies will crop up.
Human being needs motivation. This invaluable thought is entirely missing from the whole concept of communism and other suggestions originated from that philosophy.
In reality, there is no unlimited wealth available and the only question is of its distribution to everyone. Wealth needs to be created and then it trickles down other levels. Collect from the rich and distribute it to poor philosophy kills the motivation to create new wealth. So once a state of making everyone poor is achieved then authorities left with zero option to change the situation.
I know, whatever I wrote above can be classified as a rhetoric used by the people who oppose text book based communism. But what’s more important is that during a bad time, governments can be easily pressurised to accept any bad ideas, which might be released by mistake as well (many generations end up facing the ill impacts of such decision making).
We are not a welfare state and as we always have to continuously fight with the inflation, there is a limitation to give direct benefits to everyone. The real underlying question is why we are not a welfare state? Maybe the answer is due to the size of our population, and that problem is never raised by socialist, communist, environmentalist people.
All of you so called #Intellectuals_Economists & #Civil_Society_Activists alongwith #Modi_Govt NEED to think OUT OF BOX and #Consider_My_Proposals submitted in June19 to #Narendramodi, 150_MPs_BJP_Ldrs, #Swamy, #YashwantSinha, YogendraYadav, Shekhar Gupta Atleast 10 times that can #Rs45LacCr_Yrly_Resources in 3 ways by genuinely #Involving_Engaging #27Cr_Famlis / 135Cr Citizens of India who can go to ANY EXTENT to #Save_Humanity & #Enhance_National_Pride
I will Go Public after all concerned / connected including #PMOIndia, @nsitharaman have exhausted all their #Advisors_Advices, may be in Sept20.
If you think what you wrote has completely different meaning than what everyone interpreted, then you should have written it in a more simpler and direct way, explaining what you were exactly trying to say and what you actually meant. What is the need of formulating a sentence which can be interpreted in 2 ways & leaving it on the reader to interpret the way he/she wants and when there is furor over it, you try to come out with an expatiation and imply that those who are making noise about it couldn’t decipher what we were actually trying to say. This is just stupid. And i also don’t understand why these liberal intellectuals communicate only in fancy english. Doing this constrains the reach of their ideas. If they really want to reach the masses then why can’t they use Hindi or other regional language?
“Whatever it Takes” was also said by Imagine Dragons and Avengers in the End Game.
Why can’t we increase the corporate tax and ban dividends? Why can’t we have long term capital gain tax? Why can’t we increase excise and customs, and import tax? Why cant we increase sales tax on non-essential items (how much do they drive the Indian economy?)
Of course, tax the rich more, but government was anyways expecting lower tax collection this year. And how long can you sustain with whatever extra relief money you collect? Incentivize people with money to spend. And put people back into value add jobs. Invest in Covid prevention through interventions other than lockdown.
It is definitely heartening that Shekar Gupta discussed your “plan” for resurrecting the Nation (Make India Great Again?) while largely they were ignored by most Indians. Robbing Ramu to feed Balu is a tried and tested system which has repeatedly and miserably failed the world over.
A democracy where there is freedom, mostly exercised without responsibility, I understand that there will be a myriad of views and opinions by various achievers and activists. We, the people of India, welcome such free voicing of ideas (advice?). But what we see is that unfortunately our celebrated intellectuals mostly ventilate on emotive issues rather than on substantive issues.
Some of the issues that we, the people of India, would like our leading lights to discuss exhaustively and forcefully are
1. Reshaping Indian bureaucracy
2. Remodeling the education system
3. Bring in responsible and quality reporting in the media, making it non-partisan – inform and NOT influence. Freedom of speech come with great responsibility, which we, the people of India, find is largely lacking in most of our media. Media is failing to function as real pillar of Democracy.
4. Politics is only a means and not the end
This list is by no means exhaustive but sufficient enough to indicate the direction of my thoughts.
I fully agree that such discussions should not be personal. I consider every Indian as a brother / sister (the idea with which I grew up and this was the first line of my morning prayers during three of the four years of my professional training) and is acting with conviction unless proved otherwise.
We, the people of India, have chosen Democracy as way to be ruled and Capitalism (laced with some socialism [NOT FAKE SOCIALISM]) as a way to be fed. Let us keep it that way.
Original idea of the soviet state was temporary ownership by the state while the poletertiet get ready. We all know how it ended up.
Read some history, probably you did
I appreciate that the rebuttal to its own criticism of the 7 point action plan has also been published by it. It shows a fairness of approach in letting contrary views flourish which is sadly increasingly missing in media these days.
There is a saying in Kannada, “Kelage Biddaru Meese Mannaglilla”. This translates to “The moustache was untouched despite falling to the ground”. Yogendra Yadav and his cohorts have proved as authoritarian as they call Modi out to be. Given an opportunity they would like to tell you what is good for you and take away your freedoms. The liberal blindness to their own ills is appalling.
the agenda does not include what the govt. can do in terms of future revenues – large scale infrastructure projects which will give employment to many, tapping the record low interest rates worldwide for loans, mid income housing push (again as part of infrastructure push), industry fortification – pick an industry in India and build a competitive advantage, a mote, now is the time to do this. You can go on and on, I am shocked and sad that eminent economists are not thinking out of the box.
This reads more like a high school economics paper that I think a group of teenagers came up with.
No wonder our economy is in shambles, cause even the advisors in the back seat are sleeping instead of guiding.
I respect Yogendraji a lot but I’m glad that he and ppl like him are limited to the intellectual space and are not policy makers.
If we cant write a 7 page draft properly we should look in a mirror and work on Self improvement rather than criticizing others. The issue with Intellectuals is that they think their idea is the idea and because they are morally correct so they are superior. All crimes of the world are done by well intentional people when they start to think that only their ideas are correct.
Why doesnt the govt nationalise all the Temple trusts who have Billions of $ of gold and silver just lying in vaults and not being used for any good for the people.they shud give it back to the people in these times of need.Also the GOI should auction all the 100s/10000s of Lutyens delhi bunglows occupied by Ministrs,MPs.JUDGEES.and other people.Put them all in an apartment complex with top f the line security,instead of these guys always surrounded by dozens of guards.This will collect and save a lot of money.The Govt will save on maintanence,security,electricity and 100s of other things.No big country gives free homes to its reps.Even the US gives free accoadation only to POTUS and VPOTUS…everyone else has to pay.WHY,WHY,WHY
You Serious? You still want to call yourself a secular nation? I am appalled at the number of Indians that make these kind of statements and continue to call themselves Secular People Living in a Free Country. They do not realize any kind of nationalizing individual as well as collective religious practices impinges on Freedoms guaranteed in our constitution. It is one thing to request these temples to help out in the crisis, an entirely different matter to enforce it through legislation or other means. This is a recipe for disaster.
I fully agree with Muntazir. We all know how governments can hijack these ideas and twist them to their liking. Moreover, like he says, we already paying enough. Why do you want money put directly into the hands of the people as dole? For one, why not make them earn the money in a dignified manner as envisaged in the current stimulus. It is upto the states to efficiently or otherwise apply this. Let us give the schemes some time, where’s the hurry?
A country definitely cannot be run on the introspection of handful of desk-job opinions (with more than due respect to all experts). A country needs to be run taking on introspection over ground realities and acknowledging upon lessons from historical experiences.
Communism or socialism or capitalism all alone are not going to hand hold us tide over current need for supporting failing citizens and businesses and creating scaffolding for all to look upon for future growth. We probably need an intelligent mix of all the three isms, and policies and actions targeting these isms.
First, safety and health needs need take first-priority care, this would include adequate ration and right mix of grains and pulses be made available through the PDS. Even doubling of this mix of rations for next few months, should not be a dent for the exchequer. Second, hospital infrastructure in the private sector, should become sensitive to citizens needs either through law, or through considerate compassion. Third, most of white collar employees in government and private, can take few percentage of pay-cuts for next six months and think to contribute towards mitigating costs or contribute towards social expenses. Let this be voluntary rather than compulsory, the feelings of compassion towards ones’ employer should come within. Businessmen with income which they feel can dispose towards social contribution, should be encouraged to come forward with any incentives (future or current) from GOI to contribute to any ways of creating social welfare. Fourth, GOI should start infrastructure and defense projects with tons of outsourcing to private companies and allow more to come in the arena while allowing only local majority holding companies to take up works. Fifth, disseminate campaigns supporting welfare models, companionship ideologies, safety awareness and more.
