Kaagaz has become a crucial word for people in their struggle for daily survival as they look up to the government for succour when economy fails them. The 2021 movie Kaagaz, starring actor Pankaj Tripathi as Lal Bihari Singh from Uttar Pradesh, seems straight out of a rural Indian landscape, where bureaucracy pushes a person into the darkness of a dreaded file by declaring him dead. Then starts Singh’s quest to be counted alive in the government roll call.
The story of the film may seem disjointed and unreal, but a part of it is certainly playing out in India’s hinterland. Take, for example, the case of 50 villagers of Khajuria Jagir village of Kurwai tehsil in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district who were declared dead on the Samagra portal in July 2023 when they were still alive. (Samagra is a social security programme of the state government.)
The quest of the villagers to prove themselves alive began with earnestness, as being declared dead means that they can no longer be beneficiaries under the many welfare programmes of the state and Central governments.
Unlike the people from Khajuria Jagir, who were officially counted before they dropped “dead”, many of India’s poor wait endlessly to be included in government lists of welfare programmes even when they can prove that they are deserving candidates. Governments and bureaucrats are, in fact, fighting a self-inflicted poverty of its own kind that has jammed public policy of welfare economics in the country.
And this is not just a result of India’s infamous redtape syndrome. There is much more to it.
Outside the Government’s Benevolent Gaze
This story is from the September 2023 edition of Outlook Business.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2023 edition of Outlook Business.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Faultline Called Unemployment
With youths accounting for a staggering majority of the unemployed population in India, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which claims to have put India on a sound growth track, has some tough questions to answer as it seeks a third term at the Centre
'TECH, GOVERNMENT SUPPORT DRIVING GROWTH IN INDIA'S EXPORTS'
As overall exports in India witnessed a rise over the previous year, Akshay Ghulati, co-founder of Strategy and Global Expansion at Shiprocket Global, talks about five drivers of booming trade in India
IN THE RIGHT ENSEMBLE
Manish Kapoor MD and CEO of global clothing brand Pepe Jeans London, finds happiness in spending time with his family and bonding with them over leisure trips, Formula One races, cricket matches and cooking
GREEN GLOBETROTTING
Amid growing awareness about sustainable tourism, more people are hoping to reduce their carbon footprint. Besides benefitting the planet, sustainable tourism also presents the industry with the opportunity to grow responsibly
LOOPM ALTERNATIVES: ADDING A NEW AND LASTING DIMENSION TO PRESERVING FOOD
LoopFresh, an Indian innovation promises to transform the way perishables are stored on our supermarket shelves to retain their freshness.
PLANET VS PLASTIC OR PLASTIC VS SUBSTITUTES?
The theme of Earth Day 2024 was Planet vs Plastic, but plastic industry stakeholders are armed with studies to find faults with its alternatives
WELSPUN LIVING LIMITED: MAKING STRIDES TOWARDS GREENER FUTURE
Striving to advance systematically on the path of sustainable development, Welspun, a global leader in home solutions, is making a mark with its holistic Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) approach towards well-being of all the stakeholders
PROMOTING BIOFUELS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SUPPLY
Biofuels offer a viable solution to reducing dependence on imported fossil fuel while providing cleaner energy, states Kishan Karunakaran, CEO of Buyofuel. In an interview he speaks about how agro-waste and even plastics and tyres can be utilised for producing biofuels, thus supporting a circular economy.
A Ready Reckoner for Climate Justice
In Climate Change: The Policy, Law, and Practice, Jatinder Cheema presents a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change and the corresponding policy, legal and practical responses needed to address this global crisis effectively
TETRA PAK'S AMBITION TO LEAD THE SUSTAINABILITY TRANSFORMATION
Tetra Pak has set 2030 net zero emission goals for itself and 2050 net Zero emission goals for its supply chain. Juhi Gupta, Director Sustainability Tetra Pak, South Asia, in an interview shares how this is being achieved. Excerpts:
