When we bring democracy to our development

However, the dream of a truly empowered India remains unfulfilled as discrimination remains. While we are blessed with a strong and autonomous Election Commission, there are parts of the country where criminalisation of politics continues to interfere with the right to vote and free expression. This is a challenge that we must confront with all our might and commitment and we must continue to strengthen democracy as it provides the basis for equal opportunity.

Political empowerment acquires true meaning only when accompanied by economic empowerment. Despite our numerous economic achievements, India remains home to the world’s largest number of poor numbering around 250 million. Rapid economic growth would have to be accompanied by targeted inventions such as Indira Gandhi’s ‘‘garibi hatao’’ and the latest rural employment guarantee bill.

These have to be supplemented by an uncompromising focus on ensuring that all Indians acquire literacy and skills to partake of the benefits spread by economic growth and have access to affordable health facilities.

Even as governments at the Centre and states devise schemes to tackle poverty, employment, health, literacy etc. their implementation would remain tardy unless people become partners in their design and implementation.

India is a vast country and needs of our people vary across regions and even across villages. Therefore, in each panchayat, participation of beneficiaries in decision-making of development programmes is key to transparent and non-discriminatory implementation. This was the vision with which Rajiv Gandhi launched his model of panchayati raj. The result is that today in many villages, democratically elected bodies are deciding how education, drinking water supply, roads and health centers, water for irrigation should be managed and delivered to serve their communities.

This democratisation of development needs to be spread to all the 600,000 villages and thousand of cities of India. The roadmap is clear. Democracy is not good enough, nor is growth and development that does not include all. Democratisation of development is the only route to India’s empowerment. This will enable all Indians to shape their own destinies and India would unleash our entire people’s power to achieve the vision outlined by the founders of our republic.