Taxes need not be raised and private assets should not be thought to be made public. We can still look towards internal consumption as key driver to economic growth before exports pick up and in sectors where internal consumption could be satisfied through in-sourcing, imports on these sectors could be temporarily dis-incentivized. There is always a resilience among humans to pick up and get along, if only that, this resilience could be only macro-managed and not micro-managed and allow societal and market forces to get up and fill in and running again
Tweeted this before but there was no tlreply: Let the signatories give an account of what additional taxes they would be willing to pay. Charity begins at home.
I would not be surprised if these so called “not left fundamentalists” and “not market fundamentalists” are hinting at sale of all temple gold all over india. if you were only slightly push them for an answer for revenue raising they will definitely come with this suggestion. of course no property belonging to minority should be sold because we are a secular country.
The problem with these activists is that their HATRED for Mr.modi is so much that anything they say will have to be necessarily taken with a spoon of salt.
Well i don’t know, but i didn’t see Shekhar Gupta angry in his de-cluttering of the seven point recommendation. These are obvious and abstract ideas that lack any practicality.
A country definitely cannot be run on the introspection of handful of desk-job opinions (with more than due respect to all experts). A country needs to be run taking on introspection over ground realities and acknowledging upon lessons from historical experiences.
Communism or socialism or capitalism all alone are not going to hand hold us tide over current need for supporting failing citizens and businesses and creating scaffolding for all to look upon for future growth. We probably need an intelligent mix of all the three isms, and policies and actions targeting these isms.
First, safety and health needs need take first-priority care, this would include adequate ration and right mix of grains and pulses be made available through the PDS. Even doubling of this mix of rations for next few months, should not be a dent for the exchequer. Second, hospital infrastructure in the private sector, should become sensitive to citizens needs either through law, or through considerate compassion. Third, most of white collar employees in government and private, can take few percentage of pay-cuts for next six months and think to contribute towards mitigating costs or contribute towards social expenses. Let this be voluntary rather than compulsory, the feelings of compassion towards ones’ employer should come within. Businessmen with income which they feel can dispose towards social contribution, should be encouraged to come forward with any incentives (future or current) from GOI to contribute to any ways of creating social welfare. Fourth, GOI should start infrastructure and defense projects with tons of outsourcing to private companies and allow more to come in the arena while allowing only local majority holding companies to take up works. Fifth, disseminate campaigns supporting welfare models, companionship ideologies, safety awareness and more.
Taxes need not be raised and private assets should not be thought to be made public. We can still look towards internal consumption as key driver to economic growth before exports pick up and in sectors where internal consumption could be satisfied through in-sourcing, imports on these sectors could be temporarily dis-incentivized. There is always a resilience among humans to pick up and get along, if only that, this resilience could be only macro-managed and not micro-managed and allow societal and market forces to get up and fill in and running again.
The conspicuous consumption and opaque political funding by the top most quartile of the population is the problem, and not population growth or redistribution/welfarist functions of govt. This feeds into the inequality- poverty- unemployment vicious circle. The super rich don’t provide jobs to the extent MSME/unorganised sector provides.
Taxing of super rich in the form of one time Wealth Tax/Inheritance Tax to fuel a massive demand boost by govt led investment is the need of the hour. Ideologically blinded view points do more harm than good like removing “supply constraints” during a recession, when hundred years of economic theory will provide otherwise.
Since when did Shri Yogendra Yadav become an eminent economist? Did the brilliant ideas of these eminent economists and their mentors and teachers not condemn the nation to 2% to 3% of Nehruvian rate of growth for decades? Apart of giving 15 minutes of fame to these eminences does this charter service any purpose?
Mr Yadav. I am usually an admirer of your views. But on this issue, I think you have it wrong. Communism or socialism or the notion that government knows best isn’t some relic of the past that we need not fear. Its an ever present danger. When so many in our country are so poor, there is always going to be the urge to do “whatever it takes”. Its not Shekhar Gupta, a lot of us remember the pre liberalization days. If I recall correctly, Shekhar Gupta also addressed your revised 7.1. This is not an intellectual argument you are going to win. Best to concede and move on.
Yogendra Yadav very frequently tries to wear this colour of proactive socialism and fails. He lines TV comments or in here using as much sugar quote as possible.
What he should have done is remained in psephology to earn his millions. Wearing khadi dies mot substitute sociology. Mr Yadav got rejected by Kejriwal and somehow mistakenly thought channels such Rajdeep’s India Today or Nidhi Razdan’s NDTV are the best way to remain in the limelight or remain relevant.
Ah, you people finally have to change your point number 7 which originally said that all wealth (private and public alike) belongs to government during pandemic.
Oh yes, Mr Shekhar Gupta was absolutely right when he says, the intention behind the bad idea remains the same….even when a phrase is changed to… ‘whatever it takes’…. I sometimes fail to understand the pride of these intellectuals in their own right, when they almost hastily changed a phrase…someone even go for a stretch to tell that the draft was not the same when he gave his consent to sign….such hilarious characters on national arena these people.
And what about when SG says….. what would be your reaction Mr Activist, if the same clause 7 is ushered one fine evening @8pm by some Narendra Modi? What would be your first reaction? ( just think for a moment you are not in a good company of those eminent economists).
Yogendra Yadav has repeatedly proved that his brain size is similar to Pappu’s brain size. His brain knows only one thing that he is always right. Trade mark of all failed leftists who can’t themselves create wealth but always have eyes on others wealth to snatch and use. His mind is moulded in a non alterable way. Such people have only one state of mind and recognise only one set of instructions i.e. destroy and create afresh. His mind has no ability to improve over what has already been created. So he will first destroy and than create. This stupid can’t understand that perfection comes through improvements. All leftists are like this.
Shekhar sir,don’t you think that now our economy is only based on demand of consumers ,and when there is less demand the learned world fame economist are asking to give cash in the hands of public for creating artificial demands.
Sir,can government create demand by giving money to public and create demand in the field of heavy industries like automobile industry. Are we on right path in boosting our economy.
Sir, suppose if all adults of India buy cars for them within 5 years then what will happen to these car industries. What will happen to their further production.
For the present let us forget abouttrafficcondition,environment etc.
kindly enlightened me I shall be grateful to you.
Wow..I like this duel. And this is what I can call true journalism. Thank you ‘The Print’ for publishing this piece from Mr. Yadav that critiques Mr. Gupta’s views expressed on ‘Cut the Clutter’.
Shekhar Gupta is not wrong when he is trying to declutter the 7 point recommendation, especially the last point. Everything from point no. 1 to 6 needs resources that the current government is finding it hard to locate. And then point no. 7 says generate resources “whatever it takes”. How is any government going to do that without mobilising private wealth? It would have been easier for readers to if the eminent economists and thinkers of this piece would have elaborated a little bit on what they meant by ‘whatever it takes’ and ’emergency ways’. You have left all of us to take a guess at it. A few of them who endorsed these recommendations are eminent historians – please ask them what it means not to learn from history.
Mr. Yadav, I respect your views a lot, but I beg to differ with you also on this – taxing the rich. Do you have any idea much money are you going to generate with such an effort. If you take it to where it was in the late 1970′ – about 97%, you will at best get close to 10,000 crores. And you will kill private capital formation in this country for a long time to come!!
Anand Shukla
Berlin, 27 May, 2020
Funny to say or think that an itemized list of mother-and-apple-pie actions is ‘policy’. The government is also working in the same directions and is doing quite well, despite some mis-steps here and there, which can be pardoned. After all, you guys also could not draft a two-page note without raising hackles. Anyway, you may all sit in a corner, sulk and sing your dirges. The country has no time for the views of “eminent” (ha, ha) persons who have no right side in their body.
