Stressed times call for reassurance
There is a palpable stress in the country. At the microeconomic level, recession has hit almost all sections as the experiential reality of shrinking economic choices, botched calculations, anxiety and uncertainty. Of course, COVID-19 has disrupted several sectors with unprecedented consequences. Though the massive agitation of the farmers and their blockade of the national capital is evidently a reaction to the controversial farm laws, it is also symptomatic of a deeper distress and disquiet.
Governments at the Centre and the states have reacted with varying degrees of sagacity and concern to the pandemic-induced stressful situation. No doubt, a few measures were announced that brought some relief in the dismal days of lockdown. Increased allocation for the rural employment guarantee scheme, a loan repayment freeze for a few months, encouragement to banks to lend more, some relief on interest payments (after the Supreme Court’s intervention), a transfer of Rs 500 to Jan Dhan accounts, 5 kg of free wheat and rice for three months to the needy families, etc., are some of these steps.
The economic revival package announced in three or four tranches was aimed at creating the right policy environment to facilitate better flow of credit to productive sectors. However, taking care of the supply side alone cannot kickstart an economy weakened by poor demand. However, the source of this disquiet is not the adequacy or inadequacy of the economic revival package or other mitigating measures. The avowed policy preference of the Centre and several state governments in favour of the private players in several key sectors is translated in the collective psyche of the nation as an eagerness to shy away from the prime responsibility of the state, particularly in times of national stress.
The manner in which vital legislations were rushed through in Parliament without detailed discussion in the Standing Committee or Select Committee had sent wrong messages. A cursory look at the slew of recent legislative and policy initiatives of the Central government validates this perception. The new guidelines on Environment Impact Assessment, National Education Policy 2020, privatisation of profitable public sector units (even in a sensitive sector like petroleum), privatisation of railways, drastic amendments of the labour laws to suit managements and now, the three interrelated laws on agriculture and marketing of farm produce—these and similar steps cumulatively declare governments’ implicit trust in the private sector.
This is not a critique of the policy of privatisation. However, when society is exposed to unprecedented vulnerabilities of still unmeasured dimensions, it is only natural to look to the government for relief, guidance and succor. What is seen, though, is the increasing harshness of laws and the regulatory nature of governments. The state is arming itself with stringent laws, admittedly to meet exigencies. The general perception that the government is predisposed to treat dissent as subversion has the potential to discourage free thought and silence non-conformist expressions.
When read alongside several instances of the UAPA and 120A of the IPC being invoked in seemingly innocuous matters, and the move to control streaming entertainment platforms, the stifling and controlling arm of the state appears to be more visible and active than the benevolent arm that ought to deliver relief and social justice. The regulatory might and muscle of the Central government has been amply demonstrated in enforcing the (ill-prepared) lockdown and enforcing restrictions. However, when it comes to health, education, agriculture and other such vital domains, the government seems to believe that the private sector would do a better job.
Naturally, the perception that government systems and programmes, with their inherent non-profit ethos, are being stifled or done away with to allow private players to take the lead is gaining credibility and acceptance. Government systems may not be the most efficient, but the ordinary citizen experiences a belongingness and has faith that he will not be cheated or excluded on considerations of profit. This faith and comfort are being eroded. At a time when the pandemic-induced crisis is creating havoc, implicit trust of governments in the private sector to accomplish efficiency and growth is psychologically destabilising.
These extraordinary times call for extraordinary sensitivity and receptivity. It is a truism that private sector-led growth has to have a trade-off with equity. This faith in the private sector is also an undeclared lack of faith in governments’ own machinery. That too makes ordinary citizens restless.
Minimum government and maximum governance has been the maxim of the Central government. But the recent trends somehow proclaim maximum government in the regulatory domain and minimum governance in the welfare domain. The policy that legitimises the withdrawal of governments from core areas affecting the ordinary citizen needs a drastic reevaluation in the present gloomy context.
The health regimen that is effective while you are hale and hearty may be disastrous when you are sick. Privatisation may have its beneficial results, but not when the economy has hit an all-time low and unemployment has touched an all-time high. Every individual in this country is today puzzled and worried about the future. These are chaotic times, when you can ill afford to wait for economic growth to trickle down. There is no standard cure for a non-standardised crisis.
The present crisis makes it morally incumbent on the government to strengthen direct procurement of agricultural produce at minimum support prices, revitalise the public distribution system, overhaul government educational institutions and fortify public health infrastructure. Such signals will bring in the much-needed cheer in society. The space vacated by cheer and hope will be occupied by gloom and chaos. As Jordan Peterson says in the book 12 Rules for Life, “Chaos is the despair and horror when you have been profoundly betrayed.” The sense of betrayal should not be left unaddressed; it is the time for reassurance.
K Jayakumar (k.jayakumar123@gmail.com)
Former Kerala Chief Secretary & Ex-VC, Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam Varsity