{"id":238517,"date":"2024-04-08T00:24:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-07T18:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/?p=238517"},"modified":"2024-04-08T00:24:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-07T18:54:00","slug":"cong-on-cautious-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/2024\/04\/08\/cong-on-cautious-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Cong on cautious path"},"content":{"rendered":"

4-Yr Degree, Silent on PSUs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By Shivaji Sarkar<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The Indian National Congress has come out with a manifesto that looks pompous and well-intentioned but less original and more reactive to the present policies. The party is cautious even as it says it may replace the National Education Policy (NEP) but is subdued on proposed novel path to deal with the sliding economy, eloquently silent on PSUs and unnecessary 4-year-BA degree modelled on the highly expensive US model.<\/p>\n

It notes overall dissatisfaction over NEP but limits it to \u201cwill revisit and amend the New Education Policy after consulting with the state governments\u201d. Does it mean the 4-year degree course to continue? Its scrapping could have highlighted deep concerns to instil confidence in the youth, each of whom would spend at least Rs 3 lakh a year extra and be delayed for job market. Overall, from unheard of four-year nursery \u2013 to new four-year-degree \u2013 a child loses four years during education. Congress could have highlighted the unnecessary fourth year at the degree level to cost two crore aspirants\u2019 additional expenditure of Rs 6 lakh crore a year? If four years loss over the period are calculated in financial and social terms, it\u2019s unfathomable.<\/p>\n

The manifesto avoids a word on the PSUs. The Nav Sankalp Economic Policy resets the button with \u201c3-Ws\u201d – work, wealth and welfare for reviewing GST – hope of most small traders, promote manufacturing and make jobs the cornerstone, rejecting jobless growth. A new orientation since 1991. Its definition of work is the same as in the present – self-employment and starting business.<\/p>\n

It highlights that Reserve Bank of India\u2019s finds 60 per cent of central projects stalled causing a cost escalation of Rs 5 lakh crore. It could have said these would be scrapped. On the labour laws too, the party is evasive on undoing the amendments denying them the rights.<\/p>\n

On corruption, it says, \u201cwill probe demonetisation, Rafale deal, Pegasus spyware, the Electoral Bonds scheme and bring to law those who made illegal gains through these measures\u201d.\u00a0 Rahul Gandhi at the launch said the electoral bonds showed that political funding to the BJP was through \u201cextortion and putting pressure\u201d on the corporates. A welcome move. It has also promised reversal of Agnipath army recruitment. In most such Opposition promises, it was observed that once in government, the issues are shelved and some may even say these were \u201cjumlas\u201d as manifestos have turned out. Some probes have been mere witch hunting. In December 2013, the GST was stalled terming it anti-people but once in power, those who stalled hurriedly enacted it at the world\u2019s highest rates.<\/p>\n

The 1971 Congress manifesto is remembered to the day for its classic \u201cGaribi Hatao\u201d (remove poverty) slogan. The slogan \u201cfive Nyaya\u201d (five justices) may be a good idea but is not inspiring. It calls for five pillars of justice\u2013 Justice for Youth, Justice for Women\u2019, Justice for Farmers, Justice for Workers, and Justice for Shareholders. What is so great about it if it has to counter mumkin hai (it\u2019s possible)!<\/p>\n

The convenor P Chidambaram has been criticising government performances in his newspaper columns and even challenged the new statistics. It does not reflect in his document. It even does not question the figures of 3-trillion economy, which has a high repayment of Rs 10 lakh crore and reduces Rs 47 lakh crore 2024-25 budget to Rs 37 lakh crore. The 7 per cent growth figures are being questioned by the World Bank.<\/p>\n

The communication could have been sharper. It could have highlighted the weaker consumer sentiments than five years back as RBI\u2019s Consumer Confidence Survey denotes. In 2024, fewer people report improvement in employment of income situation. The middle class is promised stable income-tax. It does not promise that it would be at the level of 22 per cent corporate taxes.<\/p>\n

To combat unemployment, Congress has guaranteed a one-year apprenticeship with a private or a public sector company to every diploma holder or college graduate below the age of 25 years. The wages of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act will also be increased to Rs 400 per day \u2013 the minimum national wages it announces. It seems to have forgotten that apprenticeship scheme was introduced by Indira Gandhi in 1970s.\u00a0 Repeated several times. Each time it was a cropper as the private sector never liked it and PSUs were lukewarm.<\/p>\n

Railways are on the path of Air India disaster with dynamic fare aimed at boosting air travel. All metros in the country except Kolkata are running in losses. Manifesto could have harped on it and suggested pocket and eco-friendly solutions like inexpensive elevated trams replacing money guzzlers.<\/p>\n

Caste-based census could help it politically to an extent but that cannot be a road map for creating jobs. It has got into the trap of caste politics. The party is forthright on highlighting the abysmal Manipur situation, a silver lining.<\/p>\n

The manifesto has spoken of high petrol prices, questioned \u201ccess\u201d raj but is silent on atrociously high petrol road cess toll of Rs 32.9 per litre introduced promising to abolish toll gates. The country needs freedom from extortionist toll collections of over Rs 10 lakh crore through cess and toll gates causing high inflation.<\/p>\n

Similarly, it is silent on scrapping illicit law for car\/tractor junking and high education fees. These cause enormous wealth loss to farmers and average families. With a bit of empathy, it could have touched millions of hearts. It is a whale of political opportunity to cater to the people.<\/p>\n

It has done well to promise that job applications would not have any fee. The call for opening more Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kasturba Gandhi Girls schools are reassuring. The move to introduce free education up to class ten is appropriate. Would it be so also in private public schools? It has a model in Uttar Pradesh. In 1960s, the Congress government introduced the system of paying teachers\u2019 salaries even for private schools ushering in required changes in the education scenario. That brings the fundamental difference.<\/p>\n

It has decided to review the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and remove the provisions that restrict freedom of speech and expression that violate the right to privacy. It ignores the more draconian Bharat Samhita or other amendments to the Indian Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code. The powers to misuse ED, CBI and other bodies emanate from it.<\/p>\n

Still the promise to have a fearless society may raise hopes. The nation aspires that with these new moves the political discourse would turn for the better.\u2014 INFA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

4-Yr Degree, Silent on PSUs By Shivaji Sarkar The Indian National Congress has come out with a manifesto that looks pompous and well-intentioned but less original and more reactive to the present policies. The party is cautious even as it says it may replace the National Education Policy (NEP) but is subdued on proposed novel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-238517","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-features"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238517\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}