Mr Yadav is one of those wannabes in Indian politics, looking for the relevance of their outdated absurd ideas which has got no takers in the modern world. I am really impressed by print for giving him a forum/platform to clear his name, but in all honesty – nobody in India takes him seriously. same goes with all the signatories in this petition, they are all obscure, irrelevant people living in their own cozy cocoons thinking of themselves as saviors of the world and want to be taken seriously. Alas, if thoughts had wings…
My sincere request to Yadavjee, go back to your strength – if a psephologist can be a politician, Dorab sopariwala would have become prime minister of india!!!
Dear Yogenderji, I think Mr. Shekar Gupta has only pointed out that the” Sevenpoint Action Plan for India” may be “the greatest visions” on earth for India on paper for those who popose it; but on its implimentation will become a real ” bureaucratic monstrosity”.
What the 7 points are in real ; are the ideal conditions. Have they even made a calculation of how many migrants and how does it costs to run everything for free. The government can give these things, but where will they get the resources from to pay for this.
The makers of the list should have all the data in hand to make a proper case. None of us really say this is a bad idea. If India had already the resources, we wouldn’t have migrant problem at all, no problem of health care and all the problems they list.
I have , other than few individual efforts, not seen anyone going to the source of migrant population and make sure that they are self sufficient where ever they are from. They will beat their breast and ask for facilities to the poor and migrants in cities. Their heart burns so does every one else’s to see people live in such conditions. In fact some of the authors of the mission statement will say it is the right of every one to migrate and go wherever they want and settle and earn a living. If living in slum, with excreta flowing around is their idea of a better life than what they left in their villages then it is welcome.
All the signatories live a good life, some have retired from well paying jobs , some get paid by so called philanthropists and sufferers of white man’s guilt. Almost no one lives a life of ordinary citizens.
To give an example, till about 1995 the slum population of Mumbai was about 50% or lesser , the announcement of free house scheme, had seen a sudden increase of slums in government and private land since the decision by the then government. I have seen slum grow in matter of days and weeks after that decision. I am a regular traveler in Mumbai local train, the makers of the list can never imagine or never experience the kind of ride i used to take every day for my studies and then my job. They can be on a high horse and pass decisions and say do that and this as they are of infinite intellect. Instead of encouraging people by saying that it is their right to go and settle wherever people want I don’t see these very people trying to help them generate a good stable income wherever they stay. Show me one country with a population like ours which is able to give the facilities they are demanding for the migrants. I have lived near slums and as a child used to run through the lanes of slums while playing. The life of slum dweller compared to a poor rural person is hell. Sure they earn a few bits more, but slum life is not what a human should yearn for.
Local train travel needs to be experienced before these advocates of social equality start sermonizing. None of these NGOs nor Journalist get paid subsistence salaries. They never experience even the travel like majority of us and they sermonize. We have a population which every one says that is our capital and strength. Sure if we are ants, who will do as the Queen ant says.
Population control and providing a decent life for the migrants in their homeland is only solution, not throwing freebies every time a crisis comes, which is practically every 3 months in this country. Instead of encouraging people to migrate by saying that like a educated and rich person you also have a right, these people should help them in their home land. In this country , people always go for the easy way out and quick to criticize anything that has a long time incubation and a government averse to a criticism also goes for cosmetic changes.
You cant bring down people with slightly better life to a level of person with a poorer life, by citing equality and reducing his share. The way to do it is by gradually increasing the share of the poor so that they reach the persons with a better life than theirs. As long so our intellectuals understand that and be prepared for a long haul, the piece of mission is best left for serving peanuts in our local trains.
When a migrant is added to the city, he does not start his economic activity by buying the space for living and working. This space comes out of the commons (public property) in the city. This loss includes parks, playgrounds, wetlands, lakes, riverbeds, mangrove jungles, national park areas, roads, footpaths, etc. Further, migrants put extra demands on scarce resources like water. They also put a financial burden on the localities in the form of RTE (if you have a child, you are forced to support one more). Result: You may not be able to put your own child in a branded college because you cannot afford it; having bled by RTE for several years.
Should we accept this endless loss of commons property, in the name of accommodating less fortunate poor migrants?
Well, for an answer please consider how we treat our best people:
1. Our President lives in an imposing 365-room house.
2. All our ministers (Central, state), MPs, and governors get large mansions with large lawns
3. Judges at all levels of courts also get spacious bungalows with lawns
4. All UPSC officers get large bungalows — IAS, IPS, IFS (foreign), IFS (forests), IRS, etc.
5. Their state-level counterparts also get bungalows with lawns.
6. All buildings where the above people work are also imposing and sprawling buildings, with large gardens.
We have rewarded them with luxurious conditions with our taxpayer’s money. None of these areas allow hawkers, beggars, or even common public.
So what is wrong if we aspire to a similar quality of life? Why should we allow migrants to occupy and spoil the commons public property?
Today, 48% of Mumbai population lives in slums spread on 24% of the area.
Their condition has not improved in the last 70 years, despite sinking of humongous amount of money year after year.
Because of them, huge tracts of precious mangrove jungles are lost.
And the worst part is, this migration to the city does not have any limit.
And now migrants from Bangladesh are attracted, making this a truly bottomless pit.
So what is your vision of cities as economic units: A race to the bottom till we all “achieve” the same squalid conditions equally?
The original idea was bad enough and Shekhar’s debunking of it was full of childish counter arguments! On the first six points, government has already acted with some sort of measures. These so called intellectuals could have stopped at that but they went on to advise the government unnecessarily on how to get the resources and that when they were fully exposed. In fact, Yadav is wrong on both of his assertions – He along with his gang of fellow travelers are indeed communist disguised as intellectuals and Shekhar is indeed a fan of Modi, though he tries hard to portray otherwise! On the whole, Rahul appears to be on more solid wicket on this issue rather than this cabal of Modi haters!! They have messed up big time.
The sum and substance of the above Article can be summarised as that the Central Government should find the means by whichever way concievable to make direct cash transfers to the migrant population.This has been also the refrain of the Congress Party as well as the left leaning liberals.Obviously they are focussed only on distributional initiatives rather than the creation of wealth to enable redistribution.Once Freebees are introduced they tend to remain permanent in an elective Democracy.Instead the Migrants will be better off with creation of work opportunities while providing free rations during the interim.In this context,the UP Govt.is planning to provide skill oriented employment for the Migrants returning to the State.Let us not revert back to the povertarian polices again.Socialism ruined India during the early decades after independance.If we had opened up the Economy immediately after independence,we would have been on par with China in per capita incomes.
Many of your ideas seem appealing on the surface but you fail to address deep structural issues with the Indian economy. The plan to increase number of guaranteed employment days under MNGREGA, for instance, is very noble but it’ll do little to address the chronic unemployment that rural and urban India faces. Further, MNREGA hardly satisfies its dual mandate of creating durable rural infrastructure, making it a multi billion dollar money sink.
Your ideas to increase taxation and imposing wealth tax will lead to further flight of capital at a time we need investments the most, both for the economy and for national security.
Any new social spending by the government needs to come with an understanding that the private sector will take over when the government removes the training wheels. Perhaps re-purpose MNREGA like schemes into public works projects that can create rural and urban assets to improve productivity and quality of life.
The Indian people deserve a better deal from its intellectuals and politicians. They deserve access to opportunities and become wealthy. We cannot keep going back to half-baked measures to fix structural issues.
All the honest card carrying intellectuals surrendered their cards by mid 40s. That is when the real thinkers realized the inevitable collapse of the ideology. The hangers on were the dishonest egoistic intellectuals and the peripheral beneficiaries flogging the dead horse till the final collapse of USSR.
Mr. Shekhar Gupta, Ramachandra Guha , Ashutosh Varshney, Rajmohan Gandhi, G.N. Devy, Harsh Mander, T.M. Krishna and yours truly, all appear in the category of the amazing system operators. They are not the original developers of the Microsoft or Google.
As a good system operator the loyalty has to be unquestionably to the system. None of these great operators ever found anything wrong with the system since Independence till 2014. They never thought that the corruption and indiscipline embedded in the system needed a correction as top priority, because any serious attack on the these evils would have shaken the foundation of the very system they excelled in the art of operating, in the name of the poor while being rich and prevailed themselves.
The CLUTTER talking of decluterring ? You , all of you self styled whatever you have been , have to go . Then only can India think of looking forward .
There is no doubt that your first 6 points are very much needed. However, the problem will always will be HOW!!!!!!!!!!…….
