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growing much more faster and rapidly compared to the more backward regions.
We’re also aware of the fact that there are certain portions of the population
that have benefited from modern economy, and are earning amazingly well,
compared to those who are fallen behind. So, we come up with numerous other
mechanisms. For example, a right-based legislation that says, you have the right
to 200 days of employment, you have the right to food security. So, we’re
trying to create the social safety net, so that, again, people don’t feel that
democracy has failed them somehow.
So, there is a lot of this kind of movement as we go forward. We’ve
decentralized and devolved power through what’s called panchayati raj allowing
for local self-government. And in that local self-government, where people rule
themselves at the village level. And we have 50% reservations for women, and
we also have very aggressive reservations for people from various social
economic backgrounds.
So, that’s part of the story of trying to ensure that people feel that the
system is working for them. But there are many other factors that are
challenging us as we go forward. In this 70 years, we had one operation during
1975-77. My own party’s leader, Indira Gandhi, imposed something called
Emergency, suspended democracy, arrested politician leaders, censored the
press, etc. But, within a couple of years, she brought in elections again and
was defeated. And a new government came in, she came back in 1980. And,
so, after that, nobody thinks about the Emergency. But if you actually look at
what’s going on today, what Leena was talking about. The legal but declining
status of democracy. Today when you see that India’s media is owned by a
few industrial magnates, and that they are therefore much more concerned
about what the government might think of them. There is self-censorship at
play, and as a result there’s a sense of fear that the government could crack
down on them, on their businesses. As a result, there is no time for the
opposition party and we often feel that, hey, our voice isn’t getting
representation in the media because there seems to be an unwritten Emergency
in place.
So, these are some of the concerns that we have going forward.
Recently, during our government between 2004-2014, we give more power to
citizens through and Act called the Right to Information Act, which ensures that
any citizen can apply to the government and says, what do you do in this case
and why? And, that information shared with the public and allows the public to ²£ ´£²¢¡¸¡¡Á¥°£°ª²£l²h²£°À¨
feel that there is transparency and voice for even an individual citizen. So, even
institutions like these are being weakened as we go forward, through legally
strict methods and that’s not very healthy.
