Why GDP is a failed concept to gauge Countries' development??

Might An feudal lord swap spots with a present-day protection clerk? ruler need huge numbers palaces What's more armed forces about servants. In any case he may be also An martyniaceae with toothache tree. News achieves him gradually. As much nourishment may be frequently stale. What's more he will be exhausted about as much courtiers. He might willingly exchange as much kingdom to an aggregation as a office ramble in the 21st-century, for its dentistry, refrigeration, Google and Youtube. The fake underlines those incredible material progresses settled on to late a long time. It also reveals to how unreliable it is should analyze living guidelines About whether Also crosswise over social orders. Correlations again later decades would routinely produced utilizing GDP, At they need aid troublesome. The reason will be GDP a poor measure from claiming progress?. 

Horrible down home item may be An measure for output, salary What's more using at toward the same the long run. To post-war Europe Furthermore America, those Growth clinched alongside existing principles Also over GDP were synonymous. GDP development turned into an target to government officials Furthermore An scorecard Toward which they were judged by voters. Indeed going so, it need dependably required critics. Environmentalists bring in length regretted that GDP treats the plunder of the planet Likewise something that includes should income, instead of constantly approached Similarly as a expenditure. An rehashed accuse will be that GDP may be separated starting with notions about profound prosperity. Robert Kennedy once broadly took point during GDP which, he said, counted smoke publicizing Furthermore jails Anyhow didn't incorporate “the excellence for our poetry alternately those quality from claiming our marriages”. Still, GDP development might have been An decent, though rough, aide will material Advance. The that's only the tip of the iceberg yield Furthermore wage might have been produced (after changing for inflation), the better off we were. 

That comparison acted pretty great when the economy might have been even now basically ranches Also factories, transforming things for comparative personal satisfaction that Might effortlessly make counted. Anyway GDP is suiting of the undertaking for measuring modern, service-led economies that would equipped towards those caliber about shopper experience, as opposed utilization from claiming more stupendous amounts. It is a wide margin harder should identify the degree should which transforms Previously, cost reflect An better administration. When restorative charges rise, it will for the most part check Concerning illustration inflation, regardless of the nature of medicinal services is enhancing speedier over costs are climbing. What's more the place customers pay nothing, Concerning illustration is often Right away those the event with advanced services, they don't register to GDP. The purchaser profits starting with Google Furthermore Facebook are In this way excluded. Awhile ago paid-for things, for example, such that maps, encyclopedias What's more music recordings, would Right away nothing. Along these lines they bring dropped crazy for gdp. On the web shopping, saving money Furthermore travel-arranging will be a greater amount advantageous to buyers. Of the degree that at this recoveries on buildings, it detracts starting with gdp. To the the vast majority part, the unpredictability of measuring those yield of benefits heads true gdp on make understated. At mis-measurement meets expectations the opposite way, a really. To instance, Assuming that an aerial shuttle squeezes more (and Therefore cheaper) seats ahead will a plane, it tallies Concerning illustration additional output, much possibility the caliber for administration falls. Perversely, those a greater amount dangers bank take, those that's only the tip of the iceberg they help GDP, indeed as those personal satisfaction from claiming giving tumbles. 

GDP will be An animal of the modern period from claiming mass-produced, homogenous products. It may be a a wide margin suitable aide should rich economies the place the nature from claiming administrations is prized over essentially Hosting that's only the tip of the iceberg stuff. It is severely adjusted will advanced economies, the place exercises that were once paid for, for example, such that contacting companions or discovering information, never again Lure a accuse. GDP is Along these lines progressively falling flat should completely catch additions over Normal living guidelines. It may be unreliable should look at the term of a medieval above all else to that of a up to date specialist. However it will be Practically Similarly as was troublesome should place a amount once the extent to which preferred will be a purchaser crate that incorporates cell phones and music streaming on you quit offering on that one loaded for fax machines and audio-cassettes. 

Source:: The Economist

When India Comes first

“India First” is a relevant idea in the present scenario of 21^st century, where India is not only a secluded concept, but rather a global one. Since 1991, when our economy opened up and assumed more global dimensions, as we graduated towards a free market society, the relevant social question of sacrificing our national interests for materialistic concerns has found a place in skeptical minds. As a direct fallout of the change, traditionally a culturally sensitive nation, India today faces the challenge of obliteration of its very concept. In this present age of capitalism, of rat-race for profit and individual needs, the question of whether India would survive bears significant proportion. Equally, in the bureaucratic framework, the problem of corruption lingers, which is the worst example of fulfilling individual aspirations at the stake of interest of our nation, where people still hardly manage two square meals a day! In this scenario, it is imperative that we address these concerns as soon as possible, so that India, as an entity can express itself independently to the changing world. This can only be achieved if people put aside their own aspirations that come in the way of the collective prosperity and growth of the country.