That is a million dollar question which would always haunt us in a resource poor country which has competing priorities (aka India) esp in this era of globalization and neo nationalism spreading across the world.
While your (and your group’s) proposal may be well meaning, the biggest lacunae was the lack of proposals towards resource generation to support your first 6 goals. You CANNOT talk about the fiscal/economic support required for the proposals in such mundane way (as you in fact did) by adding a last pointer which gives emergency powers to the govt to do the same.
The first 6 points are no brainer and any arm chair critic (like you and me and the opposition – irrespective of party affiliations) can propound those, but execution of those need resources and money, I hope you already know that.
It would have been much better if along with your first 6 points you would have come simultaneously proposed elaborate ways & defences for resource generation as well. That would have been the right use use of the combined “intellect” you all eminent people possess.
There’s nothing like a good or bad idea. An idea becomes good or bad after it stands the test of time. In 90’s every media house and corporate criticized Dr Manmohan Singh’s economic reforms, but new India emerged from that idea. A bitter pill is needed to cure a chronic disease not a honey coated candy
Sir. At a time when there is almost 0 revenue. Increasing taxes will still get you 0 tax.
Anyways, people who have not spent a day in creating wealth have been sitting on judgement on wealth creators for far too long. Their understanding is academic and first they leaned for their economic inspiration to Russia and now the new breed almost always quotes the socialists in Europe and other Western countries.
Mr. Yadav says, higher taxes is being discussed in the West. West and India have different issues and economic structures. There are many problems with what Mr. Yadav suggests but most of all he and his colleagues are activists academicians who have neither created wealth nor won elections.
Yadav ji.. Indian Middle class refuses to believe it to be a crisis of the proportions you painted it to be Or it just hates the poor.
. If you think the objection was to point 7.1 only, then you are mistaken. The very idea of helping the poor and those walking is abhorant to Gupta ji s ilk . 7.1 “All resources” is a very strong preposition… A mere suggestion of raising taxes can be akin to asking for his (middle class) kidney. But why raise the bogey of taxes Yadav ji and scare everyone when Govt can fund out every one of your ideas of it’s resources. What’s so sacred about fiscal management especially when the problem is on the demand side. Every product remains unsold as we are running on over capacity and some decent amount of printing new money cannot lead to inflation. Ask govt to put money in the hands of those who spend. As for making the migrants reach home…. It has become a joke. Trains loosing directions looks very deliberate. There is no moral compass left.
Your suggestions would have met with the same fate had you stopped at point 6.
Any idea about the estimated cost of the proposed scheme? Please work out that and then identify specific ways in which resources could be raised to fund the cost. Merely to say that the government must explore emergency ways of raising resources is not enough. Detailed working with numbers is a must. Unless this is done, this remains merely an academic debate.
In my humble view, the main villain is the depressing and hazy scenario. There is no clarity and extreme despondency. Similar scenario prevailed during the Great Depression. President Roosevelt’s New Deal was not a brilliant economic idea. But it did a lot to dispel the negativity and mental depression. Thus, I concur with the idea of a path breaking scheme that should stimulate hope and positivity in all the sections of the society. If you say waive quarterly interest on housing loans, it is a bad idea, because the banking system will be burdened with unmanageable losses. If you say postpone the payment of interest, it is a feasible and practical solution. So, forget the platitudinous schemes like presented in the article and think practical about what is implementable and what is not. Off course, it was wrong say that we shall bring in a package of 20 trillion, which enthused the entire nation for a day. Next day the enthusiasm dissipated due to the perceptible hollowness of the package. The government seems to still in a wait and watch mode. The Corona crisis is yet to unfold completely. However, the indecision could be self defeating. The government should come out quickly with all the guns blazing. Else, it could be too late.
Yogendra, you are a failed politicians and sucking upto Congress who are loosers and robbers of our treasury for all the years they were in Power.Stop support your sucker freind Shekar because like you he is also Congress wanbe.Get lost.
Yogendra Yadav is complicating his initial offence, defending the indefensible. Only closet communists can propose a confiscatory measure. Instead of faulting Shekar Gupta for cold-war mindset, these eminent persons should have their collective heads examined for being out of sync with the times and society.
I commend ThePrint for publishing this article which is a critique of their stated position. In this debate I tend to lean towards Mr. Gupta as the statement in question was not happily worded and the intent of it comes through clearly which is Govt takeover of private property. This goes against all established economic logic and has not borne any fruit in the past. States within India which prefer such economic thinking are lagging behind economically.
Mr yogendra yadav highly respected, the use of the word “emergency” and then turning it to “whatever it takes” . Both are hazardous not in the way that you mean, you already know how govt can use laws once passed.
And can’t we have financial freedom, we are already paying too much. It’s huge amount from going cafeteria to getting children admitted to institutes. And I don’t understand when there will be no hike in payments of literally the working class, then how come you debate on taking more and more or the word emergency shall be used for giant riches, if so still we meed to respect them, they are providing jobs not the govt these days…. I solely agree with shekhar’s cutting the clatter…!!
Anyway I would also appreciate the print’s spirit of such involvement and sharing of platforms….!
This sounds more like the writer lashing out at Shekhar Gupta of frustration rather than giving sound suggestions. Also, 50,000 crores is not a small amount and you can’t make ginormous seven point manifestos with phrases like “whatever it takes” and “emergency” and expect people to take it lightly. There’s 30 people who endorsed it and not one thought that people will find it inappropriate?
This entire thing is seems as if it was written by a teary eyed person at 3 in the morning because the teacher didn’t appreciate his assignment enough.
Undereducated jhollawallas and frustrated fake history writers and poverty economist have written a document out of frustration that CONGRASS is out of power and SO ARE THEY. A COUNTRY which has 3 percent population paying income tax cannot afford to pay for welfare. Population control is the solution.
Why did clause 7 want the govt to “consider” private wealth at all?
Because the proponents were aware that the government can’t implement their plan even with a reasonably deficit budget.
The revised 7.1 says, Here is our grandiose plan. Let the govt worry about the money!
Thus, the revised statement is no better than the original!
Here, the core idea is based on the 10th Commandment (“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,”)
So the original clause 7 is like- “In case of emergency, keep in mind that your neighbor has a beautiful wife.”
And then the revised clause is like- “In case of desperation, just do whatever you can!”
In both cases, pardon the neighbor for being on his guard!
So much intro and invective over the interpretation of a sentence. The original and “revised” are poles apart. Shows the duplicity of Yogendra Yadav.
I must say, for someone who has given up psephology to focus on Politics, this attempt to not realize that words such as “emergency” or “nationalization” shouldn’t be used as they can be easily misconstrued shows a bit of a lack of understanding of “realpolitik” as Rajdeep would say. Also, “whatever it takes” without giving examples or calling for people to do “whatever it takes”, again, leaves the door open for the misinterpretation as you’ve said primarily because it is ambiguous to the reader and therefore, his or her interpretation will be considered the correct one.
“Do we or do we not need additional resources for a large economic stimulus and relief package? He could either say that we don’t need such a package beyond what the government has already announced. Or show that the government already has these additional resources. If not, there is no running away from the difficult question: where will this scale of additional revenue come from?” – I think you’re making an error in thinking that these are the only 2 answers. No will deny nor has anyone (Govt. especially) denied that we need additional resources for a large economic stimulus & relief package. However, this is politics (cries of keeping politics are with political intentions) & the fact of the matter is that with the 7 point plan you’ve put yourself against the Govt, in such times, if you do not frame your views accurately & 7.1 are not framed as you envisioned them, then Shekhar’s comments are completely apt.
The intellectuals who have drafted this kind of a ‘manifesto’ seems to have zero consequential knowledge. It is easier to concentrate power than to concentrate knowledge. It has to be remembered that intellectuals have many skills which enable them to evade the testing of what they believe. Marx’s ideas were repeatedly applied in different ways in different countries in the past century. The result was the same. More poverty and more social inequality. Simply put, intellectuals are not accountable for any of their bad ideas. Yogendra Yadav, is one of them. He is a kind of expert in Political Science (he is M.Phil from Panjab University and MA from JNU) , he thinks he has concentrated too much knowledge (like the rest of them) and now since they know everything they have the right solutions to the problems the Indian society is facing presently. These people justify their ideas by repeating a line — The idea was brilliant but its implementation was bad. That is consequential knowledge. If you do not know what the consequences of your actions are then how prudent it is to implement it? Finally, all the arguments presented by Mr. Yadav are untested ideas. They might work but given the state of bureaucracy, chances are more corruption and inefficiencies will crop up.
