IN ‘MODERN’ INDIA YOU NEED A LICENSE TO BE POOR !

--Want to buy one or more apartments in the world’s swankiest apartment blocks coming up in Dubai? Go ahead,  you need no clearances from any Indian politician, minister or bureaucrat. Several Indians have done just that. Each  apartment costs about Rs 90 crores only !

-- is it your dream to own a private jet and your own private airstrip ? Help is at hand .The Indian government says you need no permissions to buy one or more of those fabulous flying machines that a European company has put up for sale. These castles in the air will  cost Rs 335 crores only.  On last count 5  Indians  had signed up for these  ultra modern magic carpets.

As for your private airstrip all you have to do is to make sure the strip is at least 150 kms away from an existing airport.  In a gesture of helpfuless not always seen by the common man the Government says that exceptions may be made in  some situations—the Ambanis can smell blood here.

--Want to set  up a call centre or IT company ? Go ahead .You need no licenses and may even get land at concessional rates from a grateful State Governmment.  All  you may require is to assure the Minister that he will inaugurate your company building.

Oh to be rich in India.

I am not one of those who feel that the rich ought to feel guilty as Gandhiji and  our  ‘glorious’ traditions would have us believe. On the contrary I celebrate with a glass of beer everytime I hear someone has become  rich. We need many more multimillionaires. Nor do I believe in celebrating poverty by giving names like   ‘ ‘daridranarayan’.. I believe it is poverty that is a SIN for which all of us are accountable. There is really no karmic necessity for poverty,

Why is there so much poverty in our country ? There are multiple reasons but  in this blog I shall restrict myself to just one.

LIBERALIZATION   HAS BEEN SO FAR AIMED AT BENEFITTING THE RICH AND THE MIDDLE CLASS.  BUT THE POOR HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND.

IF WE EXTEND THE BENEFITS OF LIBERALIZATION TO THE POOR MANY MILLIONS OF THEM WILL AT LEAST EKE OUT  A LIVING..THEY WILL  AT LEAST AVOID STARVATION.

Contrast what I have stated in the first para  with your fate if you were very poor.

Let us  put ourselves in the shoes [oops the poor cannot afford the luxury of a shoe .So let us talk of Ramu ] Ramu  and his family in Marathwada are on the verge of starvation. He  was a farm labourer earning  a pittance but he managed to feed his family once in two days with what our middle class will puke at—but  that is another story.

Ramu comes to a town ,  he knows he is unlikely to find a job.  He stands at a street corner pondering over his option  and  and  zeroes  in on a few

n     Ste up a tea stall

n     set up a paan shop

n    maybe a paani puri or poha stall

n    become a rickshaw puller

In other words he wants or is forced to be a street entrepreneur. Now he hears from his tea stall owner friend that in each of these pursuits  he NEEDS A LICENSE. . He also hears that the LICENSE PERMIT  RAJ IS ALIVE AND KICKING in all  occupations that are relevant to the poorest of the poor.  He  learns to his dismay that NO NEW LICENSES ARE BEING GIVEN SINCE 1950.

He walks across to the railway station and asks a coolie how he, Ramu,  can become a coolie.

‘Get your self a license’ he is told ,Ramu’s face shows a fleeting smile as if he had found a solution.  But  he is  shocked to be told that he needs a license issued by the Railways and this august department has stopped issuing license for decades.

Readers may like to know some statistics.

Delhi  has 500000 taxi,  rickshaws[auto and manual] against the licensed  40000. This grand number was fixed 50 years ago. The net effect is that 90% of ricksaws  ARE ILLEGAL and therefore at  the  mercy of babus and the police.These  great functionaries extract their pound of flesh by way of hafta’ [Bribe] amounting to-- hold your breath—RS10,000,000 PER MONTH FROM THESE, POOR  TAXI AND RICKSHAWWALLAS The amount extracted from street vendors is RS.120,00, 000 PER MONTH !The added tragedy is that these babus and cops raid the ‘ illegal’ rickshaws and impound them leaving the desperately poor puller without  any earnings for that day. Bad enough but there is a peculiar outcome of this sadistic policy. When the  rickshaw is impounded the puller may find another rickshaw to pull that day and earn some money . It is the owner who has to run around to locate the official to be bribed. THE CONSEQUENCE IS THAT WHEN A RICKSHAW PULLER MAKES ENOUGH  MONEY TO BECOME AN OWNER HE PREFERS NOT TO BUY A RICKSAW LOOKING TO ThE RUNNING AROUND HE HAS TO DO TO PAY BRIBES AND RETRIEVE HIS VEHICLE.  In any case he knows that no new licenses are being  issued. So the system nips entrepreneurs  in the bud .

I can go on but I believe you will probably throw up your hands in disgust.

Innovation and enrtrepreneurship are the keys to progress.  Indians are extraordinarily innovative and have thousands of years of a tradition of   entrepreneurship.  But are we ready to unleash   the peoples’ talents  ?

K.R.RAVI

USA