India has been a source of inspiration to the rest of the world, since time immemorial. Civilization in India dates back to 1700 B.C, the Indus valley civilization, when most people of the world were still nomads. Indians of that time had knowledge of urban planning, sanitation system, engineered metallurgy, and lived as a peaceful egalitarian society. Thus the Indus valley civilization left behind a legacy of knowledge and an era of arts, science, engineering and peaceful co-existence which manifested in culturally rich inventions. The digit zero and the numbering system, the decimal system, algebra, trigonometry and calculus, chess, the game of snakes and ladders, the value of “pi” are only a few in the count. Charaka, the father of medicine, practised medicine 2500 years ago. Ayurveda is the earliest literature of medicine known to mankind. The Aryans, the Guptas and the Mauryas left behind a culturally rich nation of non-violence and penchant for music, architecture, sculptures and painting superfluous with wealth, trade with foreign countries and overall a happy life. Due to its wealth, India has attracted foreigners, through her history. Persian invasion in 500 BC showed the way which was followed by the Greeks, the Turks, the Mughals, the Portuguese, the Dutch , the French and finally the English, who ruled for around 200 years. India, during these periods, was mostly ruled by selfish kingdoms under rival chiefs and rulers. Never united as they were, intruders took the best advantage of the situation and continued to plunder her wealth. Indians remained dumb and blind to these external aggressions. The freedom movement paved the way for building a united nation out of India. However, differences still exist amongst ourselves, we still prioritize region and language over the nation which has led to the continual fragmentation of the nation. Demand for more states keep arising time and again, from all corners of the country. Until and unless we imbibe the spirit of “being Indian” and put the nation ahead of all such differences, India will surely revert to its old self, a mere cluster of small states fighting against each other. Such social divisions made by ourselves need to be abolished. Or it won’t take long for another British Empire to crack us down. In such a situation, what more can we expect, except that we will be plunged in everlasting slavery.

Since our independence in 1947, we have seen a shift in India’s population patterns. The post-independence industrialization of various cities led to the migration of people of various linguistic groups from relatively rural areas. This led to conflicts between various groups for reasons ranging from accommodation to cultural xenophobia. The regionalist identities were given preference over the fact that they were after all, Indians. Mention may be made of Mumbai, then Bombay, where in the post-British era, speedy industrialization led to the influx of people from rural Maharashtra, the South and places like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This unprecedented inflow led to the problem of accommodation, and this gradually took the shape of one of the worst linguistic conflicts in this country. The reason was simple, people were exerting their linguistic authority, in a country where the Constitution has provided rights for Indians to settle anywhere across the State. On similar lines, communal riots have occurred regularly since Independence. The post-partition riots, anti-Sikh riots, post-Babri riots, and riots in Gujarat have been a blot on our collective conscience. What we cannot envisage is the communal disharmony and religious discrimination that infiltrates into the society defying all norms of humanity. Religious fanaticism receiving priority over Indian identity have created these indelible blemishes on our history. This is in direct confrontation with the secular ideals of the Constitution, where we have pledged to profess ideals of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. It seems that these words have been confined to the pages of the Constitution, and have not been reflected in the hearts and minds of people. Until and unless we put India first over our alignment to petty interests, we will continue to tarnish the image of such a glorious and prospective civilization in front of the world to who we present ourselves as a nation where “Unity in Diversity” exists.

The problems of a caste-based feudal framework that crept into the Indian social structure that existed since earlier times, and which assumed more dangerous proportions in the medieval ages, has also left our society fractured. This mindset is still prevalent in all Indian states, specially the states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar etc., and even states like Tamil Nadu in the South. Reservation for lower castes is one issue, where politicians have made every effort to pursue their own filthy political interests rather than trying to solve the issue. This age-old mindset has to be done away with, if we desire to put Indian first, and fit the credentials of being the largest democracy in the world. People in India still vote putting casteist interests before national interests.

On the other hand, the slave mentality seems to be ingrained in our very system that is direct fallout of a thousand years of serfdom to intruders, who either plundered or reigned in Indian Territory. There is a lack of participatory democracy, in the sense that we always wait for development to come from a handful of leaders, rather than participating selflessly in the democratic process. Indians, after Independence, sometimes appear to be more aware of their rights than their duties. Again, the development paradigm has also undergone a shift in the sense that everything that is Western is deemed better and fashionable, and Western ideas, as solution to unique problems of the Indian nation, are taken for granted.