If you don’t speak what I speak , then your speech is not worth speaking.
The six was a sixer of all the sixers around
Human being needs motivation. This invaluable thought is entirely missing from the whole concept of communism and other suggestions originated from that philosophy.
In reality, there is no unlimited wealth available and the only question is of its distribution to everyone. Wealth needs to be created and then it trickles down other levels. Collect from the rich and distribute it to poor philosophy kills the motivation to create new wealth. So once a state of making everyone poor is achieved then authorities left with zero option to change the situation.
I know, whatever I wrote above can be classified as a rhetoric used by the people who oppose text book based communism. But what’s more important is that during a bad time, governments can be easily pressurised to accept any bad ideas, which might be released by mistake as well (many generations end up facing the ill impacts of such decision making).
We are not a welfare state and as we always have to continuously fight with the inflation, there is a limitation to give direct benefits to everyone. The real underlying question is why we are not a welfare state? Maybe the answer is due to the size of our population, and that problem is never raised by socialist, communist, environmentalist people.
All of you so called #Intellectuals_Economists & #Civil_Society_Activists alongwith #Modi_Govt NEED to think OUT OF BOX and #Consider_My_Proposals submitted in June19 to #Narendramodi, 150_MPs_BJP_Ldrs, #Swamy, #YashwantSinha, YogendraYadav, Shekhar Gupta Atleast 10 times that can #Rs45LacCr_Yrly_Resources in 3 ways by genuinely #Involving_Engaging #27Cr_Famlis / 135Cr Citizens of India who can go to ANY EXTENT to #Save_Humanity & #Enhance_National_Pride
I will Go Public after all concerned / connected including #PMOIndia, @nsitharaman have exhausted all their #Advisors_Advices, may be in Sept20.
If you think what you wrote has completely different meaning than what everyone interpreted, then you should have written it in a more simpler and direct way, explaining what you were exactly trying to say and what you actually meant. What is the need of formulating a sentence which can be interpreted in 2 ways & leaving it on the reader to interpret the way he/she wants and when there is furor over it, you try to come out with an expatiation and imply that those who are making noise about it couldn’t decipher what we were actually trying to say. This is just stupid. And i also don’t understand why these liberal intellectuals communicate only in fancy english. Doing this constrains the reach of their ideas. If they really want to reach the masses then why can’t they use Hindi or other regional language?
Come on Mr Yogi, be a sport, you lost this one. Move on.
“Whatever it Takes” was also said by Imagine Dragons and Avengers in the End Game.
Why can’t we increase the corporate tax and ban dividends? Why can’t we have long term capital gain tax? Why can’t we increase excise and customs, and import tax? Why cant we increase sales tax on non-essential items (how much do they drive the Indian economy?)
Of course, tax the rich more, but government was anyways expecting lower tax collection this year. And how long can you sustain with whatever extra relief money you collect? Incentivize people with money to spend. And put people back into value add jobs. Invest in Covid prevention through interventions other than lockdown.
It is definitely heartening that Shekar Gupta discussed your “plan” for resurrecting the Nation (Make India Great Again?) while largely they were ignored by most Indians. Robbing Ramu to feed Balu is a tried and tested system which has repeatedly and miserably failed the world over.
A democracy where there is freedom, mostly exercised without responsibility, I understand that there will be a myriad of views and opinions by various achievers and activists. We, the people of India, welcome such free voicing of ideas (advice?). But what we see is that unfortunately our celebrated intellectuals mostly ventilate on emotive issues rather than on substantive issues.
Some of the issues that we, the people of India, would like our leading lights to discuss exhaustively and forcefully are
1. Reshaping Indian bureaucracy
2. Remodeling the education system
3. Bring in responsible and quality reporting in the media, making it non-partisan – inform and NOT influence. Freedom of speech come with great responsibility, which we, the people of India, find is largely lacking in most of our media. Media is failing to function as real pillar of Democracy.
4. Politics is only a means and not the end
This list is by no means exhaustive but sufficient enough to indicate the direction of my thoughts.
I fully agree that such discussions should not be personal. I consider every Indian as a brother / sister (the idea with which I grew up and this was the first line of my morning prayers during three of the four years of my professional training) and is acting with conviction unless proved otherwise.
We, the people of India, have chosen Democracy as way to be ruled and Capitalism (laced with some socialism [NOT FAKE SOCIALISM]) as a way to be fed. Let us keep it that way.
Original idea of the soviet state was temporary ownership by the state while the poletertiet get ready. We all know how it ended up.
Read some history, probably you did
So I’m waiting a reply of Mr Shekhar Gupta on this.
I appreciate that the rebuttal to its own criticism of the 7 point action plan has also been published by it. It shows a fairness of approach in letting contrary views flourish which is sadly increasingly missing in media these days.
Come on Mr Yogi. Be a sport, you lost this one. Move on.
There is a saying in Kannada, “Kelage Biddaru Meese Mannaglilla”. This translates to “The moustache was untouched despite falling to the ground”. Yogendra Yadav and his cohorts have proved as authoritarian as they call Modi out to be. Given an opportunity they would like to tell you what is good for you and take away your freedoms. The liberal blindness to their own ills is appalling.
in Malayalam it is “meeselu mannu thattathe uruluka”, translating to “rolling in the mud with dirtying the mustache”
A Very pragmatic solution under the existing circumstances , I feel.
the agenda does not include what the govt. can do in terms of future revenues – large scale infrastructure projects which will give employment to many, tapping the record low interest rates worldwide for loans, mid income housing push (again as part of infrastructure push), industry fortification – pick an industry in India and build a competitive advantage, a mote, now is the time to do this. You can go on and on, I am shocked and sad that eminent economists are not thinking out of the box.
This reads more like a high school economics paper that I think a group of teenagers came up with.
No wonder our economy is in shambles, cause even the advisors in the back seat are sleeping instead of guiding.
Shekhar’s rebuttal is keenly waited.
I respect Yogendraji a lot but I’m glad that he and ppl like him are limited to the intellectual space and are not policy makers.
If we cant write a 7 page draft properly we should look in a mirror and work on Self improvement rather than criticizing others. The issue with Intellectuals is that they think their idea is the idea and because they are morally correct so they are superior. All crimes of the world are done by well intentional people when they start to think that only their ideas are correct.
Why doesnt the govt nationalise all the Temple trusts who have Billions of $ of gold and silver just lying in vaults and not being used for any good for the people.they shud give it back to the people in these times of need.Also the GOI should auction all the 100s/10000s of Lutyens delhi bunglows occupied by Ministrs,MPs.JUDGEES.and other people.Put them all in an apartment complex with top f the line security,instead of these guys always surrounded by dozens of guards.This will collect and save a lot of money.The Govt will save on maintanence,security,electricity and 100s of other things.No big country gives free homes to its reps.Even the US gives free accoadation only to POTUS and VPOTUS…everyone else has to pay.WHY,WHY,WHY
You Serious? You still want to call yourself a secular nation? I am appalled at the number of Indians that make these kind of statements and continue to call themselves Secular People Living in a Free Country. They do not realize any kind of nationalizing individual as well as collective religious practices impinges on Freedoms guaranteed in our constitution. It is one thing to request these temples to help out in the crisis, an entirely different matter to enforce it through legislation or other means. This is a recipe for disaster.
I fully agree with Muntazir. We all know how governments can hijack these ideas and twist them to their liking. Moreover, like he says, we already paying enough. Why do you want money put directly into the hands of the people as dole? For one, why not make them earn the money in a dignified manner as envisaged in the current stimulus. It is upto the states to efficiently or otherwise apply this. Let us give the schemes some time, where’s the hurry?
https://theprint.in/opinion/shekhar-gupta-ko-gussa-kyun-aata-hai-communism-cold-war-anxieties
A country definitely cannot be run on the introspection of handful of desk-job opinions (with more than due respect to all experts). A country needs to be run taking on introspection over ground realities and acknowledging upon lessons from historical experiences.
