Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Vision 2047: Union Budget Mirrors India@100

Union Budget 2022-2023 in an important policy document which takes forward Vision 2047, outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech, last year.

Many post-Budget commentaries have focused on thrust on Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Green Economy, among other key themes. While some commentators see a strand of continuity in this year’s Budget, some see points of departure from previous Budgets. What is important is that Vision 2047, a futuristic policy framework for India@100, provides the template for the Budget, much like it informs most other policy formulations of our times.

It has been reported that policymakers today often debate how a particular policy intervention impacts “ease of living” and “ease of doing business”. In the current context, they probably also debate if a particular policy decision contributes meaningfully to building India@100.

In his last year’s Independence-Day speech, PM Modi had said: “There comes a time in the development journey of every country when the country redefines afresh and moves forward with new resolutions. Today, that time has arrived in the development journey of India… Starting from here, the entire journey of the next 25 years, when we celebrate the centenary of Indian independence, marks the Amrit period of creation of a New India. The fulfillment of our resolutions in this Amrit period will take us to the hundredth anniversary of Indian independence with pride”. 

There are moments in a nation’s journey when powerful ideas -- and slogans -- become part of its collective consciousness. Consider, for instance, the “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” slogan coined by our second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, that caught people’s imagination, and became a rallying point of sorts. In the first NDA regime, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee expanded the slogan to “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan”. Later, at the 106^th Indian Science Congress in 2019, PM Modi added “Jai Ansusandhan” to it.

The second instance is to do with the anti-Emergency movement, led by Jayaprakash Narayan, against dictatorial tendencies and fiats. It helped the nation lead a fight-back to restore democracy. An unwavering faith and an unflinching commitment to democracy have always been, and will always be, part of Indian DNA, no matter what a section of opinion writers, and even sections of media, would like others to believe.

The third instance is about former President A P J Abdul Kalam’s Vision 2020, which was based on a book, “India 2020,” authored in 1998, that caught people’s imagination. During Vajpayee years, the Planning Commission acknowledged President Kalam’s vision. More recently, it was also argued that the New India vision will actualize many ideas that Kalam espoused.

Vision 2047, which lays down a holistic blueprint for India@100, is qualitatively different. It is not just a vision statement; it also envisages how to make it happen, over a period of time.

In his Independence Day speech, PM Modi said: “Today, I am requesting from the ramparts of the Red Fort that ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, and now, ‘Sabka Prayas’, are very important for the achievements of our goals”.

Indeed, the realization that one’s duties are as important as exercising one’s rights is crucial to nation building. One doesn’t have to be an “adhikari” or a “daroga” or a “vidhayak” or a “neta” to bring about a change. Whether it is a teacher or a journalist, an executive or an industrialist, a soldier or a corona warrior, when one fulfills one’s responsibilities and is mindful of his or her larger social, national obligations, nation-building gets a boost. Vision 2047, thus, will soon be part of our National Character, such is the power of the idea. 

And, it will be powered by “Sabka Prayas”. There is evidence on ground to show that people at large are known to respond positively to PM Modi’s appeals. So, when there is a call reminding everyone about the primacy of duties, it is reasonable to assume that people will respond positively. When 130 crore hands rise together, much like a mahayagna, where everyone makes a contribution, Vision 2047 gets a boost.

Politicians and governments are often known to think of the next election or their next leader. Statesmen, however, think about the nation’s long-term future. In his Independence-Day speech, PM Modi said: “I believe that in 2047, on the occasion of celebrating 100 years of independence… whoever will be the Prime Minister after 25 years from today, when he will be unfurling the Flag… I can say with confidence that he or she shall be chronicling those accomplishments in his speech about which the country has taken a vow today.”

Indeed, India’s long-term destiny will be defined by Vision 2047. The Union Budget 2022-2023 is an important policy document in this direction.

While elections, law-making and day-to-day governance will always remain immediate priorities for a government in any given setting, clearly, it is a much ambitious -- and futuristic -- vision that defines today’s India, and will shape India of tomorrow.

(The writer, a JNU alumnus, is a political analyst. Views are personal)

Suman K Jha

BW Reporters Suman K Jha was the deputy editor with BW Businessworld