It is against this background that Mrs. Gandhi shifted the emphasis and content of economic policy from mere economic growth to one of growth to subserve social justice. The vast masses of the people had to be convinced that they were getting an opportunity to participate in the process of economic development. This participation is hardly meaningful without the common man getting the minimum basic essentials of life, namely, food, clothing and housing, education and employment. It is man, the ordinary man, indeed the poorest man, who should be the starting point of our plans — what are his most essential needs? How can they be satisfied? What are the institutions or vested interests that come in his way? There should be no hesitation in adopting bold and radical measures of social, economic or institutional reform; but these must not be defined a priori in terms of some theory or model or ideology or even historical parallel, but in terms of the concrete needs of what is required to eliminate the poverty of the masses in the shortest possible time.
The spirit behind this new policy is best described in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, and I quote: "I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to Swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melting away."
The objective I have outlined is not merely a humanitarian need, but a necessary pre-requisite for any democratic society built up on human dignity and values and on the equality of man and man. It is only logical in this context to assert that the growth of the gross national product alone is no answer to this challenge. A maximisation of the gross national product in itself does not even meet the basic economic requisite of adequate levels of employment, as the current experience in some of the developed countries would only confirm. It may even be dangerous in developing countries. particiularly as it results in social and political tensions and unrest. The fallacy of an increase in GNP being treated as a panacea has become more and more exposed. A quick-growing, high-cost luxury goods sector in industry can often push up growth rates, but it cannot make any perceptible dent on poverty. Excessive concentration on a few key sectors of major industry may lead to spectacular results in some limited fields: but it can also tend to contribute to a more unequal income distribution and the accentuation of the gap between those who are better-placed and those who are not.
