Kaustuvmoni Das
(kdas5349@gmail.com)
Today, the term “inclusive growth” has become a buzzword in all development agendas as the country is targeting being a developed nation by 2047. The newly formed opposition alliance INDIA bloc also added the word “inclusive” to their acronym for equal participation and to ignite a sense of togetherness among the masses for the upcoming Lok Sabha Election.
The directive principles of state policy have also envisaged social and economic democracy by fostering inclusiveness in society. Precisely, inclusive growth means economic growth that alleviates poverty and creates various employment opportunities. Moreover, inclusive growth strategies ensure that everyone has access to the resources and opportunities through which they can achieve success in every aspect of their lives.
The importance of inclusive growth got paramount urgency for the whole world from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as it has received a crucial position in the 2030 Agenda, highlighted through SDG 8, where it sets a goal for “promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all” by 2030.
Further, the concept of inclusive growth in the SDG indicator framework establishes a linkage with other SDGs, namely SDG 1 and SDG 2, which indicate building a more inclusive community that protects underprivileged people; SDG 5 aspires for gender equality; SDG 10 aims to address reducing inequalities; and SDG 16 has the intention to build just and peaceful societies; and all these SDGs aspire for economic growth and environmental sustainability through inclusive growth.
To embark on a development path, it is utmost important for a state as well as a nation to thrust for inclusive growth. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development identified four pillars of the Inclusive Growth Index, namely: 1. economy; 2. living conditions; 3. equality; and 4. environment. Employment, trade, social and health conditions, equality, political participation, and environmental sustainability are some key benchmarks that translate inclusive growth into overall development.
As the country enters the Amrit Kaal, with the mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas”, both the Centre and the State Government have implemented many path-breaking initiatives to go beyond equal participation in various fronts, be it poverty alleviation, financial inclusion, gender equality, women empowerment, youth empowerment, artisans’ development, people-led environmental sustainability, etc. And every intervention has yielded significant results that put both state and centre on the development path.
It is worthwhile to mention here that Assam has been able to translate inclusive growth into development through various interventions, which is categorically reflected in the recently released NITI Aayog’s “National Multinational Poverty Index,” which is based on primarily three main parameters, namely health, education, and living standards. Assam is among the seven states in the country to record a sharp decline in “multidimensional poverty” between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
If we look at Assam’s state FY 2023–24 budget, then we can easily measure the state government’s commitment towards inclusiveness as it defines its threefold objectives, i.e., poverty alleviation, developing entrepreneurship, and inclusive development. The Orunodoi scheme of the Assam government is one of the most impactful flagship poverty alleviation initiatives, covering around 1 million women through financial assistance of Rs 1250 per month. It was also able to receive acknowledgement through various research projects carried out by academicians in the field of women’s empowerment. Through Orunodoi, women-led economic development ushered in the state goes from the personal level to the societal level through self-help group (SHG) savings, resulting in women-led micro enterprises, organic vegetable outlets, Mahila Bazars, weaving units, etc. elevating their economic status.
Secondly, the state government invested heavily in youth development through self-employment with the initiative “Mukkhya Mantri Atmanirbhar Asom,” which aims to facilitate the establishment of new entrepreneurial ventures with the goal of uplifting the state economy and increasing the youth workforce in the state. The scheme has set a target to reach out to around 2 lakh eligible youths over the next two years. Through this youth-centric scheme, youths will be provided with a combination of a government grant and an interest-free government loan to establish micro-enterprises or service units that will boost the state economy in the coming years.
Thirdly, the recent Amrit Brikhya Andolan, a people-led afforestation programme aspiring to achieve the goal of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), emphasised Jan Bhagidari for a greener climate and greener economy. The Amrit Brikhya Andolan is a massive step towards inclusive growth that will develop wood-based industries, leading to employment generation in downstream industries. Moreover, it will generate revenue of over Rs. 5,000 crore in the next 8 to 10 years.
Women’s participation in the decision-making process is crucial to inclusive growth, and to accomplish that, the union cabinet has approved the women’s reservation bill, which seeks to provide a 33 percent quota for women in the lower house of parliament and state legislative assemblies. This is considered a massive leap for the inclusivity of women in the political decision-making process and a great step towards a gender equality nation.
“Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam” has been hanging for nearly three decades, and now it will soon be an act that will empower women to voice their political aspirations. The reservation bill will be a path-breaking step on the women-led agenda of the Centre for Better Inclusivity, which was also tabled in the special session of parliament, and will see the number of women MPs in Lok Sabha increase to 181 from the current 82.
Moreover, the centre has tried to uplift artisans and craftsmen and those involved in traditional skills through the PM Vishwakarma Yojana, where the centre has outlay around Rs. 13000 crore to provide hassle-free credit facilities and up-skill training. The yojana will not only strengthen the lives of millions of traditional artisans but also contribute to the country’s economic growth path by establishing their own enterprises.
The 21st century is a technology-driven century; in that context, it is utmost important to be digitally sound for inclusive growth and to be a technologically developed nation. The centre focuses on building digital public infrastructure (DPI) for better digital inclusion by improving the lives of people. The Union Government has enhanced its efforts to create robust digital infrastructure in terms of digital ID and UPI to increase digital transactions and meet the digital India vision.
Though the centre and state have been initiating various schemes for equal participation and to downsize social exclusion through various flagship programmes in crucial sectors like health, education, agriculture, women empowerment, skill development, etc., to improve inclusion for a developed economy, more efforts need to be put in as India is still considered among the least inclusive countries in the Group of 20 (G-20) nations. There is a need for more effective policies in the social sector to thinned the inequality and root out poverty in society with a bottom-up approach to make the country more inclusive, which will hopefully translate the country from a developing to a developed nation during Amrit Kaal.