By: Satyavan Saurabh
India took small steps to become one of the largest democracies in the world overcoming many challenges to achieve global recognition. India has come a long way since independence, avoiding many right and wrong decisions, and leaving behind many landmarks that define the journey of a strong, powerful, and developing nation from the agony of partition. In recent decades, India has been slowly rising in the international arena and due to this its global influence as a major superpower of the world is also visible. In the last four decades, India has emerged as a tremendous force and India has also achieved great heights. Due to this, the center of the world’s economic power has shifted from Europe and North America to Asia.
Despite the emerging mighty power, India is often engulfed in ideological confusion. This is the reason that there is a difference between the bright future of the country and reality. Although India stands at key points in the process of becoming a superpower, it is weakened by domestic issues in the wider international context. While many of India’s leaders failed to keep the momentum going and avoid a socio-political crisis, it was also a case of a lack of political will and commitment. Due to the diversity in India, it is difficult to come anywhere. However, efforts to introduce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Article 44 met resistance from conservative sections, who claimed it would lead to communal disharmony.
Language changes in India at kilometers like water. Therefore, bringing Hindi as the only official language was difficult and saw violence and heated debates such as the Tamil Nadu anti-Hindi agitation in 1965. Population Control Act 2019 Population Control Bill, which was withdrawn in 2022. The two-child policy has been introduced in Parliament 35 times since independence. These drafts were heavily criticized by the general public. Agricultural economists and other stakeholders have been advocating for agricultural market reforms for decades. This made the government hesitant to go ahead in stealth mode again to avoid the crisis in three major agrarian reform laws that had been repealed. The rules on the labor code have been deferred to this day. The code will result in lower take-home pay and easier layoffs. No doubt the government has to tread very carefully on the path of reforms.
The first in the success of a democracy is making voting compulsory, as has been done in at least 30 democracies, increasing the turnout to over 90 percent. Currently, the voting percentage in India is low. The gross misuse of Section 124A of the IPC is ridicule but most political parties do not want this provision of the law to be removed. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act should use the State Armed Police and the Central Para-Military Police. The removal of the Act to move armed forces from civilian areas of Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast to the International Border to deal with infiltration, mercenaries, terrorists and terrorists is a strong case.
Given the political interference and inadequacies in the police investigation, it is time for India to make a structural change from the accusing system to the inquisitive system prevalent in Europe since colonial times. Justice VS. Malimath has also suggested this in his report on the Reform of the Criminal Justice System. India is still undecided on genetically engineered or genetically modified organism (GM) crops for GM food crops. There is a lack of political will to adopt and implement a modern agricultural policy framework, including biotechnology, to address the country’s food security concerns. The political establishment has distanced itself from the political activist movement. Despite the socio-political unrest in India, many drastic decisions and reforms were taken by the leaders like the political will of the leaders during the 1991 reforms should be remembered. We applaud the leadership that saved India from “falling off the cliff” and managed reforms under the compulsion of funds and banks with the impending crisis of payments crisis.
The Green Revolution in India in 1960 saw an increase in food grain production with the development of high-yielding varieties of wheat and pulses. The 1976 mass sterilization campaign was started by Sanjay Gandhi and in a year about 6.2 million men were sterilized, in which about 2000 people died due to surgery. 1990 The whole country was in the grip of protest against the VP Singh government giving government jobs based on the birth reservation to some castes, despite this the decision continued. India conducted the nuclear bomb tests in Pokhran in 1998, codenamed “Operation Shakti”, taking the tough decision under global pressure for disarmament. This made India a complete nuclear nation. In 2016, the government announced the demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Many farmers, traders, and youth were all agitating but it was taken forward as a step against black money Goods and Services Tax: was the resultant tax after the inclusion of major central and state taxes. Solving the puzzle of Kashmir The abrogation of Article 370 for complete integration of the state was long overdue and should have been done years ago to set a straight record on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
The most important lesson after independence is that the process of reforms has to be more consultative, transparent, and better communicated to potential beneficiaries. It is the inclusiveness that is at the heart of India’s democratic functioning. Given the rational nature of our society, it takes time and humility to implement reforms. But doing so ensures that everyone wins. To make India develop, we need to work with full honesty and sincerity in five key areas. These include agriculture and food processing, education and health security, information and communication technology, reliable electronic power, and self-reliance on critical technology. These five areas are not only related to each other, but they also affect each other. So there should be better harmony between them. It is also very important for the economic and national security of the country. Along with this, we should also have this positive thinking that we can bring a good change in our country only by inventing something new because only science and technology can bring human welfare, peace, and prosperity.
Even the smallest corruption has a direct impact on the public. India has started talking to realize the dream of Corruption Free India. India, once interested in films and sports, now wants to be a corruption-free country. Even today there are many places in India where girls are not allowed to study just because they are girls. It would not be wrong to say that every citizen of this country is not free. If the country wants to progress, then gender discrimination has to end. Today’s India is troubled by big crimes like murder, and rape as well as many small crimes. Somewhere, unemployment is also a major reason behind these crimes, but by changing thinking and providing employment, crime can be controlled.
The country is not as Hindu-Muslim as it appears on social media. Today’s India is not going to be deceived by anyone. Things like giving priority to the country by deciding based on their conscience came prominently among the people of changing India. No country can progress without literacy. In such a situation, if everyone is educated, then only freedom from all problems can be found. Along with literacy, rising unemployment across the country gives a feeling of slavery to the youth, when will they be free from it? Immersed in the celebration of Amrit Mahotsav, where do we stand today? Would think. (The author is a research scholar, poet, independent journalist, and columnist)
