AWAITED AWAKENING

India has made rapid progress both in politics and economics since Independence. Constitutiion of India has enabled peaceful and fruitful elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies in the last six decades. Several political parties both at the national and regional levels have sprung up as an alternative to the Indian National Congress which mainly fought for India's Independence. India has stood as one nation in times of emergency both on the borders and within the country. Initially the Government of India under the leadership of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and subsequently under different other Prime Ministers laid more emphasis on centralised planning through the Planning Commission of India in the form of Five Year Plans. Under the leadership of Sri P.V.Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister, the economy was liberalised, the foreign capital was allowed to flow freely as also the imports of capital goods and consumer goods and similarly the export-base was widened. One could never easily ignore the change that has taken place since early 1990's.

All the same economic growth has widened the gap between the rich and the poor and the millions of people living below the poverty line have increased tremendously in numbers over these years. It is however heartening to note that the increase in the sheer strength of middle class and their purchasing power is a phenomenon to reckon with. With the onset of Information Technology and its Revolution, the reach of the common man and the educated class has registered a phenomenal growth. The social net-working as also the knowledge of the individuals has multiplied several times. The sweep of the print and electronic media is so deep and wide that each and every piece of news or event gets the immediate attention of the citizens all over the nation. As the days pass by, the vulnerability of the rulers and the government functionaries is visible beyond barriers. Some of the senior ministers in the Government like Mr. A.K. Antony are compelled to acknowledge the advent of Transparency Revolution as the editorial of the Times of India proclaimed on Friday June 10, 2011. The editor has correctly judged the movement of Civil Society headed by Mr. Anna Hazare as a significant development at present and called for greater probity on the part of the Government to redeem itself. We should also agree with the editor that this time the anti-corruption movement may be more successful due to the rise of middle class.