India's Poverty: Possible Solutions Part III

When I said in my last post about my heart being a “capitalist” heart.. I know many people felt my heart was in the wrong place.. for.. capitalist system in the US has messed up this country… so why should it succeed in India?

I can understand and completely agree with the apprehensions expressed and I know it would sound crazy but my personal opinion is that democracy in the US is less than efficient and effective!

Why?  Because the basic checks and balances are compromised and it is BUILT into the system!  For example, the practice of Executive appointing the Judiciary!  Which I believe is the worst possible practice.

Between Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary – everyone of them needs to check the other!  In the US this basic checks and balances relationship is compromised in favor of .. Executive!  So, are you surprised that the nightmare in US is so prevalent?

In India, on the other hand, Legislative and Executive are hand-in-hand and thoroughly corrupt!  Judiciary at the lowest levels is too.  Thankfully, until now Judiciary at the top does NOT serve at the pleasure of the Executive (or even the Legislature entirely)!  That is why it is possible for it to pull up the executive time and again!

But ultimately it is the executive that sets the tone of the country.  And that is where India missed people like George Washington (who could have been a King but chose to start a democracy!) and Ab Lincoln (who fought a war to end slavery!).. whose FIRST and foremost concerns were their country as opposed to themselves or their ideologies!

We in India had founding fathers like Gandhi (who wanted to – ironically – force non-violence down the throat of everyone!); Ambedkar(who threatened to do a Jinnah if his demands on Dalitistan were not met and Gandhi agreed to give him quotas!); Nehru (who was sleeping with the wife of the British Viceroy who was busy planning the mess in Kashmir!)…

and those who could do something and had the wherewithal were forced to shut up like Sardar Patel (forced by Gandhi to step down – against everyone’s wishes – from contesting for PM against Gandhi’s blue-eyed boy and Cassanova, Nehru!); or Bose (who was forced to step down from COngress Presidentship as early as 1928 and marginalized in internal politics during the entire freedom struggle!)..

For 50 years, Birlas and Tatas had a FREE REIGN in Indian business.. they could be the sole middlemen  for export and imports of the country.. or get all government contracts (with help from a government contracts lawyer or two) or create an ENTIRE city while selling Iron and Steel at .. Cost PLUS pricing (so every Rupee spent on Jamshedpur brought the Tatas 15 paise from the Indian Exchequer and consumer since the Iron and Steel pricing was CONTROLLED!)…

.. or Tatas and Birlas could get PRIME land in Delhi and Bombay at peanuts.. for their own business purposes while they also did research work!

Under the Garb of charity and altruism.. India’s socialist and Non-violent idealists raped the country DAY IN and DAY OUT!

… and who paid?  The poor!

I have a theory…

India loses roughly $6.8 billion ANNUALLY to Electricity theft.. and that is because India’s electricity is nationalised through State Electricity Boards (SEBs).

So who pays for this $6.8 BILLION?  The poor.. finally!  Because the Rich and the powerful are the ones who steal it the most!  And who goes without the electricity that could have come through HAD that $6.8 billion a year recovered and Spent?  The poor rural farmer!

So, what if the entire thing was left open?  Would the per cpaita cost increase come to MORE than Rs 6 on an Annual COMPOUNDED rate?? ($6.8 billion/$1 billion EVERY FREAKING YEAR!)

The answer is NO!

So are we efficient under socialist structure or a private enterprise structure?

On the first look – if we do not go into the details of cost/benefit.. it seems the Socialist structure is better… but that is an Illusion!

THAT is why I was saying in my last post that LONG TERM good of the people SHOULD NOT be kept hostage to “apparent” SHORT TERM good!  But then every one is a punter.. from NGO Activists to the Wall Street guys! 🙂