Reflections from my trip to India

I wanted to share some reflections on my trip to India in July/Aug of 2013. I am fortunate enough to visit India almost every year, but this year I had planned my trip so I could spend Ramadan and celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr in India. 

There is no bigger joy than to spend Eid with your close family and friends. The festive month is most enriching here and gives you an opportunity to savor in all its delights, whether you are praying at the mosque, breaking fast at some of the best restaurants or you are out shopping for clothes and gifts. 

Apart from the social and spiritual benefits, we are also reminded of the less fortunate members of the society during this month of worship and charity. While we forgo food and drink for a portion of the day this month to attain piety, there are thousands of families that are forced to go without food out of poverty. It is this thought that also made me think deeper about the visible and invisible aspects of poverty and deprivation in India.

India's Invisible Poor 

While here, I was also following a controversy that stormed the media and India's Parliament. At issue is how to count the poor in a country of 1.2 Billion. According to the latest NSSO data, there is a 15% decline in poverty levels down from 37% in 2005 to 22% in 2010 for all of India. If true, this is an impressive feat! The other side of this story is the Planning Commission's definition of poverty and whether it is adjusted to the market realities and the current cost of living since it was formulated some 40 years ago. An individual spending less than Rs.33 a day in urban areas and less than Rs.27 a day in rural areas for food and living costs is considered poor by the Planning Commission. From my own shopping experience Rs.33 hardly fetches anything; a kilogram of tomatoes sells for Rs.20 and potatoes for Rs.15, and other living costs soaring like the summer temperature. Infact an independent study in urban Delhi has shown that more than 55% of the urban population cannot access the required daily calories intake. Eating less or going hungry to save for utilities and medical costs is a dark reality for a majority of population in India's cities.

Between my trips to decorated restaurants, glittery bazaars and swanky shopping malls it was difficult for me to come to terms with this reality. India's poor which could be anywhere from 22% to 50% of the population (depending on who's counting) is mostly invisible to the middle class and affluent. However, when I looked closer, I saw how the poor and vulnerable among the society crisscross the paths of the middle class who own a car or afford to rent one for a trip to the mall followed by dinner at a near-by restaurant and a stop at the ice-cream shop on their way back home. I could see the invisible poor are right there at every turn. I could see the hawkers selling their wares at traffic intersections, the parking lot attendants, the security guards frisking you at the mall entrance, and the poorly paid staff keeping shelves stocked for you, the tea vendor, some of them so young that you wonder why they are not at school?

Role of Policy Think Tanks 

This is why I was so glad to see a political consensus developing around the Food Security Bill creating a social security net by providing basic food grains like rice, wheat at very affordable prices. The Planning Commission has estimated that subsidized food grain entitlements will cover 67 per cent of the population, which is a major leap forward. But again, like every other program and scheme run by the Government, this may become mired in yet another set of bureaucratic loopholes or systemic inefficiencies. 

Here is where the think-tanks like the US India Policy Institute have the potential to make the most impact at a macro level through its evidence based research, policy discourses with lawmakers, policy monitoring and recommendations. 

US India Policy Institute is the only full-time, US-based, community supported policy think tank for India!

You may support USIPI online at their website www.usindiapolicy.org or send a donation in the mail to: 110 Maryland Ave. NE, Suite 508, Washington, DC 20002