Successive Indian governments had let go of several key opportunities to give impetus to national development and develop its human resources manifold, said Lok Satta founder Jayaprakash Narayan.
Delivering an address at the Harvard India Conference 2019 at Harvard Kennedy School, USA on ‘India at the Cross Roads — Agenda to change the Direction’ on Sunday, Dr. Narayan said that India had been getting an opportunity to tread new path once in five and 10 years, but many of the opportunities that came its way following 1991 economic reforms could not be utilised nor the assurances given in 2014 were fulfilled.
Every one — be it Left and non-Left parties, Hindus and Muslims — failed to make use of the favourable circumstances that came their way to expedite improvement in living standards of people. When one compared 1949, 1979 and 2019, there would be some development but not to the extent the country could have progressed, he said. Importantly, India lost a change to compete with China that was expanding its boundaries in a way that would be dangerous to India, according to a release from Lok Satta today.
World class education, quality health care, Citizens’ services Act to curb corruption and harassment in government offices, empowerment of local bodies through decentralisation of power and reducing disparities between villages and towns and making agriculture profitable alone would help Indians realise their true potential, he asserted.
Responding to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir raised in the conference, Dr.Narayanan said even in that State, Government had lost at least four big opportunities to curtail terrorism there. In 2011, people defied terrorists by registering 78 per cent voter turnout in the local elections and even in 2014, Assembly elections gave another opportunity. Whatever may be the problems with Pakistan, terrorists and some other countries, it was important to win over the hearts of local people and federalism should be strengthened to help governments take decisions in tune with local situation.
