What is a
welfare state?
A welfare
state is one which cares for its people by giving direct basic needs. The
Government schemes which distribute the needs directly to the people are
towards creating a welfare state. Anna Bhagya, Ksheera Bhagya, schemes of
Karnataka Government, Gas Distribution, Employment Guarantee (MNREGA) from the
central government etc., are typical examples of such schemes towards direct
benefit to the people. But for this to sustain in the long run, state has to
develop long term strategies to generate continuous revenue.
What is Grama
Swarajya?
Grama Swarajya
is where the Governance is at the grass root level. The state doesn’t give
anything directly. Instead the state gives freedom to the people to utilize
resources. It protects their right over their resources. They have right over
their hills, lands, rivers, lakes, roads, grass lands, desert, forests, plain
lands, etc., Whatever they have in their surroundings belong to them. It
doesn’t belong to any private individual. The state authorizes village to
utilize the resources for their consumption and needs. But for that the
villages & blocks of villages, have to organize themselves and protect as
well as consume sensibly without warring over each other.
But this is at
the outset. Each has its share of complications and challenges. Lets understand
a bit of the history of both first, before we get into the challenges and
solutions.
Origin of these types of Governance
Origin of Welfare State:
The Welfare state concept originated in Europe in the
industrialization periods of 17th 18th century. Industrialization
lead to jobs concentration in urban clusters. It lead to mass and fast
production. It gave jobs to able bodied persons. Less able persons, aged, women
etc., were disadvantaged. It created joblessness.
The governance was moving towards democracy in Europe. Democracy
needs people support. So the governance started doling out benefits to the less
abled, needy. The mass production enabled good tax collections. So it afforded doling
out benefits. It also was needed to spur the consumerism from the mass
production of industries.
Communism was another type of governance gaining ground in
Europe. It also favoured state control over production & distribution. It
went to the extreme of state control over all resources including people.
People lost independence. But they were guaranteed food, shelter, water and
basic needs through welfare state system.
Origin of Grama Swarajya:
Grama Swarajya is as old if not older than Rama Rajya. In
order for the sustainable utilization of the resources of the surroundings, the
villages had to organize themselves. Varna system was a natural organization of
the society.
The large population was the Shudra community – farmers,
artisans, sweepers, construction workers, producers – metals, jewelry,
ornaments, leather, utensils, agri implements, wood cutters, carpenters, etc.,
etc., Basically all producers of different needs of the society.
Then the trader community – Vaishyas – They controlled supply
chain. Collection, Storage, distribution, transportation & sale. Reaching
the end consumer of the produce is the responsibility of the Vaishyas.
Kshatriyas – The warriors, protectors of freedom – There was
no Jati or caste of this tribe. All villages didn’t have this tribe. Standing
army was needed in capitals & forts, atop hills & vantage points. These
people were from the dominant community of that locality from any of the other
Varnas. They raised from the grass root level. The churn of the rulers always
happened continuously in India. The ruling changed hands according to the raise
of mutiny against an unjust, incapable ruler. A just leader usually organized
and revolted and established a just kingdom.
The last community, Brahmins, were a minority. They gave the
idea of how to organize, how to sustainably consume the resources, how to set up
governance for equity distribution of the rights over resources. They studied
stars & planets for rain prediction. They studied plants for medicinal
benefits. They studied society & suggested legislation for societal order.
But the maintenance of the societal order was Kshatriya & rulers
responsibilities. Almost every village had Brahmins. They were mostly the
custodians of temples. Temples were spiritual centres. It also doubled as
gathering place for bhajans &
bringing unity amongst the diverse villagers. It also was centre for panchayati, the dispute resolving,
decision making body. It was centre for schooling & education, medicine distribution
etc.,
Failures of these types of Governance
Challenges for Welfare state:
Simple challenge for the welfare state is the balance sheet maintenance year on year. The industrialization has heavy toll on limited
resources. Industry tumbles after the resource is exhausted in an area. Then
people are left high & dry. But they are used to their freebies & vote
to the freebies only. So government develops heavy complex machinery for Food
Distribution, Water distribution, Employment Generation, Primary education,
Healthcare etc.,
Some area produces rice; then it has to get distributed to
thousands of kilometers. For example, the wheat comes through complex PDS
system from Punjab to Karnataka. This kind of massive transportation of staple
food grains was never there in India. If not every village, but at least every
block of villages were self sustained in staple food at least if not exotic
foods also of their own.
