Development
What development means
Explain why people have different, sometimes conflicting, ideas of development.
Different people, different goals. Development means getting closer to the life we want. But people want different things, because their life situations are different (Table 1.1):
- landless rural labourers: more days of work, better wages, a good local school, no social discrimination, and a chance to become village leaders;
- prosperous farmers from Punjab: higher support prices for their crops, cheap hardworking labourers, and settling their children abroad;
- a girl from a rich city family: as much freedom as her brother, and the chance to study abroad.
Goals can clash. What is development for one person may be harmful to another.
- A girl wants the same freedom as her brother, and wants him to share the housework. He may not like that.
- Industrialists want more dams for electricity. But dams can flood the land of people like tribals and force them out. They may rather have tanks or small check dams to water their fields.
So: different people can have different goals, and sometimes conflicting ones.
Income, and more than income. Look at Table 1.1 again: almost everyone wants regular work, better wages and fair prices for what they produce. In short, more income. But people also want equal treatment, freedom, security and respect, and they hate discrimination. Sometimes these matter more than money. Think of your friends: you cannot buy friendship, yet it means a lot to you. Things that are hard to measure are still important.
Choosing a job. If you are offered a job far away, you think about more than pay: facilities for your family, the working atmosphere, the chance to learn. One job may pay less but be secure; another may pay more but have no security and no time for your family. Development is the same: people look for a mix of goals. For example, when women do paid work, their dignity at home and in society rises; and when women are respected, housework is shared and more women can work outside. A safe environment lets more women take jobs or run businesses.
National development. If people want different things, they will also have different ideas of what India should do. So how do we decide? National development means asking:
- Is this a fair and just path for all?
- Is there a better way of doing it?
- Will it help many people, or just a few?
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