Prosperity cannot be achieved without peace. Thus, managing growing social tensions is going to be one of the major challenges facing the country in the coming days. Recent reports suggest that the country’s social fabric is under severe threat and the situation is fast threatening to go out of hand. It demands immediate measures to protect the age-old amity and brotherhood, which are the strengths of India. The authorities should firmly deal against those who are causing discord among various communities for narrow personal gains. Everyone should be told in no uncertain terms that national interest is paramount and no one will be allowed to weaken the unity among the communities living peacefully for years. The message should be loud and clear that India believes in unity in diversity and everyone is equal in the country irrespective of caste, creed and religion. It should be remembered that any deviation from the path of unity will pose a question mark on its very existence. Avoiding such a situation should be the resolution for all Indians in 2022.
To fulfill the promise, the main task is to ensure speedy economic up-liftment of the poorer sections of society. While the Indian Constitution has assured political rights to every citizen by promising justice, liberty and equality to every citizen, the constitutional safeguards still remain primarily on paper in absence of adequate economic power to the downtrodden. The rich-poor divide has increased manifold in the first 75 years of our Independence. This fact clearly proves that the affluent section of society is not at all sincere in fulfilling it’s social obligations. The role of the corporate sector in India in this regard comes under the scanner as the said sector has not done enough for the betterment of society, despite receiving various benefits from the government. For example, taking into consideration the hardships that the corporate world faced during the pandemic induced lockdown, the government promptly reduced the tax rates, anticipating more capital investment with the help of the excess funds. But so far no such major capital investments have been made by the corporate sector in the country. More strangely, there are reports that a major chunk of these excess funds have been invested in foreign countries.
The Northeastern region too has faced similar obstacles since Independence. Despite being rich in natural resources, the Northeastern region still remains backward due to lack of private investments in this part of the country. Even the tax holiday announced by the government to encourage setting up of industries in the region had grossly been misused. With the government not in a position to invest and private parties declining to enter the region, Northeast has remained devoid of any notable economic developmental activities for a long time. To avoid such situations, the corporate sector should be reminded not to be driven by profitability alone and to remember it’s social responsibilities. To make India strong, vibrant and prosperous, the corporate sector should take more concrete steps to aid the government in sharing social responsibilities.