As I wrote in my previous series, India is at a crossroads. As a nation, we must choose between two futures – one in which the “Government is Everything”, and the other in which “We, The People, choose our own destiny.” No country which has mortgaged its future to the government has ever become prosperous. People create wealth, not governments. To do that, people need economic freedom, not controls.
Dhan Vapasi – Universal Basic Income (UBI) done right – is what can open India to a new future, a Nayi Disha. I don’t think there is any other solution which leads to a happy ending for Indians in our lifetime.
Over the second half of 2018, my team prepared a lot of material that is relevant now and can accelerate the process of Dhan Vapasi.
- Nayi Disha Manifesto (Dec 2017): gives the complete explanation on why India is poor, and the direction India needs to take
- Dhan Vapasi – my video (Aug 2018)
- Dhan Vapasi FAQ (Sep 2018): answers the questions that are likely to come up
- Dhan Vapasi Booklet explaining the idea (Sep 2018): gives the detailed thinking behind Dhan Vapasi
- Dhan Vapasi Bill and Report (Sep 2018): shows the “how” of getting it passed in Parliament and making it happen
- My writings and videos on Dhan Vapasi (2018): wherein I covered many different aspects of the ideas
We had also tried to get traction with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs by sending them the Dhan Vapasi Bill and Report in October 2018. Of course, hardly anyone was interested in putting an end to the loot.
That is why we need to make the demand for Dhan Vapasi into a popular movement. It will be hard to reach out and persuade the masses – all they care about is the outcome, and not the how. But for the middle-class in India, the means matter. If the country is saddled with inflation and higher taxes, it will undo the good work and upward mobility that has been seen since 1991. It will mean that our children will probably have fewer opportunities than we did. The pandemic could lead to a Great Depression which will cause great economic and social upheaval.
That is why we need to start a debate in India on the right way forward. Politicians respond to pressure from the people because they need their support to stay in power. If enough of us come together, we can make change happen and ensure that 2020 will forever be remembered as the year India attained Sampoorna Swatantrata (Complete Freedom). Or, it will be a missed opportunity like 1947. The choice is ours to make.
