Young Indian Politicians must Fix Ailing India’s Problems

Ahead of the 2014 Maharashtra elections and those in 10 other states, some issues continue to plague the Indian economy. Of them, inflation remains the biggest concern. Basically, inflation is the increase in price of goods over the past. These goods are food items, luxury goods and anything which can be sold.

Ailing India

Inflation is measured through 2 indices – Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI). As the terms suggest, WPI measures the increase of wholesale prices, while CPI measures how much increase in prices impact common man. The government declares inflation in terms of WPI, but it is CPI which impacts common man more.

Since the past 5 years, prices of primary foods i.e. foods which are consumed daily by people have increased almost 200%. Onions, tomatoes, chillies, sugar and other food prices have more than doubled, causing pain to common man. It has hurt daily wage workers more, who rely on onions for their daily diet of zunka bhakar. Fruits and dairy products have not been spared either, with prices rising so quickly that it’s only the rich who can afford them regularly.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) has caused the cost of labour for agriculture to increase. Still, there hasn’t been a drastic depletion in the output of food grains despite the declared draught in the past 2 years. However, there has been a shortage of food in the market, leading to price rise. Most people in India are now of the opinion that this shortage is artificially induced due to hoarding. This occurs when the middlemen (read wholesalers) deliberately store food grains and prevent them from being sold in the market. The scarcity leads to increase in price which invariably translates into more profit for the middlemen. These middlemen have large cartels which are in good standings with major politicians, meaning they get away with such illegal activities and make money at the expense of common and poor man.

Young politicians of India have to step in to take action. They have to fix these problems of artificially induced shortages and draughts at the root. This means improving irrigation channels for agriculture and eliminating middlemen from trade. Irrigation channels are in pitiable condition, ignored since decades by the government. Millions of litres of rainwater each year get wasted because of lack of infrastructure to harvest them. If irrigation technology is improved, India will not have to suffer from water shortage in fields. Also, it is no secret middlemen have had a long standing relationship with senior politicians. Young politicians have to implement policies which remove middlemen from the picture and allow farmers directly to deal with retailers. This will ensure farmers get fairly paid for their yield and common man gets food for right prices. Lower economic classes will be able to afford food more often and the nutrition index of India will improve.

India is at an important junction right now. From here, the country can either become a force to reckon with, or fade away into oblivion like many other countries which promised much more. The torch of development and progress has to be taken up by young Indian politicians who place the country before themselves. A population of more than 120 crore people depends upon them.

Will the Panvel Development Story be Different from that of Navi Mumbai?

Development in Panvel has been at record pace lately. Panvel, the city which is the gateway to the MMR – Mumbai Metropolitan Region, is set to become the new gateway to Maharashtra’s hinterland. This city has been a middle-class area, while other nodes of Navi Mumbai have been affluent. However, while the lack of government will to push for progress might hurt Navi Mumbai, it’s unlikely that such issues will plague Panvel’s development.

Panvel development

What Must Young Indian Politicians do for India to Progress?

Spearheaded by young politicians, India is on the verge of an economic revolution. The country is on its way to becoming one of the world’s leading superpowers. It already is part of the BRICS (Brazil Russia India China South Africa) group which make up the fastest growing economies in the world.

Young politicians of India hold the key to its future

However, since the past few years, the country seems to have fallen into a rut, bordering on stagflation – where progress is stagnated but inflation keeps rising. Government officers have been guilty of policy paralysis and there has been no dearth of scams. These have negatively impacted investor sentiment and business growth, both of which have seen down slides. Many foreign companies which wanted to invest billions of dollars in the country and increase jobs have been stalled because the government failed to take action.

The current situation of the country needs improvement. Young political leaders of India need to take some tough decisions and stick to them. Subsidies, various state-specific taxes and improper policies are hurting India more than helping it to grow. Service tax, excise duty, octroi and state-imposed taxes mean commodity prices differ from state to state. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Public Distribution of Food (PDS) make labour and food more expensive for common man respectively.

Tough decisions have to be made to restore India’s economic momentum. Subsidies being offered on fuel are increasing India’s fiscal deficit, but not offering subsidies will directly impact inflation. This is because expensive diesel will invariably lead to hike in food prices. Also, not reimbursing oil and electricity companies for their losses hampers their ability to produce more fuel and electricity. Many policies like these are double-edged swords which have to be balanced carefully by the government.

Elder politicians are always comfortable with the way things are. Young political leaders of India, however, have a lot of fire in their blood. They don’t just want things to be the way they are; they want India to develop and its people to progress. They want more investment in the country. They want to develop infrastructure (buildings, roadways, airports, etc.), encourage more jobs to be produced, further develop and incentivize agriculture, reduce prices and hasten rural development. They have the spark and zeal needed to help India progress.

It’s important for us to support these young Indian politicians and encourage them to take bold decisions. Implementing these bold decisions will pave the way for India’s growth and development. Politicians like Milind Deora, Agatha Sangma, Prashant Thakur, Sachin Pilot, Priya Dutt, Arvind Kejriwal, Navin Jindal and others are working hard to ensure the population of India gets the life it deserves. They are driving people to bring progress and development. Various age-old redundant Acts are being abolished and new market sensitive policies are replacing them. It’s necessary that we elect the right leaders and stand behind them. These young politicians of India, along with the youth population, are the future of this country.