-Sanjaya Baru
If one’s birthday tends to be a time for self-reflection, Independence Day should be a time for national self-reflection. Media publishes data and analysis on the state of the nation, economy and the people. Independence Day this year is a special milestone because we observe the 75th anniversary of free India. There are two ways in which one can measure the state of the nation on this momentous occasion.
The first option is to take stock of the state of the nation 75 years ago and its condition today. This would be a purely inter-temporal comparison. We can also compare India with countries similarly placed in 1947, and measure our relative progress.
Purely inter-temporal comparisons tend to be encouraging and heartening. We are certainly better off today than we were 75 years ago on almost every indicator. Perhaps with one exception — viz, the quality of water, air and soil. Nature has been degraded in the process of economic growth and development. India and the world is trying to remedy this but it will take time, commitment and money to do so.
One metric tells a good story. From 1950 to 1980, India’s annual national income increased by 3.5 percent per year. Compared with near zero percent recorded in the period 1890-1940, this achievement was impressive. Subsequently, in the period 1980-2000, the average rate of annual GDP growth increased to 5.5 percent and 7.5 percent in 2000-2015. During the past seven years, it is down to around 6-6.5 percent. Even so, it’s an impressive achievement for a poor developing country burdened with the toxic legacy of colonialism and decades of poverty, illiteracy and disease.
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75th Independence Day reflections
-Sanjaya Baru
If one’s birthday tends to be a time for self-reflection, Independence Day should be a time for national self-reflection. Media publishes data and analysis on the state of the nation, economy and the people. Independence Day this year is a special milestone because we observe the 75th anniversary of free India. There are two ways in which one can measure the state of the nation on this momentous occasion.
The first option is to take stock of the state of the nation 75 years ago and its condition today. This would be a purely inter-temporal comparison. We can also compare India with countries similarly placed in 1947, and measure our relative progress.
Purely inter-temporal comparisons tend to be encouraging and heartening. We are certainly better off today than we were 75 years ago on almost every indicator. Perhaps with one exception — viz, the quality of water, air and soil. Nature has been degraded in the process of economic growth and development. India and the world is trying to remedy this but it will take time, commitment and money to do so.
One metric tells a good story. From 1950 to 1980, India’s annual national income increased by 3.5 percent per year. Compared with near zero percent recorded in the period 1890-1940, this achievement was impressive. Subsequently, in the period 1980-2000, the average rate of annual GDP growth increased to 5.5 percent and 7.5 percent in 2000-2015. During the past seven years, it is down to around 6-6.5 percent. Even so, it’s an impressive achievement for a poor developing country burdened with the toxic legacy of colonialism and decades of poverty, illiteracy and disease.
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