Sutanu Guru
When we talk about development in the past few years, we can find both optimists & pessimists or those with a glass half full and those with a glass half empty approach
A recent column written by me for this portal attracted some attention. It was a data driven piece arguing the real success of Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha, lies in taking the per capita income of the state beyond that of West Bengal.
One set of people applauded and cheered the remarkable transformation of Odisha in the 21st century with Naveen Babu at the helm throughout. Another set of people derided the column saying the so-called transformation of Odisha is just hyperbole and hot air with a pliable media lapping up all claims put forth by the regime.
In particular, one entrepreneur pointed out how he feels ashamed watching youngsters from Odisha working as waiters, cleaning staff and cooks in major Indian cities. From his perspective, all the development and the rise in per capita income of Odisha is meaningless as young Odias simply do not have any worthwhile job opportunities in the state. All this reminded me of the glass is half full or half empty syndrome.
If you are an optimist, there is an instinctive tendency to focus more on the positives. If you are a pessimist, there is an instinctive tendency to focus more on the negatives. This has been human nature since the dawn of civilization. However, the polarized nature of discourse in contemporary times makes these arguments more acrimonious than necessary.
There is a third category of people like me who are neither optimistic or pessimistic and do not arrive at quick judgements. That is because data is usually available to support both the optimists and pessimists. Here are a few examples of the glass is half full or half empty syndrome. It is for you to judge if the proverbial glass is half full or half empty!
Global institutions, academics and commentators who are not blinded by their hatred for Narendra Modi reckon that “Swachh Bharat” is one of the most significant achievements of his regime. The man had raised many eyebrows during his first speech from the Red Fort as prime minister as lack of toilets for women as a matter of shame for India so many decades after independence. But the toilets in every household mission was launched in 2014 and is now a case study on how to effect genuine change in a short period of time.
Many state governments and even districts started tom tomming how they had successfully eradicated open defecation. Close to 120 million new toilets were built in a frenzy of purposeful activity. For the glass is half full folks, this is a testament to how success can be achieved. But then, the glass is half empty types also have data to back their argument that the mission is not as successful as it is touted to be.
The NFHS-5 Survey that was conducted during 2020 and 2021 reveals that almost one third of households in rural India still don’t have access to “functional” toilets. Usually, lack of water, overcrowding and old habits have been cited as reasons why people don’t use toilets. So how does one look at this phenomenon? Is the Swachh Bharat mission a success or a failure? The answer will depend on your half full and half empty nature.
There is no longer any doubt that India will be the third largest economy in the world with a GDP of $ 5 trillion by the end of 2028. In some ways, that will decisively change the status of India from a poor country to one that is middle income. In terms of purchasing power parity, the per capita income of India will be more than $ 10,000 a year.
By any objective yardstick, this is a remarkable success story as the glass is half full folks will say. But then again, the glass is half empty folks will also have logic and data to back up their pessimistic analysis. For instance, big states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand will continue to remain hopelessly poor.
The number of people living in poverty could still be close to 200 million. The argument: if 200 million people are still struggling with poverty, how does a $ 5 trillion economy matter to them? Back again to the question: is the Indian economy doing well or badly? Depends on your mentality as a half full or half empty.
More than two thirds of Indians who have been given small Mudra loans to start or expand their business since 2015 have been females. A huge proportion of the Jan Dhan accounts opened since 2014 are females. Of the tens of millions of new pucca houses constructed in India in recent times, the title deed belongs to women in mot cases. Almost all the beneficiaries of direct benefit transfers are females. Their school enrolment ratio has crossed that of young boys.
After decades of disgraceful decline, India now has more females than males born every year. For the glass is half full types, these are success stories worth celebrating. But for the glass is half empty types, patriarchy still flourishes, sexual crimes against women have become more frequent and horrific and gender discrimination is still the norm. In their own ways, both are right.
If you are truly objective, the way to look at this is to consider these developments as a process where positive change happens, albeit not in the manner that optimists hope. Like democracy. All democracies are flawed, including that in India. But if your judgement depends on how much you like or dislike Narendra Modi, then you are a partisan player rather than an observer.
(Author has been a media professional for over 3 decades. He is now Executive Director, C Voter Foundation. Views are Personal)
