Poor?? Who?? Us?? No way?? Them?? Maybe!!!!!

We have all been witness to data of all kinds in today’s communication revolution era. Take data on India’s poverty estimates. Tendulkar committee says it’s 37% Indians living below the poverty line. Arjun Sengupta Committee says it’s 77 % Indians living below the poverty line. Also, N.C Saxena Committee says it’s 50 % Indians living below the poverty line. A 2005 World Bank estimate puts India’s poor at 41.6 % of the total population (earning less than the International poverty line of US $1.25). Firstly, it’s funny to notice so many committees being formed on public money and resources going down the drain with no productivity. Imagine if only one committee was formed and a consolidated data prepared instead of labyrinthic data and unsure outcomes, wouldn’t it have been much better????

Now, let’s see and go beyond the numbers on India’s poverty and observe its progress on inclusive growth. Even while taking a small walk anywhere in India, one thing that we observe around us is how wealth is so damn unequally distributed.  While some are enjoying lavish meals inside fancy restaurants and hotels others are waiting outside the same hotel or restaurant waiting for some kind of begging opportunity. Small ( and sometimes smart) kids are begging their hearts out in public places and missing no opportunity to gherao you. As is with the human brain, the general public has taken it as a part of their existence while making no efforts to change the same.  What the innocent public fails to understand is that such inequality is unsustainable and will sooner than later result in civil unrest. Why is there so much apathy among the general public for these people. The standard reply would be why should we care. And that reply is on expected lines. I mean who has the time to look at these NOT SO IMPORTANT souls when everybody is busy making money.
 

A few NGOs and an even fewer government organizations cannot be expected to bring about a renaissance in the lives of these people unless something comes from the civil society itself.  A concerted effort has to be taken by all of us if we want to see the change we desire. A clear cut strategy with well defined objectives should be charted out by local governments to make inclusive growth work.  Centre cannot be expected to carry out the objective of inclusive growth by itself and it should be the motto and the driving force of every state government to ensure growth is made inclusive.

-Sunny Gusain