Kartavya beyond Path

            

            All of India's efforts to shed its colonial past and mindset are admirable, but we must not lose sight of the fact that India is dealing with some of the world's most pressing issues. The 75th anniversary of India's independence will continue to remind future generations of India's colonial past and its new emergence in the world. Starting from India's overtaking Britain as the world's fifth largest economy, our Prime minister said it was not surprising to become the 5th largest economy in the world, but it was surprising because India had overtaken 'Britain' to become the fifth largest economy, a country which had almost ruled out India's presence on the world map. Some other events which were under the control of the government included the changing of the ensign of the Indian Navy, which now resembles the octagonal reach of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's maritime firepower. The installation of Netaji's statue is yet another symbolic move to propagate the right history of India's greatest freedom fighter. In the Amrit Mahotsavi year, India has achieved some great global stature in recognition of its stand on non-alignment and peaceful coexistence. When India's military power is no longer a surprise to the world, India is gradually gaining a foothold in the defence export markets by targeting like-minded countries that believe in peaceful coexistence and recognise India's neutral position in the multipolar world. While these events may represent the Kartavya of India's government to the outside world, they must be equally intense in order to narrow India's internal problems.                

            The renaming of Kingsway to Kartavyapath should inspire not only citizens and officials in the national capital region (NCR) but also all those who are directly or indirectly contributing to India's rise to global power status. The dream begins with addressing the fundamental but critical issues of education, poverty, health, freedom, infrastructure, per capita GDP, and overall living conditions. The pandemic has forced every nation across the globe on the back foot. It is not surprising that India is experiencing all-time high inflation. The financial assistance provided to the manufacturing sector, particularly to MSMEs, to combat the pandemic's stress is turning into a bad loan. Despite being the world's fifth largest economy, India's per capita GDP remains among the lowest. There has been no significant increase in the middle and lower income groups. The education sector has been particularly hard hit, as the young population continues to struggle to keep up with their studies. While many States and UTs claim to be the best in their educational model, the preference for public schools has not increased significantly. The dignity of labour is missing, and so is the outcome per capita. India is constantly criticised for its media standards and the actions taken by the government on media personnel. Here, freedom is hard to imagine and so are unbiased views. Healthcare is out of the question when you learn that a pregnant woman is being forced to deliver her baby outside of hospital rooms, and that is too, in the national capital where the nation keeps a 24-hour watch on the happenings.

            Thus, the Kartavya is on every citizen's shoulder to solve all of these problems. I believe that if we stay within the bounds of the Constitution and carry out our responsibilities without fear of reprisal, we will be able to combat these evils sooner than we can imagine. The most important thing we must pray for is the independence of the constitutional bodies. It possesses enormous power to transform our problems into our strengths and to achieve the goals of emerging power both on the outside and on the inside. Thus, the transition from Kingsway to Kartavyapath holds immense importance for the present and future generations.

                                                                                                                                -TejasShirke