BENGALURU: Well known theatre artiste Prasanna went on a fast from October 2, demanding that the government take action to support the sacred economy rather than the monster economy in which we are living today. The demand is simple: Support administratively, financially and politically the sacred economy which can help about 90 per cent of the people of the country. The sacred economy deals with production, using one’s hands, minimum tools and local resources and the products are locally consumed.
Opposed to this is the monster economy which depends on the use of sophisticated tools and machines like robots and which uses raw materials purchased from where they are the cheapest (a result of globalisation).
We have a situation in which fertile land is devoted to water-intensive crops like sugar, which have a large market external to the area. We use mechanised methods of cultivation. We follow policies of subsidy that support rice and wheat, from both production and consumption sides, that have resulted in the traditional millets like ragi, jowar etc disappearing from the day-to-day diets of ordinary people. Researches have shown that water intensive crops are not good for health — they lead to diabetes and hypertension, for example — while the traditional millets are far healthier. And they need far less water for cultivation. Why this perversity?
There is a slowdown today in the monster economy. Inequality has seen a massive increase. This is the result of policies that our governments have followed for the past three decades. Less than 10 per cent of our workforce has what can be properly called a job — with health and retirement benefits. This includes all in the ‘organised’ or ‘formal’ public and private sectors. The rest of the workforce lives precariously on a day-to-day basis. The market has not provided them with jobs.
The limited work now available in cities — driving for Uber and Ola, delivering food for Zomato or assignments from Urbanclap for work as a plumber or a carpenter -- may give one a wage, but it is insecure and does not provide any long term benefits. The recent attempts at strikes by Ola and Uber drivers which have not succeeded show how precarious this livelihood is. This is what the monster economy does to livelihoods. Yet the government has announced tax cuts of over 2 lakh crore to the monster economy.
Why not expand NREGA?
The ‘growing’ monster economy has left a majority of people in a malnourished, unhealthy and jobless condition. It has devastated the countryside. The traditional supports of the local sacred economy — demand for what one could do and consumption of locally grown food — have broken down.People do not have money to pay for the products of the monster economy. And the monster economy is no need for their skills and knowledge.Gandhian economist J C Kumarappa warned of this. We should listen. Support the satyagraha’s demand to support the sacred economy.