Skip to main content

Is India a Failed State? Or on the highway towards it?

Mohan Guruswamy 

TOPIC FOR DISCUSSION:
Is India a Failed State? Or on the highway towards it?

History is strewn with failed states. The USSR probably was the greatest and most powerful of the states that failed. But the many nations once within it still exist and some like Russia continue to be major actors on the world stage. As a state the USSR disappeared completely, despite that we do not consider it a failed state. But Somalia, which still precariously and even vicariously exists, is at the top of any list of failed states.

The term "failed state" entered our lexicon, initially, in the context of Somalia, Afghanistan, and sometimes Pakistan. It connotes a state of national being where the State is bereft of any authority and power. Authority and power are often confused as being the same. They are not.

Authority derives from constitutional legitimacy and respect for the institutions such as the judiciary, parliament, permanent bureaucracy and press, whereas power is really the power to coerce and enforce the will of the state. Authority is abstract while power is physical. A State cannot exist forever without authority. It also cannot exist without accomplishing its goals in good measure.

The record of the Indian State in improving the living standards of the majority of its people is abysmal. India continues to languish among the bottom five of the World Bank's annual Development Report. Almost 70% of the Indian nation lives below a reasonable poverty line that would factor balanced diet, shelter, access to education and healthcare, and basic civic amenities. Nearly 60% of all Indians are illiterate. Infant mortality is 137 per 1000 births. If India were a corporation it would be with the recievers now!

On all infrastructure indices we are well below, forget China, and often enough even below that failed state -Pakistan! The central government earmarks less for health and education than the cumulative pay raise the bureaucracy got last year - Rs.19000 crores. As a matter of fact the State spends more, now much more on the bureaucracy – a whopping Rs.270,000 crores for all central and state government employees each year. That is a good 10.4% of the GDP and it is growing. 

How long can a State that doesn’t accomplish its goals by so much exist?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Helen Mirren once said: Before you argue with someone, ask yourself.......

Helen Mirren once said: Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of a different perspective. Because if not, there's absolutely no point. Not every argument is worth your energy. Sometimes, no matter how clearly you express yourself, the other person isn’t listening to understand—they’re listening to react. They’re stuck in their own perspective, unwilling to consider another viewpoint, and engaging with them only drains you. There’s a difference between a healthy discussion and a pointless debate. A conversation with someone who is open-minded, who values growth and understanding, can be enlightening—even if you don’t agree. But trying to reason with someone who refuses to see beyond their own beliefs? That’s like talking to a wall. No matter how much logic or truth you present, they will twist, deflect, or dismiss your words, not because you’re wrong, but because they’re unwilling to see another side. Maturity is...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why BJP is opposing the Telangana caste census?

The BJP opposes the Telangana caste census primarily due to concerns about its political motivations, alleging that the Congress party is using it for electoral gain rather than genuine welfare of Backward Classes (BCs)  1 3 .  BJP leaders argue that the census distracts from Congress's unfulfilled promises to BCs and could exacerbate social divisions  2 4 .  Additionally, there are fears within the BJP that a detailed caste enumeration might reveal ongoing upper-caste dominance in politics and society, which could challenge their support base  7 8 . The BJP's main arguments against the caste census include: Political Manipulation : BJP leaders assert that the Congress party is using the caste census for political advantage rather than for the welfare of Backward Classes (BCs), claiming it distracts from unfulfilled promises made to these communities  2 4 . Threat to Hindutva Agenda : The party views the census as a potential challenge to its support base a...
Post a Comment
Read more

JAI HIND: WHO DO WE OWE IT TO?

Though the origin of Jai Hind is usually ascribed to Chempakaraman  Pillai in 1907, it didn’t have a popular usage till Netaji Bose made it the standard greeting of the INA. How this happened to be has a Hyderabad connection. It is believed by Netaji’s close followers that the slogan "Jai Hind" as coined by Abid Hasan Safrani.   Abid Hasan Safrani  was the son of the soil of Hyderabad in India. His real name was Zainul Abedin Hasan. He preferred to be called Abid Hasan. His parents expired during the British Raj. Before that they had sent him to Germany instead of England for higher studies in Engineering stream. During the that time, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose visited Germany and addressed Indian  prisoners of war & also students and asked them  to join Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj). Abid Hasan met him and got inspired by the charisma of Netaji.  He told him that he would join him after finishing his studies. Netaji said tautingly t...
Post a Comment
Read more