Even water is being lifted by the government from Yettinahole
in Dakshina Kannada to Devarayanadurga in Tumkur and then distribute it to
Chikkaballapur, Tumkur, Kolar districts. Ancient times, every village existed
only due to availability of sustainable water source. But then self governance died
slowly. Government gave industries free water. They polluted it & dried it.
Then they packed off from there to another area to exploit.
In a small country when the industries exhaust all exploitable
areas, then the country goes bankrupt. The people are used to freebies. They
don’t understand what the meaning of country going bankrupt. They start looting
& arson. The country goes to civil war from bankruptcy.
Venezuela got into such a spiral out of control of these
direct benefit schemes recently. Greece is another one that often goes
bankrupt. But since it is European country, they project it as global crisis
and call IMF to dole them out. Asia, Africa are still to get used to this new
game of Europeans projecting their problem as global crisis. Zimbabwe got into
hyperinflation a decade back and is yet to come out of it with no light at the
end of the tunnel.
In big countries like US, & most European countries, the policy
makers still believe in Welfare State concept. Never attempting to curtail. In
most European countries now, most mineal jobs are done by immigrants. The
immigrants are not assimilating. And almost every European country is staring
at an imminent civil war in the coming years.
Challenges for Grama Swarajya:
The Grama Swarajya collapsed with the advent of British. The
sheer bruteness, cunningness, corrupting the existing system was a heavy jolt
to the people of India.
The Kshatra failed
to protect the system. Through corruption, brutal force, weapons of mass
destruction on humans (canons) they destroyed the armies. Through doctrine of
lapse they stripped kings off their ruling. After the British successfully quelled their upraising, they kept kings and stripped their armies and
armaments. So the kingdoms became princely states with no power. British
corrupted them to stay indulgent and ignore the rural upraising, unrest. Then
they successfully propagated that kings were self indulgent. Even the modern
politicians like Gandhi believed it and didn’t have such high regard for the
kings. Also Congress was created by British as a safety valve, as an alternate
peoples representation to the kings. So they could ignore kings fully and focus
on developing softies in Congress as the real people of India.
The loot of our resources left the Shudras in abject poverty.
Forests & hills denuded indiscriminately. The dependent artisans had no
clue what to do. Who to complain to. Raja was powerless. The temples which were
centre for delivering governance, order, were stripped off their self funding.
Then they divided the society and spread propaganda that Varna system created
jati system and that is the root cause of their poverty, ignorance etc.,
Our Kshatra & our
education system didn’t equip our society to expect this kind of atrocity,
attack on our people, resources, culture all at once. We still continue to be
under attack. Still we live in ignorance.
Where do we stand now? What lies ahead?
India is at cross roads now. We at least have legacy of Grama
Swarajya, the Idea of Rama Rajya. It still alive in some minds and literature
at least. However, boldly India introduced the Panchayati Raj almost 30 years ago.
And it has made many strides. It is implemented in all states even including Jammu
& Kashmir. Is it perfect? No; far from it. But has it made progress towards
self governance? Definitely yes.
Its success lies in the people’s coming together and joining
hands for self governance. Most importantly they organizing themselves and asserting
their rights over their surroundings, environments, wealth etc., Asserting
rights is one thing, but more importantly organizing themselves to maintain it,
harnessing it, sharing it amongst themselves without discrimination.
Now, organizing doesn’t necessarily mean bringing back the caste
system. But the society has to be organized. Swami Vivekananda famously said,
that the Varna System is not religious but it is just there as part of any Organized
society. We must acknowledge that, Someone will be Brain, Some will be the tiller,
toiler, Some will be protector of rights to keep law & order, someone will
be a storer & a trader. It may not necessarily be by the caste. But anyone
can play any of these roles.
But what of the current subsidies & freebies from the welfare
state concept? It will not go away suddenly. Majority are happy to receive and
live on it. Government is still auctioning hills, rivers and ponds to individual
tycoons to extract minerals, coke factory, fertilizer factory etc.,
Majority people will be pacified with compensation, subsidies, freebies. They basically sell their soul to few individuals to loot their wealth.
People have to Organize and push it all out. Like the way in
80’s how America pushed it all out due to series of litigation by the enlightened
Citizens.
Will it happen here? Now? People are angry. They want to push
out factories. But after pushing out what? Will they organize to harness their wealth
for healthy simple living with equity distribution? Or will few people give in
and join industrial tycoons to rule the roost in that block?
Time will only tell. But definitely some awakening is happening. Slowly but steadily