Communism or socialism or capitalism all alone are not going to hand hold us tide over current need for supporting failing citizens and businesses and creating scaffolding for all to look upon for future growth. We probably need an intelligent mix of all the three isms, and policies and actions targeting these isms.
First, safety and health needs need take first-priority care, this would include adequate ration and right mix of grains and pulses be made available through the PDS. Even doubling of this mix of rations for next few months, should not be a dent for the exchequer. Second, hospital infrastructure in the private sector, should become sensitive to citizens needs either through law, or through considerate compassion. Third, most of white collar employees in government and private, can take few percentage of pay-cuts for next six months and think to contribute towards mitigating costs or contribute towards social expenses. Let this be voluntary rather than compulsory, the feelings of compassion towards ones’ employer should come within. Businessmen with income which they feel can dispose towards social contribution, should be encouraged to come forward with any incentives (future or current) from GOI to contribute to any ways of creating social welfare. Fourth, GOI should start infrastructure and defense projects with tons of outsourcing to private companies and allow more to come in the arena while allowing only local majority holding companies to take up works. Fifth, disseminate campaigns supporting welfare models, companionship ideologies, safety awareness and more.
Taxes need not be raised and private assets should not be thought to be made public. We can still look towards internal consumption as key driver to economic growth before exports pick up and in sectors where internal consumption could be satisfied through in-sourcing, imports on these sectors could be temporarily dis-incentivized. There is always a resilience among humans to pick up and get along, if only that, this resilience could be only macro-managed and not micro-managed and allow societal and market forces to get up and fill in and running again
Tweeted this before but there was no tlreply: Let the signatories give an account of what additional taxes they would be willing to pay. Charity begins at home.
I would not be surprised if these so called “not left fundamentalists” and “not market fundamentalists” are hinting at sale of all temple gold all over india. if you were only slightly push them for an answer for revenue raising they will definitely come with this suggestion. of course no property belonging to minority should be sold because we are a secular country.
The problem with these activists is that their HATRED for Mr.modi is so much that anything they say will have to be necessarily taken with a spoon of salt.
Well i don’t know, but i didn’t see Shekhar Gupta angry in his de-cluttering of the seven point recommendation. These are obvious and abstract ideas that lack any practicality.
A country definitely cannot be run on the introspection of handful of desk-job opinions (with more than due respect to all experts). A country needs to be run taking on introspection over ground realities and acknowledging upon lessons from historical experiences.
Communism or socialism or capitalism all alone are not going to hand hold us tide over current need for supporting failing citizens and businesses and creating scaffolding for all to look upon for future growth. We probably need an intelligent mix of all the three isms, and policies and actions targeting these isms.
First, safety and health needs need take first-priority care, this would include adequate ration and right mix of grains and pulses be made available through the PDS. Even doubling of this mix of rations for next few months, should not be a dent for the exchequer. Second, hospital infrastructure in the private sector, should become sensitive to citizens needs either through law, or through considerate compassion. Third, most of white collar employees in government and private, can take few percentage of pay-cuts for next six months and think to contribute towards mitigating costs or contribute towards social expenses. Let this be voluntary rather than compulsory, the feelings of compassion towards ones’ employer should come within. Businessmen with income which they feel can dispose towards social contribution, should be encouraged to come forward with any incentives (future or current) from GOI to contribute to any ways of creating social welfare. Fourth, GOI should start infrastructure and defense projects with tons of outsourcing to private companies and allow more to come in the arena while allowing only local majority holding companies to take up works. Fifth, disseminate campaigns supporting welfare models, companionship ideologies, safety awareness and more.
Taxes need not be raised and private assets should not be thought to be made public. We can still look towards internal consumption as key driver to economic growth before exports pick up and in sectors where internal consumption could be satisfied through in-sourcing, imports on these sectors could be temporarily dis-incentivized. There is always a resilience among humans to pick up and get along, if only that, this resilience could be only macro-managed and not micro-managed and allow societal and market forces to get up and fill in and running again.
The conspicuous consumption and opaque political funding by the top most quartile of the population is the problem, and not population growth or redistribution/welfarist functions of govt. This feeds into the inequality- poverty- unemployment vicious circle. The super rich don’t provide jobs to the extent MSME/unorganised sector provides.
Taxing of super rich in the form of one time Wealth Tax/Inheritance Tax to fuel a massive demand boost by govt led investment is the need of the hour. Ideologically blinded view points do more harm than good like removing “supply constraints” during a recession, when hundred years of economic theory will provide otherwise.
Since when did Shri Yogendra Yadav become an eminent economist? Did the brilliant ideas of these eminent economists and their mentors and teachers not condemn the nation to 2% to 3% of Nehruvian rate of growth for decades? Apart of giving 15 minutes of fame to these eminences does this charter service any purpose?
Mr Yadav. I am usually an admirer of your views. But on this issue, I think you have it wrong. Communism or socialism or the notion that government knows best isn’t some relic of the past that we need not fear. Its an ever present danger. When so many in our country are so poor, there is always going to be the urge to do “whatever it takes”. Its not Shekhar Gupta, a lot of us remember the pre liberalization days. If I recall correctly, Shekhar Gupta also addressed your revised 7.1. This is not an intellectual argument you are going to win. Best to concede and move on.
Yogendra Yadav very frequently tries to wear this colour of proactive socialism and fails. He lines TV comments or in here using as much sugar quote as possible.
What he should have done is remained in psephology to earn his millions. Wearing khadi dies mot substitute sociology. Mr Yadav got rejected by Kejriwal and somehow mistakenly thought channels such Rajdeep’s India Today or Nidhi Razdan’s NDTV are the best way to remain in the limelight or remain relevant.
Ah, you people finally have to change your point number 7 which originally said that all wealth (private and public alike) belongs to government during pandemic.
७.१, और योगेन्द्रयादवजी की पोलखुल गई। जेएनयू के पढ़े कॉम्युनिस्ट निकले.
Oh yes, Mr Shekhar Gupta was absolutely right when he says, the intention behind the bad idea remains the same….even when a phrase is changed to… ‘whatever it takes’…. I sometimes fail to understand the pride of these intellectuals in their own right, when they almost hastily changed a phrase…someone even go for a stretch to tell that the draft was not the same when he gave his consent to sign….such hilarious characters on national arena these people.
And what about when SG says….. what would be your reaction Mr Activist, if the same clause 7 is ushered one fine evening @8pm by some Narendra Modi? What would be your first reaction? ( just think for a moment you are not in a good company of those eminent economists).
Yogendra Yadav has repeatedly proved that his brain size is similar to Pappu’s brain size. His brain knows only one thing that he is always right. Trade mark of all failed leftists who can’t themselves create wealth but always have eyes on others wealth to snatch and use. His mind is moulded in a non alterable way. Such people have only one state of mind and recognise only one set of instructions i.e. destroy and create afresh. His mind has no ability to improve over what has already been created. So he will first destroy and than create. This stupid can’t understand that perfection comes through improvements. All leftists are like this.
Are the difference in opinion between shekhar sir and yogendra sir are due to they belonging to different varnas: Vaishyas VS Kshatriyas
Yadav, Harsh Mandir , Raj Mohan Gandhi, Krishnan all worst Naxalites , urban Naxalites
Shekhar sir,don’t you think that now our economy is only based on demand of consumers ,and when there is less demand the learned world fame economist are asking to give cash in the hands of public for creating artificial demands.
Sir,can government create demand by giving money to public and create demand in the field of heavy industries like automobile industry. Are we on right path in boosting our economy.
Sir, suppose if all adults of India buy cars for them within 5 years then what will happen to these car industries. What will happen to their further production.
For the present let us forget abouttrafficcondition,environment etc.
kindly enlightened me I shall be grateful to you.
Wow..I like this duel. And this is what I can call true journalism. Thank you ‘The Print’ for publishing this piece from Mr. Yadav that critiques Mr. Gupta’s views expressed on ‘Cut the Clutter’.
