Page 10 - EW January 2025

Editorial

TRANSFORM CONSTITUTION INTO LIVE CHARTER stitution to protect dignity of individ-
ual citizens, is failure of the country’s
law, order and justice machinery. Bur-
he constitution of india was pro- inflicted upon the Constitution. For dened by the world’s heaviest judicial
mulgated as the governance instance, the right to own and dispose case load of 55 million pending cases,
Tcharter of free, independent In- property is no longer a fundamental the justice machinery has failed un-
dia on January 26, 1950. However No- right; the fundamental right to do der every metric. In terms of ratio of
vember 28, the day on which the final business and practice and carry on police to population, judges to popu-
draft of the Constitution was approved any occupation, trade or business lation, number of courtrooms, prolix-
by Parliament in 1949, is celebrated has been substantially vitiated by ity of process, contemporary India is
countrywide as Constitution Day. In licence-permit-quota raj. In general, at the bottom of every global league
the last session of Parliament, on its while political freedom by way of sub- table. Ways and means to revive the
75th anniversary, the Constitution was stantially free elections and freedom law and order machinery and espe-
the subject of an orderly debate in an of speech is a constitutionally guaran- cially the comatose judicial system,
otherwise unruly Parliament. Unusu- teed reality in post-independence In- have often been proposed on these
ally, there was unanimous agreement dia, people’s economic freedoms have pages — greater budgetary allocation,
in the House that the Constitution is a been eroded by discretionary State improving judges-population ratio,
wonderful, near sacred document. Yet controls and official corruption which appointment of external manage-
the ruling BJP/NDA government and has spread unchecked within govern- ment consultancy firms to speed up
the opposition I.N.D.I.A alliance led ment. As a result while the Constitu- the justice system, and establishment
by the Congress traded charges as to tion confers impressive fundamental of a national legal aid fund.
whether BJP or Congress has inflicted and other rights upon citizens, it has These are not rocket science solu-
greater damage to the Constitution conspicuously failed to protect the tions. Oriental fatalism, middle-class
which since promulgation has been dignity of the overwhelming majority inertia and lack of official and soci-
amended 106 times. of citizens who are obliged to suffer etal will to transform the Constitu-
Undoubtedly, during the past 75 pervasive poverty, insolence of office, tion from an intellectually satisfying
years considerable damage — in terms the law’s delay and the proud man’s document into a live charter that en-
of thwarting the collective will of the contumely. hances the dignity of citizens, need to
Constituent Assembly — has been The root cause of failure of the Con- be overcome.

WEALTH TAX: ELIMINATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY sible that if an additional tax is im-
posed upon the upper-middle class
and the rich who are already heavily
recent visit to india by thomas ness Standard (December 14) Piketty taxed at low income thresholds, it will
Piketty, renowned professor of said that a modest 2 percent wealth accelerate talent and capital flight,
A economics at the Paris School tax on India’s 334 dollar billionaires which has already begun. In 2023,
of Economics who has acquired a would release a “lot of money “ for in- an estimated 5,100 Indian dollar mil-
global reputation for his ground- vestment in public social infrastruc- lionaires migrated abroad for various
breaking research on wealth inequal- ture (education and health). reasons including continuous harass-
ity in several countries, has reignited The majority within this privi- ment by the neta-babu brotherhood,
the debate about high wealth dispar- leged minority owes its income and heavy official and unofficial taxation,
ity in contemporary India. At issue is wealth to heavily-subsidised higher and unease of doing business in India.
whether priority should be given to education provided by successive In the circumstances the best via
reducing the income and wealth gap Central and state governments which media is for the Central government
between the rich and poor. According subsidized — and continue to do so to mandate a 2 percent wealth (not
to a famous statement made by Pik- — college and university education income) tax payable by all rupee
etty some time ago, the yawning gap at the cost of public K-12 education. billionaires with the proviso that
between India’s wealthiest 10 percent Therefore a 2 percent wealth tax on they are free to make direct pay-ins
and the remaining 90 percent is wider accumulated wealth (property, stocks to education and health projects of
now than it was during British colonial and shares, and other tangible assets, their choice. This would eliminate
rule. not income) for investment in public the greatest opposition of HNIs (high
Detailed research studies conduct- schools, primary health centres and net worth individuals) to additional
ed by World Inequaliy Lab established hospitals would be fair, just and equi- taxes — payment through the agency
by Piketty at the Paris School of Eco- table contends Piketty. As repeatedly of government where there is every
nomics indicate that 55-60 percent of highlighted by EducationWorld, In- possibility for wasteful establishment
national income accrues to India’s dia’s public (government) school sys- and/or misdirected expenditure. Giv-
wealthiest 10 percent. Against this tem defined by crumbling buildings, en in memoriam naming rights, and
the share of the richest 10 percent in lack of libraries, laboratories and lava- bilateral donor-donee interaction,
US national income is 40-45 percent, tories and chronic teacher absentee- there is high possibility of India’s rich
China 40 percent and Europe 25-30 ism is in a pathetic state of disrepair welcoming the opportunity to develop
percent. and, needs substantial investment. the country’s high-potential human
In a detailed interview with Busi- Nevertheless it’s also entirely pos- resource.

10 EDUCATIONWORLD JANUARY 2025