Lessons for Bicycle Chief

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. It is tempting to imagine Akhilesh Yadav saying that during one of his long rides along Uttar Pradesh’s kuchcha roads.

The credit, however, goes to Albert Einstein. Yadav Jr has a good feel of the grass as well as the grassroots. Now, as he embarks on the next phase of his journey, the 38-year-old environmental engineer and ‘kuchcha cool’ face of the Samajwadi Party could use Einstein’s pithy observation as his credo.

Yadav, chief minister designate of India’s most populous and politically significant state, has announced that law and order would be his top priority. That is good news. But there are many other frontiers he could conquer.

Here is a suggestion to game-changer Akhilesh — change the game in human development. UP is central to India’s politics; its economy has shown impressive growth in recent years. But vast numbers of people among its population of 200 million, more than that of Brazil, remain mired in abject poverty, illiteracy and disease.

As  regional politicians  gain in influence, their public policies would be under greater scrutiny. Yadav’s government could position UP on a track for sustainable economic growth by giving a push to social infrastructure — health, education, equity. These are not the only things that require political attention. But they are critical if UP is to compete with other states and with other regions in the evolving world order.

Some telling indicators: 30.28% of UP’s population are illiterate; the state’s infant mortality rate is 63, compared to the all-India average of 50; and its maternal morality ratio is 359, against the all-India average of 212. 

Some interesting ideas that have a bearing on these issues emerged at the Fourth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Academic Forum held in Delhi earlier this month. The theme for this year’s forum, hosted by the Observer Research Foundation, was ‘Stability, Security and Growth.’ One of the most interesting sessions was on universal access to health care.

Claudio Amitrano, an economist working with the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA), a Brazilian think tank,  made the point that Brazil’s health care and social inclusion policies were not only key to reduction of inequality but also helped boost economic growth in that country. The Brazilian model is interesting because Brazil is the only BRICS economy that has managed to significantly slash inequalities in recent years. One key mechanism that has made this possible is the much talked about programme, Bolsa Familia, which provides government cash transfers to millions of poor families. Part of the money is given on condition that parents get their children vaccinated and send them to school. If this and other public policies have stirred a social revolution in Brazil, it is not just because of the money but also due to effective monitoring and evaluation.

Uttar Pradesh too is the site of many innovations. But as has been evident in the unfolding National Rural Health Mission scam, money is eaten away without ground-level monitoring.

In Brazil’s case, household consumption has grown largely due to the consolidation and expansion of the income transfer programmes through Bolsa Familia as well as real increases to the minimum wage and its impact on social security benefits.

China also views issues like universal health care as central to shaping its future. Urbanising and aging China mounted a new round of healthcare reforms in 2009. There are enormous challenges on the ground but affordable health-care for all is a fundamental plank of ‘public security, stability, and sustainable growth of the economy,’ says Chinese academic Yu Dezhi.

India is discussing all these issues and is working towards universal health-care. But it is not going to be easy. Many see public spending as a waste of money. ‘Without universal health-care, we will not be able to sustain our growth story,’ argues Jayashree Sengupta, senior fellow, ORF. Brazilian political scientist Oliver Stuenkel lists ‘collapse of public health systems’ and ‘rampant environmental degradation’ among the factors that call into doubt India’s superpower aspirations.

Akhilesh Yadav has a tough job. He has shaken up things. Now, if he can crack the whip on law and order, improve the state’s human development score, and sustain its growth curve, he will emerge as the ultimate mover among game-changers.

The author is a New Delhi-based writer