WIDENING GAPS

 WIDENING GAPS

      "A nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much and so many have so little" 

                                                                  -  Bernie Sanders.

                   India, A developing nation in the decade of action of Sustainable development goals is addressing ECONOMIC INEQUALITY 

with great concern. With more than a dozen workers  crushed under a goods train in Aurangabad, The COVID19 pandemic , A Public health emergency of international concern turned out to be a humanitarian crisis and grabbed our attention to the significance of narrowing the gaps. 

       

                                                                                                                                                                                      The latest New World wealth report stating' the richest 1% of India owns 53%  of the country's wealth and 10%  holds76.3%' ranking  India as the second most unequal country is alarming. Even the virus was impartial in it's spread ,the effect of COVID19 is vividly based on the economic stratification. The complete shutdown of global economy made the lower economic strata vulnerable in the multidimensional aspects of poverty. 

                  Primarily  the economic stability of informal , un-organized , daily wage labourers  was disrupted  with the unemployment ,lack of basic income and minimum support price ,financial insecurity and so on. We witnessed the brutal impact of covid19 in the lives of migrant workers in their massive return migration. With the lack of regular wages, economically weaker sections struggled with hunger, health issues, infant mortality, malnutrition etc. The inequalities in health care access and affordability made their condition unbearable .Even without proper sanitation facilities, social distancing is unable in their over crowded sheds and what they have to sanitize themselves is mud. 

         During the era of online education and digitalized platforms ,the inequality extends to various levels .In the new technological age they are being marginalised. Thus the fundamental rights are also getting breached .In the vicious debt trap , the poor are forced to take part in crimes , drug mafia and  ultimately suicides. Inequality is a global threat for the whole society not only for the victims.

                   

               
                 Considering various UN surveys obviously more unequal societies are doing worse  in the socio-economic-health problems. In the GNP, US  is twice as rich as New Zealand but how effectively the later curbed Corona ! Japan the most equal society as per New World wealth report ranks top in the wellbeing of society. Even the happiness index  proves the same. So it is high time to realize Narrowing  the income gaps and nourishing an economically equal society is indispensable in the journey of acquiring sustainable development. 

                   Easing the labour  laws  may revive the economy but  we need more labour friendly economic reforms. Efficiently using progressive taxation and social spending , we can achieve our target . By screening the eligible beneficiaries , governmental projects like Jan dhan yojana,Vocal for local , Atma nirbhar Bharat ,UBI,MSP,MNREGA etc have to be properly implemented .Using Economic tools like Lorenz curve , we can better analyze the economy. As ending extreme poverty is among SDGs let's unite to create a nation free of disparities with a strong unity in diversity .         

                                                           

                                                                               SANDRA SARA BINOY 

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