Here, now, is the promise of a better, healthier India. The fifth and last Independence Day address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was appreciably marked by the unveiling of an ambitious national healthcare initiative – Ayushman Bharat or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyan from September 25 which could benefit an estimated 50 crore people, or 10crore families, from the poorer sections — with a provision for healthcare insurance/cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year. Admittedly, one of the major concerns of the poor, who cannot afford to pay for the rising cost of healthcare, has been addressed.
This merits adulation just as the previous UPA government came up with a food security scheme at the behest of Sonia Gandhi during the second term of the Manmohan Singh-led dispensation. Put together, these two
schemes are bound to be of immense help to the nation’s suffering multitudes, who live in hopeless conditions. This goes to show that successive governments are doing a good job in relation to social welfare. However, what also requires proper attention is the farm sector where more meaningful insurance schemes and MSP should be in place, and the spectre of joblessness for the rising army of Indian youths due to the government’s failure to expand the industrial/manufacturing sector.
The government is mindful of the plight of the farmers – whose suicide rates are arguably increasing – and this is evident from the PM’s offer to double farmer income by 2022. Whether this will happen or not remains to be seen, though. The ‘Beej Se Bazar Tak’ scheme launched by the Modi government needs to gain further pace. The address from the ramparts of the Red Fort also raised fresh hopes about Indian Space forays, with plans to send manned missions from India in 2022 for the first time. Space science is where India has been having an upper hand vis-à-vis China, but that scenario might reverse sooner than later, considering the relative speed with which India and China function at various levels of governance, skill upgradation, and experimentations.
Overall, though, democracy keeps India in good stead. This Independence Day is fresh proof that governments care for poor and the weaker sections which too have a right to live, and work with dignity. Social security apart, several other key areas cry for special attention. Corruption, evident in the scams and NPAs in the banking sector will affect the Indian economy in the long run. The slow pace of infrastructure development; the urban mess, the lack of uptick in the industrial sector, for instance, need be speedily addressed. Indeed speed is of essence in governance.