Always heartening to perceive a ray of bright hope, in an otherwise grim situation confronting countries all over the world, except perhaps currently, a handful of oil exporters. The point about developing connectivity through increased construction of roads, leading to prosperity, is I feel, a very important point Anil. The government has allocated the maximum amount to UP for this purpose and the State government has gone ahead and done a massive expansion of the road and highway construction in the State. If UP does well, then the target of reaching a 5 trn $ economy is possible. Another critical aspect mentioned in your article, is the sincerity behind any endeavor. If it is a hurried eyewash before an election, like it happened previously, then it results in further drain from a depleted exchequer; but when the same expenditure happens with an eye on future growth, then the amalgamation of efforts will result in a tangible benefit of permanent value.
Informative, well researched and crisp article !! The NFHS 5 data does show positive trends as there is decline in fertility rates, access to improved sanitation has increased, but disturbing facts are also there.
Proportion of children who are underweight has increased in many states .So our welfare schemes need to focus on this crucial findings. Also gender based violence has also shown upward trends in some states .
But surely the "trickle down effect " seems to be happening in India.The pictures of three legends Charlie Chaplin , Michael Jackson and Murphy are a treat to the eyes !!
Thank you as always for your participation in the conversation. Yes, you are right about the dataset revealing some negative social trends too. Glad you liked the collage.
This is really awesome ‘connecting the dots’! Thank you. I noticed that all these metrics are what traditionally have been called ‘access metrics’, which india seems to have solved quite a bit. The difference between the demographic that reads this article, and the other 99%, has been about quality and equity. That usually comes down to choices in an economy, and eventually my quality of life or perception of how/whether government works. Would love to hear your thoughts on that in some future piece. Your column has become my go-to in my very short time on Substack.
The point you make is spot on. Government performance is always a subjective view. Regardless with such material trading up the aspirations bar goes up collectively. To be sure it is still a work in progress.
Actually access is still an issue.
Take drinking water for example. Puri is the only city in the country to offer 24x7 drinking water. And this 75 years after Independence.
And you will be shocked to know that access to tap water was in single digits in rural India before the launch of the water mission.
Look forward to your continued participation in this weekly conversation.
I'm very impressed with the amount of research which has gone into this article. It's very heartening to note that atlast the benefits are reaching the beneficiaries. I just hope that the term middleman would be a thing of the past. I'm very intrigued as to who coined this term middleman? How come he was powerful enough to be omnipresent in all the schemes to ensure that barely 15% of the benefits eventually reached the common man.
Thanks for sharing the Tanishq ad. It addresses every working woman's guilt whether she is neglecting her child in order to do justice to her work and vice versa.
Amazing read sir. Clearly illustrating the multiplier effect infra has on economic front. Kindly to shed some light on All India Debt and Investment Survey (2019) you have mentioned. It would be informative.
Always heartening to perceive a ray of bright hope, in an otherwise grim situation confronting countries all over the world, except perhaps currently, a handful of oil exporters. The point about developing connectivity through increased construction of roads, leading to prosperity, is I feel, a very important point Anil. The government has allocated the maximum amount to UP for this purpose and the State government has gone ahead and done a massive expansion of the road and highway construction in the State. If UP does well, then the target of reaching a 5 trn $ economy is possible. Another critical aspect mentioned in your article, is the sincerity behind any endeavor. If it is a hurried eyewash before an election, like it happened previously, then it results in further drain from a depleted exchequer; but when the same expenditure happens with an eye on future growth, then the amalgamation of efforts will result in a tangible benefit of permanent value.
Dear Gautam,
Thank you for your thoughts. True, even I was pleasantly surprised to see the outcomes from welfare spending. It is still a work in progress though.
Look forward to your continued participation.
Best
Anil
Dear Anil,
Informative, well researched and crisp article !! The NFHS 5 data does show positive trends as there is decline in fertility rates, access to improved sanitation has increased, but disturbing facts are also there.
Proportion of children who are underweight has increased in many states .So our welfare schemes need to focus on this crucial findings. Also gender based violence has also shown upward trends in some states .
But surely the "trickle down effect " seems to be happening in India.The pictures of three legends Charlie Chaplin , Michael Jackson and Murphy are a treat to the eyes !!
Dear Vandana,
Thank you as always for your participation in the conversation. Yes, you are right about the dataset revealing some negative social trends too. Glad you liked the collage.
Best
Anil
This is really awesome ‘connecting the dots’! Thank you. I noticed that all these metrics are what traditionally have been called ‘access metrics’, which india seems to have solved quite a bit. The difference between the demographic that reads this article, and the other 99%, has been about quality and equity. That usually comes down to choices in an economy, and eventually my quality of life or perception of how/whether government works. Would love to hear your thoughts on that in some future piece. Your column has become my go-to in my very short time on Substack.
Dear Kartik,
Thank you for writing in and your kind words.
The point you make is spot on. Government performance is always a subjective view. Regardless with such material trading up the aspirations bar goes up collectively. To be sure it is still a work in progress.
Actually access is still an issue.
Take drinking water for example. Puri is the only city in the country to offer 24x7 drinking water. And this 75 years after Independence.
And you will be shocked to know that access to tap water was in single digits in rural India before the launch of the water mission.
Look forward to your continued participation in this weekly conversation.
Best
Anil
Dear Anil
I'm very impressed with the amount of research which has gone into this article. It's very heartening to note that atlast the benefits are reaching the beneficiaries. I just hope that the term middleman would be a thing of the past. I'm very intrigued as to who coined this term middleman? How come he was powerful enough to be omnipresent in all the schemes to ensure that barely 15% of the benefits eventually reached the common man.
Thanks for sharing the Tanishq ad. It addresses every working woman's guilt whether she is neglecting her child in order to do justice to her work and vice versa.
Dear Ranjini,
Thank you for your thoughts and kind words. Indeed it is heartening to see beneficiaries are finally getting what is meant for them.
Also happy the ad resonated with you.
Best
Anil
Amazing read sir. Clearly illustrating the multiplier effect infra has on economic front. Kindly to shed some light on All India Debt and Investment Survey (2019) you have mentioned. It would be informative.
Thank you Adarsh.
Sharing a link to a slide-deck put together by Dvara to unpack the AIDIS survey. Hope it answers your query.
chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://www.dvara.com/research/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/AIDIS-Slide-Deck.pdf
Best
Anil