Shekhar Gupta is not wrong when he is trying to declutter the 7 point recommendation, especially the last point. Everything from point no. 1 to 6 needs resources that the current government is finding it hard to locate. And then point no. 7 says generate resources “whatever it takes”. How is any government going to do that without mobilising private wealth? It would have been easier for readers to if the eminent economists and thinkers of this piece would have elaborated a little bit on what they meant by ‘whatever it takes’ and ’emergency ways’. You have left all of us to take a guess at it. A few of them who endorsed these recommendations are eminent historians – please ask them what it means not to learn from history.
Mr. Yadav, I respect your views a lot, but I beg to differ with you also on this – taxing the rich. Do you have any idea much money are you going to generate with such an effort. If you take it to where it was in the late 1970′ – about 97%, you will at best get close to 10,000 crores. And you will kill private capital formation in this country for a long time to come!!
Anand Shukla
Berlin, 27 May, 2020
Funny to say or think that an itemized list of mother-and-apple-pie actions is ‘policy’. The government is also working in the same directions and is doing quite well, despite some mis-steps here and there, which can be pardoned. After all, you guys also could not draft a two-page note without raising hackles. Anyway, you may all sit in a corner, sulk and sing your dirges. The country has no time for the views of “eminent” (ha, ha) persons who have no right side in their body.
“Eminent” people! Huh!
I appreciate Shekar for publishing this reply. Hope to see Yadav continuing as columinist
Mr Yadav is one of those wannabes in Indian politics, looking for the relevance of their outdated absurd ideas which has got no takers in the modern world. I am really impressed by print for giving him a forum/platform to clear his name, but in all honesty – nobody in India takes him seriously. same goes with all the signatories in this petition, they are all obscure, irrelevant people living in their own cozy cocoons thinking of themselves as saviors of the world and want to be taken seriously. Alas, if thoughts had wings…
My sincere request to Yadavjee, go back to your strength – if a psephologist can be a politician, Dorab sopariwala would have become prime minister of india!!!
Dear Yogenderji, I think Mr. Shekar Gupta has only pointed out that the” Sevenpoint Action Plan for India” may be “the greatest visions” on earth for India on paper for those who popose it; but on its implimentation will become a real ” bureaucratic monstrosity”.
What the 7 points are in real ; are the ideal conditions. Have they even made a calculation of how many migrants and how does it costs to run everything for free. The government can give these things, but where will they get the resources from to pay for this.
The makers of the list should have all the data in hand to make a proper case. None of us really say this is a bad idea. If India had already the resources, we wouldn’t have migrant problem at all, no problem of health care and all the problems they list.
I have , other than few individual efforts, not seen anyone going to the source of migrant population and make sure that they are self sufficient where ever they are from. They will beat their breast and ask for facilities to the poor and migrants in cities. Their heart burns so does every one else’s to see people live in such conditions. In fact some of the authors of the mission statement will say it is the right of every one to migrate and go wherever they want and settle and earn a living. If living in slum, with excreta flowing around is their idea of a better life than what they left in their villages then it is welcome.
All the signatories live a good life, some have retired from well paying jobs , some get paid by so called philanthropists and sufferers of white man’s guilt. Almost no one lives a life of ordinary citizens.
To give an example, till about 1995 the slum population of Mumbai was about 50% or lesser , the announcement of free house scheme, had seen a sudden increase of slums in government and private land since the decision by the then government. I have seen slum grow in matter of days and weeks after that decision. I am a regular traveler in Mumbai local train, the makers of the list can never imagine or never experience the kind of ride i used to take every day for my studies and then my job. They can be on a high horse and pass decisions and say do that and this as they are of infinite intellect. Instead of encouraging people by saying that it is their right to go and settle wherever people want I don’t see these very people trying to help them generate a good stable income wherever they stay. Show me one country with a population like ours which is able to give the facilities they are demanding for the migrants. I have lived near slums and as a child used to run through the lanes of slums while playing. The life of slum dweller compared to a poor rural person is hell. Sure they earn a few bits more, but slum life is not what a human should yearn for.
Local train travel needs to be experienced before these advocates of social equality start sermonizing. None of these NGOs nor Journalist get paid subsistence salaries. They never experience even the travel like majority of us and they sermonize. We have a population which every one says that is our capital and strength. Sure if we are ants, who will do as the Queen ant says.
Population control and providing a decent life for the migrants in their homeland is only solution, not throwing freebies every time a crisis comes, which is practically every 3 months in this country. Instead of encouraging people to migrate by saying that like a educated and rich person you also have a right, these people should help them in their home land. In this country , people always go for the easy way out and quick to criticize anything that has a long time incubation and a government averse to a criticism also goes for cosmetic changes.
You cant bring down people with slightly better life to a level of person with a poorer life, by citing equality and reducing his share. The way to do it is by gradually increasing the share of the poor so that they reach the persons with a better life than theirs. As long so our intellectuals understand that and be prepared for a long haul, the piece of mission is best left for serving peanuts in our local trains.
Mr Yogendra Yadav,
When a migrant is added to the city, he does not start his economic activity by buying the space for living and working. This space comes out of the commons (public property) in the city. This loss includes parks, playgrounds, wetlands, lakes, riverbeds, mangrove jungles, national park areas, roads, footpaths, etc. Further, migrants put extra demands on scarce resources like water. They also put a financial burden on the localities in the form of RTE (if you have a child, you are forced to support one more). Result: You may not be able to put your own child in a branded college because you cannot afford it; having bled by RTE for several years.
Should we accept this endless loss of commons property, in the name of accommodating less fortunate poor migrants?
Well, for an answer please consider how we treat our best people:
1. Our President lives in an imposing 365-room house.
2. All our ministers (Central, state), MPs, and governors get large mansions with large lawns
3. Judges at all levels of courts also get spacious bungalows with lawns
4. All UPSC officers get large bungalows — IAS, IPS, IFS (foreign), IFS (forests), IRS, etc.
5. Their state-level counterparts also get bungalows with lawns.
6. All buildings where the above people work are also imposing and sprawling buildings, with large gardens.
We have rewarded them with luxurious conditions with our taxpayer’s money. None of these areas allow hawkers, beggars, or even common public.
So what is wrong if we aspire to a similar quality of life? Why should we allow migrants to occupy and spoil the commons public property?
Today, 48% of Mumbai population lives in slums spread on 24% of the area.
Their condition has not improved in the last 70 years, despite sinking of humongous amount of money year after year.
Because of them, huge tracts of precious mangrove jungles are lost.
And the worst part is, this migration to the city does not have any limit.
And now migrants from Bangladesh are attracted, making this a truly bottomless pit.
So what is your vision of cities as economic units: A race to the bottom till we all “achieve” the same squalid conditions equally?
The original idea was bad enough and Shekhar’s debunking of it was full of childish counter arguments! On the first six points, government has already acted with some sort of measures. These so called intellectuals could have stopped at that but they went on to advise the government unnecessarily on how to get the resources and that when they were fully exposed. In fact, Yadav is wrong on both of his assertions – He along with his gang of fellow travelers are indeed communist disguised as intellectuals and Shekhar is indeed a fan of Modi, though he tries hard to portray otherwise! On the whole, Rahul appears to be on more solid wicket on this issue rather than this cabal of Modi haters!! They have messed up big time.
Dear Columnist, I like you quite a lot, but not as much as the Editor. Kai baar cricket mein, no ball ho jaati hai. Say sorry and move on.
The sum and substance of the above Article can be summarised as that the Central Government should find the means by whichever way concievable to make direct cash transfers to the migrant population.This has been also the refrain of the Congress Party as well as the left leaning liberals.Obviously they are focussed only on distributional initiatives rather than the creation of wealth to enable redistribution.Once Freebees are introduced they tend to remain permanent in an elective Democracy.Instead the Migrants will be better off with creation of work opportunities while providing free rations during the interim.In this context,the UP Govt.is planning to provide skill oriented employment for the Migrants returning to the State.Let us not revert back to the povertarian polices again.Socialism ruined India during the early decades after independance.If we had opened up the Economy immediately after independence,we would have been on par with China in per capita incomes.
