It goes without saying that meaningful solutions to the problem of mass poverty can be found only in the framework of a rapidly expanding economy. An expanding economy provides a more favourable environment than a stagnant society for a peaceful resolution of conflicts over income distribution. However, we must guard against the complacent view that growth by itself will provide satisfactory solutions to the problem of ensuring an equitable distribution of the fruits of progress. We have, therefore, to make deliberate conscious efforts to ensure that growth subserves the cause of social justice. I am convinced that it is both bad economics as well as bad politics to ask the poor to wait till the challenge of growth is adequately met. They simply will not. It is, therefore, no use asking if social justice is compatible with growth. The really challenging task is to find effective solutions which would ensure that accelerated growth and greater social justice will in fact go hand in hand. I recognise that the mass poverty that prevails in this country cannot be removed over-night. At the same time, the rapid advances in science and technology of recent years convince me that it is possible today, as never before in human history, to launch a successful attack on mass poverty. What is needed is a firm resolve and a commitment to refashion our social and economic institutions in tune with the requirements of a fast-changing dynamic economy.
In devising a strategy of growth with social justice, it is necessary to understand the factors which make for increased inequalities in income and wealth. As I mentioned earlier, certain sections of our population which have been strategically placed in relation to the development process have derived excessively large benefits. Because of the social and economic inqualities of the pre-independence era, growth capabilities in our society were unfortunately very unevenly distributed. During the last 25 years of independence, we have tried to reduce these inequalities by various measures. However, a large segment of our population has derived virtually no benefit from the development that has taken place and, therefore, the inequalities have not been reduced. So, in devising an effective strategy for accelerated growth with social justice, we must lay maximum possible stress on enlarging the growth capabilities of the weaker sections of the population. The solution has to be such that it does not create an economic problem in the sense of retarding development or a social problem in the sense of creating new tensions and conflicts within the body politic.
