Former prime minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday a GDP growth rate of 4.5 per cent was unacceptable and worrisome, and urged his successor Narendra Modi to set aside "his deep-rooted suspicion" of society and nurse India back to harmonious, mutually trustworthy society that can help the economy soar.
Delivering his valedictory address at a national conclave on economy, Singh said mutual trust is the bedrock of societal transactions fostering economic growth, but "our social fabric of trust, confidence is now torn and ruptured". The "toxic combination of deep distrust, pervasive fear and a sense of hopelessness in our society" is stifling economic growth, he said.
"The GDP figures released earlier today point the growth rate of our economy in the second quarter of the current fiscal year is as low as 4.5 per cent. This is clearly unacceptable. And, the aspirations of our people want that this country should grow at 8 to 9 per cent per annum. Therefore, the sharp decline in growth rate from 5 pc in first quarter to 4.5 pc in second quarter is indeed worrisome," he said.
Singh, an eminent economist himself, said with an absolute majority in Lok Sabha and low global oil prices, the government has a once-in-a-generation economic opportunity to catapult India to the next phase of economic development and create new jobs for hundreds of millions of youth.
Singh, an eminent economist himself, said with an absolute majority in Lok Sabha and low global oil prices, the government has a once-in-a-generation economic opportunity to catapult India to the next phase of economic development and create new jobs for hundreds of millions of youth.
"I urge the Prime Minister to set aside his deep-rooted suspicion of our society and nurse us back to a harmonious, confident and mutually trustworthy society that can revive the animal spirits
A host of Twitter meanwhile cracked jokes about the 4.5% GDP and said that the figures made it look like Manmohan Singh was ‘god’.
While the former prime minister lamented "deeply worrying" state of economy, he said the state of the society is even more worrisome.
"But today, I will argue how the state of our society is even more worrying and that is a fundamental reason for the precarious state of our economy. I will talk today, largely as a concerned citizen and as an economist, so that we can keep politics out of this important discussion," he said in his speech.
A nation's state of the economy is also a reflection of the state of its society, he said.
"An economy is a function of the numerous exchanges and social interactions among the people and institutions. Mutual trust and self-confidence are the bedrock of societal transactions that fosters economic growth. Our social fabric of trust and confidence is now torn and ruptured," he noted.
"There is a palpable climate of fear in our society today. Many industrialists tell me they live in fear of harassment by government authorities. Bankers are reluctant to make new loans, for fear of retribution. Entrepreneurs are hesitant to put up fresh projects, for fear of failure attributed to ulterior motives.
"Policy makers in government and other institutions are scared to speak the truth or engage in intellectually honest policy discussions. There is profound fear and distrust among our various economic participants. Public trust in independent institutions such as the media, judiciary, regulatory authorities, and investigative agencies has been severely eroded. This toxic combination of deep distrust, pervasive fear and a sense of hopelessness in our society is stifling economic activity and hence economic growth," he said.
Singh said root cause of this is the government's policy doctrine that seems to suspect every industrialist, banker, policy maker, regulator, entrepreneur and citizen, which has halted economic development with bankers unable to lend, industrialists unable to invest and policymakers unable to act.
With inputs from agencies