Mr Yadav,
Many of your ideas seem appealing on the surface but you fail to address deep structural issues with the Indian economy. The plan to increase number of guaranteed employment days under MNGREGA, for instance, is very noble but it’ll do little to address the chronic unemployment that rural and urban India faces. Further, MNREGA hardly satisfies its dual mandate of creating durable rural infrastructure, making it a multi billion dollar money sink.
Your ideas to increase taxation and imposing wealth tax will lead to further flight of capital at a time we need investments the most, both for the economy and for national security.
Any new social spending by the government needs to come with an understanding that the private sector will take over when the government removes the training wheels. Perhaps re-purpose MNREGA like schemes into public works projects that can create rural and urban assets to improve productivity and quality of life.
The Indian people deserve a better deal from its intellectuals and politicians. They deserve access to opportunities and become wealthy. We cannot keep going back to half-baked measures to fix structural issues.
I also agree with Shekhar and appreciate The Print.
All the honest card carrying intellectuals surrendered their cards by mid 40s. That is when the real thinkers realized the inevitable collapse of the ideology. The hangers on were the dishonest egoistic intellectuals and the peripheral beneficiaries flogging the dead horse till the final collapse of USSR.
Mr. Shekhar Gupta, Ramachandra Guha , Ashutosh Varshney, Rajmohan Gandhi, G.N. Devy, Harsh Mander, T.M. Krishna and yours truly, all appear in the category of the amazing system operators. They are not the original developers of the Microsoft or Google.
As a good system operator the loyalty has to be unquestionably to the system. None of these great operators ever found anything wrong with the system since Independence till 2014. They never thought that the corruption and indiscipline embedded in the system needed a correction as top priority, because any serious attack on the these evils would have shaken the foundation of the very system they excelled in the art of operating, in the name of the poor while being rich and prevailed themselves.
The CLUTTER talking of decluterring ? You , all of you self styled whatever you have been , have to go . Then only can India think of looking forward .
Dear Yadavji,
There is no doubt that your first 6 points are very much needed. However, the problem will always will be HOW!!!!!!!!!!…….
That is a million dollar question which would always haunt us in a resource poor country which has competing priorities (aka India) esp in this era of globalization and neo nationalism spreading across the world.
While your (and your group’s) proposal may be well meaning, the biggest lacunae was the lack of proposals towards resource generation to support your first 6 goals. You CANNOT talk about the fiscal/economic support required for the proposals in such mundane way (as you in fact did) by adding a last pointer which gives emergency powers to the govt to do the same.
The first 6 points are no brainer and any arm chair critic (like you and me and the opposition – irrespective of party affiliations) can propound those, but execution of those need resources and money, I hope you already know that.
It would have been much better if along with your first 6 points you would have come simultaneously proposed elaborate ways & defences for resource generation as well. That would have been the right use use of the combined “intellect” you all eminent people possess.
Thanks,
नमस्कार,
योगेंद्र जी 7.1 प्रस्ताव भारी प्रस्ताव था।
उसके नीचे सभी प्रस्ताव दब गए।
यह सरकार श्रमिकों के लिए कुछ नहीं करेगी।
जय भारत, जय जगत।
There’s nothing like a good or bad idea. An idea becomes good or bad after it stands the test of time. In 90’s every media house and corporate criticized Dr Manmohan Singh’s economic reforms, but new India emerged from that idea. A bitter pill is needed to cure a chronic disease not a honey coated candy
Sir. At a time when there is almost 0 revenue. Increasing taxes will still get you 0 tax.
Anyways, people who have not spent a day in creating wealth have been sitting on judgement on wealth creators for far too long. Their understanding is academic and first they leaned for their economic inspiration to Russia and now the new breed almost always quotes the socialists in Europe and other Western countries.
Mr. Yadav says, higher taxes is being discussed in the West. West and India have different issues and economic structures. There are many problems with what Mr. Yadav suggests but most of all he and his colleagues are activists academicians who have neither created wealth nor won elections.
Vikram have said it very well.
Yadav ji.. Indian Middle class refuses to believe it to be a crisis of the proportions you painted it to be Or it just hates the poor.
. If you think the objection was to point 7.1 only, then you are mistaken. The very idea of helping the poor and those walking is abhorant to Gupta ji s ilk . 7.1 “All resources” is a very strong preposition… A mere suggestion of raising taxes can be akin to asking for his (middle class) kidney. But why raise the bogey of taxes Yadav ji and scare everyone when Govt can fund out every one of your ideas of it’s resources. What’s so sacred about fiscal management especially when the problem is on the demand side. Every product remains unsold as we are running on over capacity and some decent amount of printing new money cannot lead to inflation. Ask govt to put money in the hands of those who spend. As for making the migrants reach home…. It has become a joke. Trains loosing directions looks very deliberate. There is no moral compass left.
Your suggestions would have met with the same fate had you stopped at point 6.
Any idea about the estimated cost of the proposed scheme? Please work out that and then identify specific ways in which resources could be raised to fund the cost. Merely to say that the government must explore emergency ways of raising resources is not enough. Detailed working with numbers is a must. Unless this is done, this remains merely an academic debate.
In my humble view, the main villain is the depressing and hazy scenario. There is no clarity and extreme despondency. Similar scenario prevailed during the Great Depression. President Roosevelt’s New Deal was not a brilliant economic idea. But it did a lot to dispel the negativity and mental depression. Thus, I concur with the idea of a path breaking scheme that should stimulate hope and positivity in all the sections of the society. If you say waive quarterly interest on housing loans, it is a bad idea, because the banking system will be burdened with unmanageable losses. If you say postpone the payment of interest, it is a feasible and practical solution. So, forget the platitudinous schemes like presented in the article and think practical about what is implementable and what is not. Off course, it was wrong say that we shall bring in a package of 20 trillion, which enthused the entire nation for a day. Next day the enthusiasm dissipated due to the perceptible hollowness of the package. The government seems to still in a wait and watch mode. The Corona crisis is yet to unfold completely. However, the indecision could be self defeating. The government should come out quickly with all the guns blazing. Else, it could be too late.
Yogendra, you are a failed politicians and sucking upto Congress who are loosers and robbers of our treasury for all the years they were in Power.Stop support your sucker freind Shekar because like you he is also Congress wanbe.Get lost.
TM Krishna and Yogendra Yadav are indeed hidden communists.
Yogendra Yadav is complicating his initial offence, defending the indefensible. Only closet communists can propose a confiscatory measure. Instead of faulting Shekar Gupta for cold-war mindset, these eminent persons should have their collective heads examined for being out of sync with the times and society.
I commend ThePrint for publishing this article which is a critique of their stated position. In this debate I tend to lean towards Mr. Gupta as the statement in question was not happily worded and the intent of it comes through clearly which is Govt takeover of private property. This goes against all established economic logic and has not borne any fruit in the past. States within India which prefer such economic thinking are lagging behind economically.
Yogendra Yadav doth protest too much.
Shekhar is right …… I go for Shekhar views …. Because one thing is clear ….. I agree with them or not….. Shekhar always want good for india…..
Mr yogendra yadav highly respected, the use of the word “emergency” and then turning it to “whatever it takes” . Both are hazardous not in the way that you mean, you already know how govt can use laws once passed.
And can’t we have financial freedom, we are already paying too much. It’s huge amount from going cafeteria to getting children admitted to institutes. And I don’t understand when there will be no hike in payments of literally the working class, then how come you debate on taking more and more or the word emergency shall be used for giant riches, if so still we meed to respect them, they are providing jobs not the govt these days…. I solely agree with shekhar’s cutting the clatter…!!
Anyway I would also appreciate the print’s spirit of such involvement and sharing of platforms….!
This sounds more like the writer lashing out at Shekhar Gupta of frustration rather than giving sound suggestions. Also, 50,000 crores is not a small amount and you can’t make ginormous seven point manifestos with phrases like “whatever it takes” and “emergency” and expect people to take it lightly. There’s 30 people who endorsed it and not one thought that people will find it inappropriate?
This entire thing is seems as if it was written by a teary eyed person at 3 in the morning because the teacher didn’t appreciate his assignment enough.
Undereducated jhollawallas and frustrated fake history writers and poverty economist have written a document out of frustration that CONGRASS is out of power and SO ARE THEY. A COUNTRY which has 3 percent population paying income tax cannot afford to pay for welfare. Population control is the solution.