India, the land of the martyrs who have embraced the gallows for their ideals, where every drop in the freedom fighter’s blood has fought not for itself but for the nation, has today become indigent instead of indigenous of ‘patriotism’. Patriotism in India needs to be revived and redefined.

We all probably remember patriotism when there is an Indo-Pak cricket match. But we definitely forget it when we cast our vote in the elections, when a week long hungry beggar asks for a rupee, when we shamelessly throw garbage on the roads and yet so many times more. Patriotism is observed as nothing else than the ‘pain on the prick of a pin’. It is rather believed to be a formality, a formality of saluting the national flag and 52 seconds of freeze stature during the national anthem. May be even a frozen heart with no gratitude for the martyrs because of whom we are living off so well.

Putting India first means persuasion of small things and actions with a notion of doing good to other countrymen. India is what Indians are, and what we make of our motherland. In the present world, strengthening of India’s social structure is very essential to thwart any attempts by external elements to destabilize the equilibrium of India. We should realize that “Unity is Strength”. It would be unfair to say that Indians do not have any patriotic feelings. During Kargil War, the entire nation stood as a whole to support our jawans who laid down their lives, defending every inch of Indian Territory. Why should always wait for another attack on Parliament or another Kasab to arise the patriotism in us? Can we not strengthen ourselves for the sake of our motherland? It is not as if the picture is bleak. There is a silver lining in the cloud. The same nation, where riots broke out post 1992 Babri demolition, accepted the judgement on Ayodhya peacefully. The country now needs a move-on, but keeping in mind our unique identity, philosophy, and self-dependence. Total peace and prosperity is however a misnomer. Still, we need to invigorate ourselves, and incessantly strive towards peace and prosperity of the nation. Only by putting national interests ahead of our self-interest and differences that exist among ourselves, can we fulfill the dream of the living legend, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam of living in a developed India by 2020.As Abraham Lincoln said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

The idea matters, not revolution....

A revolutionary dies, but the revolution remains as an idea rooted deep inside the dynamics of our daily society. The words of Lenin goes like this, “ Man does not live by politics alone”.  The maturity of human being is itself the biggest bane to human society.  A society can never be flat. Divisions and hierarchy, is the sole functional aspect and the base of any utilitarian organisation. Great people have scripted history trying to modify it by transferring the authority of the society (which is synonymous to a organisation) to the masses. Their efforts resulted in a more sophisticated structure, on which the modern day world is working. As I stated earlier, division ad hierarchy cannot be eliminated from the society, but the efforts of few great men have idealized the concepts of a perfectly flat society, where the driving force for change is not constrained to any individual.  

60 years long independence is just a small time for a country as diverse as India to be as developed as it is today. The preamble says, India is a socialist, secular, democratic republic, and we proudly live by it. The progress of India was scripted by some legendary individuals, whose ideas and values framed the foundation and the mindset of modern day Indians. In a Gandhi- Nehru dominated history; we tend to overlook some of the significant persons behind the socialist framework of Indian constitution.

“The sanctity of law is maintained as long as it is the expression of the will of the people”- Bhagat Singh. One key factor of socialist constitution is abolishment of totalitarian laws, which many visionary, mainly Bhagat Singh stood for. Bhagat Singh was one of the foremost socialist thinkers of the country—someone who argued that the country’s independence from the British rule would be truly effective if and when the issues of class struggle are taken care of. In the short life that he lived, Bhagat Singh transformed himself from an action-oriented teenage revolutionary to a rational, socialist and democratic thinker with an egalitarian view of society.

In fact, in his last message from jail dated March 3, 1931, he said, “…the struggle in India would continue so long as a handful of exploiters go on exploiting the labour of the common people for their own ends. It matters little whether these exploiters are purely British capitalists, or British and Indians in alliance, or even purely Indians.”

“The story of a 23 years old youth, portrayed as a macho revolutionary (in motion picture and social media), sacrificing his life for the sake of mother-land” , is heard over and over again. But the real ideas of Bhagat Singh are yet to be truly understood by India.

At a time when a Hindu-right government rules the country, Maoist movements are widespread, and social inequality rules the roost, a detailed study of Bhagat Singh’s egalitarian ideologies, anti-communal stand and his indomitable fight to remove inequality might hold the key for better times. 

Source: The Hindustan Times, www.shahidbhagatsingh.org