Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the few powerful leaders of this country. Hardly any contemporary leader has received as much support from him. If some Congress leaders are left out, this country did not trust any Prime Minister as much as Modi.
The reason for this is their style of speaking or BJP’s strong IT cell network, its ability to influence the public more than anyone. His popularity can also be gauged from the fact that even the smallest elections in the country are contested by BJP in the name of Prime Minister Modi.
But when it comes to the economy, the whole scene is reversed. During his tenure, the Indian economy witnessed a terrible decline due to his policies. On this, American economist Joseph Stiglitz says that “India is the biggest example of what not to do.”
Who is Joseph Stiglitz?
Joseph Stiglitz is an American economist and public policy analyst. He currently serves as a professor at Columbia University. He has been awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Stiglitz has also been a Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank.
In 2000 Stiglitz founded the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, a think tank on international development located at Columbia University. In 2011, Stiglitz was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Joseph Stiglitz has received more than 40 honorary degrees including Cambridge and Harvard. He is also the author of several books.
Joseph’s opinion on India’s economic policies
On October 5, in a webinar hosted by FICCI, Mr. Stiglitz said that he will start by trying to create an inclusive society. Politics of division is an antithesis of what needs to be done. Modi tried to divide India, Muslims against Hindus, which is going to undermine the society and economy no matter what else happens. This basic division will weaken India forever.
Joseph has kept India with Brazil and the US, who failed to deal with Covid-19, describing India as “the best example of what not to do”. He said that the crisis of migrant workers made the epidemic serious. Before starting lockdown, India did not think what it would mean in a poor country.
Sharing this with his Twitter, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote that he agree. His life’s purpose is to bring people of all faiths together in India.
Why did the Modi government fail in the Covid-19 era?
The economic understanding of the Modi government is not so good. The previous government was many times better in this matter. Irked by the previous government, Narendra Modi is turning his back on those schemes which are beneficial for the country.
First, the Modi government weakened the MNREGA. The government could not stop it completely because it knows its consequences.
Second, he was reluctant to increase its minimum wage and even if it was a joke. This increase was one to three percent i.e. barely 2 to 3 rupees. In fact, the Modi government believes that the money given to the MNREGA is like draining the drain but the reality is completely different.
The PDS(Public Distribution System) is the memorial of the second and biggest failure of the Modi government after MNREGA. The government is also cynical of it and should stop it if the bus goes.
Apathy towards public health service exposed this government during the Corona crisis. Coronavirus has stated that whenever there is a major health crisis in the country, only the public health system will work to overcome it.
Now the question is, will the government learn any lesson from all these failures? It is clear that the Corona crisis has proved the Modi government unsuccessful on all three fronts: employment, health, and diet. But the government also chooses the communal route to overcome such a crisis. Prime Minister Modi also lied a lot to the innocent people of India under the guise of his speaking style. Despite this, the public still trusts Modi. In the Corona crisis, the public’s disillusionment with the Modi government has been disturbed. But still, a large section does not want to see anyone but Modi.
Any leader is made great by correcting his mistakes. But intellectuals think that Prime Minister Modi does not believe in correcting his mistakes. Mr.Prime Minister should learn something from the economic workings of the previous government. In the insistence on overthrowing the opposition, the apathetic attitude towards the beneficial schemes of the opposition is not right. If the mistakes are not rectified, then the stubbornness of the Modi government will push this country towards a deeper economic crisis.
