Krishna Jangid
The growing gap between poverty and rich has become a big challenge for India today. According to the report ‘Inequity Kills’ published by Oxfam International, after COVID-19, where a large population of the world is struggling to meet their daily needs, on the other hand the wealth of the ten richest people in the world has passed. has doubled over the years.
That is, it has crossed one hundred and eleven lakh crores from about fifty-two lakh crores. This means that every day his wealth increased by about Rs 9656 crore. The second aspect of this report is very worrying, which states that in these two years, ninety-nine percent of the world’s population has recorded a decrease in income. Due to the COVID epidemic, about sixteen crore people in the world have been forced to face poverty. Oxfam International Executive Director Gabriella Butcher said that even if these ten people lost ninety-nine percent of their wealth tomorrow, they would be richer than ninety-nine percent of the people on the planet.
In the case of India regarding economic inequality, statistics say that in 2021, the income of eighty-four percent of the country’s households has decreased, but the number of Indian billionaires has increased from 102 to 142. The wealth of Indian billionaires has increased from Rs 23.14 lakh crore to Rs 53.16 lakh crore during the COVID pandemic. Globally, India has the third largest number of billionaires after China and the US. On the one hand, according to the United Nations data, about half of the new poverty being born in the world is being created in India.
Economic inequality affects every aspect of life. It is impossible for a large section to meet the basic needs like education, health, housing, security, whereas with a small group, resources remain as a luxury. As a result, there is resentment among the exploited and poor people and activities which are broadly classified as crime increase.
Economically, this inequality affects the poorest people, women and girls the most. Poverty keeps them away from access to education, health, nutrition, security and other basic means. In November 2021, NITI Aayog of India released the first Multidimensional Poverty Index in the country. According to this, poverty is linked to many aspects of health, education and standard of living. According to this report, 37.6 percent of Indian households are unable to eat enough nutritious food and about fourteen percent of the households are such that children of the age of ten or above are not able to attend school for six years.
This report shows that Bihar has the highest poverty ratio, followed by Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are the states with the highest malnutrition. This simply means that poverty is directly related to nutrition.
According to this report, more than half of Indian women in the age group of fifteen to forty nine suffer from anemia in the body and the number of such women has increased in the last few years. In our country, more than seventeen percent of children below the age of five are underweight for their height and age. In a reply given in Parliament last year itself, the Ministry of Women and Child Development stated that as of November 2020, more than 9.2 lakh children in India were ‘severely malnourished’.
If we look at the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index released last year by the United Nations Development Program and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, India ranks 66th out of 109 countries in the world in terms of poverty. It is noteworthy that the second goal of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations is poverty alleviation. India has also adopted these goals, but these horrific figures of poverty in our country are making this goal impossible.
India is a nation with the fourth largest foreign exchange reserves in the world. We have set a target of becoming a $5 trillion economy and believe that the Indian economy will continue to be the fastest growing economy in the world for the next three years. Along with all this, the wealth of corporate houses is increasing and poverty is expanding. In this era, from driving a car to burning the stove, expensive fuel will hardly affect the rich class, but it is like a serious crisis for the lower and middle class.
A large population of the country, formerly included in the middle or lower middle class, has slipped below the poverty line due to the pandemic and the lockdown. At the same time, due to the closure, a resourceful class easily fit in the expansion of online work culture and many successful business models have flourished in this era. Such severe economic inequality does not suit any civilized and balanced system.
Never in a democracy; Because in such a society the hegemony of the bourgeoisie at the top of power is inevitable. Since in this situation the conflict between the bourgeoisie and the bourgeoisie becomes natural and the hope of the stability of democracy, bypassing the interests of the majority, becomes futile.
It is worth mentioning that seventy years ago, reservation in education and employment was given in our country on the basis of educational and social status. But over the decades we have developed another scale of inequality and that is the economic base. The rapidly increasing poverty and inequality in India has put a question mark on the very concept of our welfare state. The policies-programs and plans that have been prepared for poverty alleviation in the country, their success also arises due to economic disparity.
To bridge the deepening gap between rich and poor in the country, today there is a need for governments to expand their welfare role with transparent administration. Give fundamental right to health, education, security, housing and food to the citizens with the policy of zero tolerance on corruption. Along with the expansion of the public sector, there is a need to work seriously on measures like employment generation, capacity building, village empowerment, promotion of small and cottage industries and redistribution of wealth. At the same time, create economic dynamism in the country by strictly implementing progressive tax i.e. the system of levying more tax on the rich.
The economic philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi gives the concept of trusteeship. That is, the resource-rich section of the society fulfills their needs and distributes the money to those who are in need. This is in stark contrast to Karl Marx’s concept of class struggle, in which Marx says that the proletariat will oust the bourgeoisie from power and resources through violence. Vinoba Bhave had taken Bhoodan from the wealthy landowners for the benefit of the landless. Our constitution also emphasizes the philosophy of socialism in the Directive Principles, emphasizing on economic equality. For the development of one hundred and thirty five crore Indians, equitable distribution of resources is an important need of the present India.