Does the politics of the ruling party influence philanthropists? Is philanthropy, the act of giving for a larger cause, determined by the ideology of the party in power?
I would not think so.
One gives, I feel, because of a need to bring about a positive change in society, not to please a government or to find favour with some political group or the other. For me, philanthropy is neither an act of donating money to secure an easy conscience nor an exercise in brand building. It is about taking responsibility, about contributing with one’s resources and skills; about being a change agent in one’s own society. It is about playing a catalysing role in the development process of our country.
Irrespective of how much corporate bodies or individuals give, the government cannot dilute its responsibility to its stakeholders. Unlike rich individuals who may or may not choose to be generous, governments are elected to protect the interests of the largest number of people, not just some favoured groups or factions. A government is expected to ensure the well being of the entire population.
In terms of economic attainment, what is the state of our population? We have the world’s biggest middle class and a small but growing number of super-rich. However, let us also not forget that, even by conservative estimates, one-third of our people are poor and vulnerable. So, when governments craft policies and programmes, can they wish away this large group?
UPA or NDA, left-wing or right-wing, no government can afford to ignore the problems of deprivation and human rights. Let us also not shy away from using words like ‘poor,’ because even as we hurry to the age of bullet trains and designer brands, we still remain mired in poverty. GDP, annual growth rate, consumption statistics or the wild swings of the stock market: Ultimately, development is not just about these numbers. As it rides in the high-speed elevator, development also has to consider homelessness and poverty, malnutrition and migration, critical issues that are not only about want and despair, but also about violations of human rights.
Before we raise apprehensions about the new government’s policy shifts, let us consider what we achieved before this election.
In spite of earlier governments that professed allegiance to the socialist mode of development with a centralised planning structure, and after six decades of targeted fund allocations, we have created a society of festering inequality. I am not saying we have made no progress, but our track record in the areas of education, health and skill development, and protection of the girl child are far below that of many countries aligned on the right and left sides of the ideological divide. Increasingly, we have become a society paying ritual lip service to the cause of equity and distributive justice while allowing just the opposite to thrive.
Of course we set aside crores of rupees for welfare schemes and religiously earmarked thousands of crores in our annual budgets for schools, sanitation and health care. But during Rajiv Gandhi’s time—in a rare moment of candour for any government—it was acknowledged that for every rupee spent on the social sector by the government, only 15 paise reached the intended beneficiaries. Yet, successive governments have followed the fund-allocation route without really trying to stop leakages.
We have to remind ourselves and the government that following development or economic practices as if people matter is not about socialism; rather, it is about strengthening capitalism. It is only by being responsible and humane that capitalism can truly create opportunities and wealth for the maximum number.
(This story appears in the 22 August, 2014 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)