Chanakya's New Manisfesto, the
name itself sounds so interesting and makes us wonder what it's going
to be about. The blurb on the back cover takes the excitement and
impatience to another level. It says, "We cannot continue as we
are, and must gather the resolve to bring in effective governance, a
true-democracy, a corruption-free State... If we fail, India will
never succeed. Our future is at stake."
What is Chanakya's new manifesto?
What is Chanakya's new manifesto?
You certainly can't
wait after reading this. The activist inside you wants to know what
these changes are because the current state of the country is making
everyone worry.
Pavan K Varma has
been the Press Secretary to the President of India, Director General
of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and India's ambassador to
Bhutan. He took an early retirement from Indian Foreign Service and is
now actively involved in public life. In this book, Varma presents
plans and reforms which should be implemented immediately to stop
further deterioration of the country. He not only focusses
on things going wrong but also people who are being done wrong, the
underserved who deserve the basic needs—health, education,
clean drinking water, employment and respect as human beings.
Varma
is inspired by the knowledge of India's greatest thinker and teacher,
Chanakya and his work Arthashastra.
He feels if we can understand Chanakya's qualities and the way he
handled the challenges 2,000 years ago, we can behave and think like him. We must certainly not forget that India has been a
civilisation in which the power of original thought was cultivated.
Varma emphasises that we must revive this legacy and initiate a
change because the world and people can't wait forever. It is
time to act—analyse systems, see what is wrong and fix the
errors.
Varma highlights
five areas which need immediate attention and gives us an detailed
account of what all is happening, right or wrong, in those areas.
Those five areas are governance, democracy, corruption, security and the need for an inclusive society.
1. Governance
Varma points out
that in the recent times most governments at the Centre and in the
states have shown an inability to govern.
-Education,
agriculture, infrastructure, railways, power, every sector functions
in deep neglect as a host of urgent initiatives are pending.
-30-35 per cent of the food produced under the Agricultural Producers
Market Committee Act perishes due to lack of storage and distribution
facilities.
-India is home to
largest number of people who cannot read and write.
2. Democracy
India is the
world's largest democracy but is among the lowest scoring countries
on political finance regulation according to the Global Integrity
Report, 2011.
-It is
a shame to see that 128 of the MPs
to the Lok Sabha have criminal records including rape, murder and
extortion.
-Most politicians
bring in their family members to positions of power and authority.
-We see in front of
our eyes the deteriorating state of discussions in the Parliament,
there used to be a time when the debates were a mix of
wit and substance.
3. Corruption
Today, India is one
of the most corrupt countries and the Commonwealth Games 2010 brought
the corruption within the country to the world's attention.
-16.6 per cent of
the country's GDP is eaten away by corruption.
-Corruption has
become a way of life in the country, paying a sum to an official
makes achieving the desired goal easier.
-A corrupt minister
or civil servant is hardly prosecuted under the Prevention of
Corruption Act.
-It is quite sad to see that the country which was once led by Mahatma Gandhi has fallen to such a low level.
-It is quite sad to see that the country which was once led by Mahatma Gandhi has fallen to such a low level.
4. Security
Terrorism, both
externally sponsored and inside our country, has become a big threat
to the security of our nation.
-India has 568
battle tanks against China's 2,800, 15 submarines against China's 60,
784 fighter aircraft against their 1,669.
-We have inadequate manpower and equipments, and we are doing nothing about it.
-We have inadequate manpower and equipments, and we are doing nothing about it.
-The country's
Parliament has been attacked, planes have been hijacked and major
cities terrorised but even then projects to strengthen and tighten
the nation's security lie pending and ignored.
5. Creating an
Inclusive Society
The current state
of the country is appalling—poverty, squalor, illiteracy and
malnutrition have become the new social indicators of our country's
progress.
-Welfare schemes
are doing more good to the people responsible than the beneficiaries.
-There are about
300 million Indians who live in extreme poverty.
A few of the
solutions mentioned in the book:
-There should be
new laws for corruption-free governance.
-Technology should
be used to take all the public services online which will increase
accountability and reduce dependence on government officials.
-The government
should focus on increasing the growth of sectors that impact the
poor, empower the poor with better skills and partner with civil
societies, NGOs as alone it has proved to be incapable and
ineffective.
-All the courts in
the country should make public the number of cases disposed off and
which remain pending every six months.
- The voters should
be given the right to reject a candidate and parties should make a
public list of the candidates who have been convicted of a criminal
offence.
-The speakers of
both the houses are vested with a number of powers and they should
exercise them by warning and expelling members in cases of
misconduct. The house is not to be adjourned except in a situation of
major crisis.
-And in case of
bribery both the giver and taker should be punished.
-The potential of
corporate social responsibility (CSR) should be utilised in a better
way.
-No bureaucrat
should be given an extension after retirement.
-We need a new
security mentality, a better command and decision-making structure.
The 12,000 vacancies in our armed forces should be filled in
immediately.
-Weapons, aircraft,
equipments based on obsolete technology should be modernised.
You need to read
the book to be able to see the detailed discussions about what is
happening in our country and what should happen.
Varma feels the
book is not perfect but it presents ideas that need serious thought
and debate by everyone. It is up to us to make the choice to either
keep complaining or act as agents of change, for it is our country
and future that are at stake.
“Change
will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for
some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the
change that we seek.”
-Barack Obama
