At the beginning of 2013, few knew or predicted that this would be the year of upheaval. The protests and powerful democratic movements elsewhere in the world in the past couple of years seemed to have come to India. Our politics has always been high-decibel, but this was the year that headlines across the country debated our concerns of accountability and governance, issues that have simmered for a long time, and have now finally burst out into the open.
It is clear that a great transformation is underway in our country, in our cities. There is an enormous amount of energy at the grassroots for policies that promise a better future for all Indians. Now that such energy has taken root, it has become easier to predict what’s going to happen in 2014 — these demands are going to deepen, and the trend is going to force leaders in our government, private sector and civil society to address what I believe is the defining challenge of our time: How do you create opportunity for the hundreds of millions demanding it, across the country? How do you address the dreams of the most aspirational generation in our country’s history?
For decades, and across our governments, we viewed development in terms of binary choices, this or that. Basic necessities, or infrastructure. Villages or the cities. There was a strong sense that voters were ghettoised in their preferences, and that politicians had to choose and appeal to groups with divergent needs. Farmers, for example, had different priorities — free electricity and water, support prices for crops — compared to urban residents, who were focused on jobs and growth.
But in recent years, both from outside government and from within, we began to notice a shift. People, whether they were in urban or rural India, living in a slum or an apartment complex, were demanding the same things – good schools for their children, roads and mobile phones so that they could participate in markets. Increasingly, people had begun to think that the circumstances of their birth didn’t matter in their choice of career — a vegetable vendor’s son didn’t have to follow his father, a farmer’s son could become an entrepreneur. What mattered was whether they had a clear path to success before them. Essentially, ambition, in the last decade, has been democratised. Everyone wants to be part of India’s growth. They are demanding not just roti kapda makaan, not just bijli, sadak, paani. They want to know: what after these?
The answers that we offer our people have to increasingly focus on creating the opportunities they need. People today want ladders more than handouts. So, how do we do this effectively so that we empower them to create a better future for themselves? The answer includes financial inclusion, so that people have access to the banking services and credit they need to take considered risks. The answer includes enabling our entrepreneurs, who remain the strongest source of growth and jobs, creating nine of every ten jobs in our part of the world.
The answer includes investing in our youth -- in this, the youngest country in the world -- through education, health, and the right skills for employment. And the answer includes focusing on our women, in a country where the gender divide across development and employment numbers is still significant, and whose safety in our public spaces is a growing concern.
The answer also includes much more accountability, information, and choice in our governance systems. There is rising pressure across the nation to hold our elected officials more accountable to the people. We have made some progress in recent years through legislation such as the Right to Information. More recently, the Aadhaar number has become a tool for governments to deliver public services, and reduce fraud. The Indian government is already implementing Aadhaar to transfer LPG subsidies in the form of a direct benefit. We must deepen this much further, by giving people the tools to respond to government services, get information, give feedback, question, and engage.
There is less resignation in this country today. There is less of the ‘make do’ that defined us for so long. This is a good thing; in fact, it may be a watershed moment, a shift in the mindset of a nation. In that sense, it has been 2013 that has been the defining year. India has already changed, there is immense energy on the ground. The next few years will hopefully, reflect our changed attitudes, in the quality of governance across the country, in the kind of people we bring into politics, and in the way we build our institutions.
If we can bring people together and have a serious debate on our future, and the specific policies we must implement, then I am certain that we will be able to channel our popular demands into something ambitious, lasting and permanent. That will guarantee both us and our children, a better country.
Recently, I visited a government school in Koramangala, Bengaluru, not far from my house. Akshara Foundation, an NGO that does great work in the city, was sponsoring an activity at the school: they provided the children with Lego blocks, and asked them to build. Nearly all the children built tall, towering structures – skyscrapers -- with all the pieces they could find. No one wanted to stay low on the ground. It’s the sentiment that defines India today: and that alone is a promise, and a reason for hope.
Nandan Nilekani has penned the forenote for Catalyst ’14. He is the chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India. The views are personal. His website is www.nandannilekani.in
