31.

Suggest remedial measures to remove regional imbalances in India? 

The messures are enumerated below :

i. Introduce land reforms and raise taxation for the wealthy: We should work towards reducing asset inequality through redistributive land reforms but also through inheritance taxes, preventing monopoly of control over water, forests and mineral resources and reducing financial concentration. The equality of opportunity needs to be increased through good quality and universal public provision of essential amenities and social services. We can raise the public resources for doing all this by taxing the wealthy more and by increasing the effective taxation of corporations, which have benefited greatly from the boom and more than doubled their share of national income, but not been taxed accordingly.

ii. Give a voice to oppressed groups: We can tackle bias against caste and gender first of all by recognising the value and dignity of all work (including unpaid work) and all workers (including those in the most difficult arduous and degraded occupations). We should also provide a greater voice to traditionally oppressed and suppressed groups, including by enabling unions and association, and making public and corporate private activity more transparent and accountable to the people generally.

iii. Improve the balance of mass media: The media in India plays a role in sustaining inequality. This is becoming an urgent problem. We must take measures to reduce corporate takeover and manipulation of mass media.

iv. Harness the power of technology: Policymakers should not forget that technology has helped in reducing some of the access barriers in India, particularly in relation to access to information. Policymakers should focus on making technology cheaper and deepening its penetration.

v. Make women more visible in public life and institutions: It is shocking to see that in India women make up only 5% of the total police force, just two out of 24 supreme court judges and as we are going through polls right now, only 11% of the last parliament are women.

vi. Widen access to quality basic services: A two-tier system has been created, with largely privatised quality education and health care for those who can pay, and a large population left to fend for themselves with very poor quality public services.