July 17, 2026

India At 75 - A Lot Of Misses

By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-08-15 04:49:05

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As India turns 75 today and the nation celebrates the occasion, it is clear that there have been a lot of hits and even more misses in these three-quarters of a century that the nation has existed as a free, democratic nation. To deny that India has progressed would be to deny the work done by successive governments from 1947. Yes corruption and crony capitalism did not allow the country to progress as rapidly and as extensively as it should have given the money, time and effort spent over the years, but a robust framework, consisting of institutions and infrastructure was put in place immediately after Independence and that has served the nation well.

The only problem is that while India grows at the top, it does not pull the lowest rungs. Hence, in all fields, there is a wide chasm between the top level and the bottom level. India has the best institutions imparting world-class education yet successive surveys show that the learning at the primary and middle school level leaves a lot to be desired. India has the best hospitals conducting complex surgeries at reasonable cost yet the primary health centres are in deplorable conditions. India is self-sufficient in food yet lakhs of children suffer from malnutrition. India has rule of law and an independent judiciary yet laws are used to harass the citizens and deny them their democratic rights. India has many billionaires and the list is growing rapidly but it also has millions below the poverty line, unable to get two square meals a day. 

The problem with India at 75 is that the narrative is being hijacked by things that are not important. Instead of serious electoral reforms, political parties indulge in one-upmanship; instead of police reforms, all parties use Central and state agencies as their political tools and instead of reforming sectors such as agriculture and education, parties never come to an understanding and try to scuttle the efforts of the government of the day.

India is suffering from political dementia. Political parties have to realize that being perpetually in election mode is harming the nation as more speeches are being made than work is being done. India needs its leaders to do constructive work to make the nation realize its potential. Everything is in place, it is just the matter of getting the priorities right.