The topic of decolonizing India’s institutions is indeed multifaceted and involves various aspects of governance and societal norms. Here’s a brief overview of the points raised:
- Cultural Revival:
- Preserve Indigenous Cultures: Encourage the preservation and celebration of indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions. Promote traditional art forms, music, dance, and literature.
- Educational Curriculum: Revise the educational curriculum to include a more accurate representation of India’s pre-colonial history, culture, and contributions. Teach students about ancient civilizations, philosophies, and scientific advancements.
- Language Preservation: Support the preservation and promotion of indigenous languages and dialects in educational settings. This can help preserve cultural heritage and promote linguistic diversity.
- Self-Sufficiency: Reduce dependence on foreign entities for economic growth and technological advancement. Promote indigenous innovations and sustainable practices.
- Economic Decolonization:
- Diversify Economy: Move away from over-reliance on specific sectors (such as agriculture or services) and diversify the economy. Invest in manufacturing, research, and development.
- Promote Local Industries: Support local industries, artisans, and small businesses. Encourage the use of indigenous products and technologies.
- Land Reforms: Address historical land inequalities and ensure equitable distribution of resources. Empower marginalized communities.
- Financial Independence: Reduce reliance on foreign aid and loans. Strengthen domestic financial institutions.
- Uniform Civil Code (UCC): The UCC is a proposal to replace personal laws based on the scriptures of each religious community with a common set governing every citizen. These laws cover marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and maintenance. The debate around UCC is centred on the balance between religious freedom and the need for a common legal framework that treats all citizens equally.
- Temple Administration:
The management of temples in India is indeed a complex issue, and various perspectives exist regarding government involvement. The Religious Endowments Act, 1863 needs to be withdrawn and a fresh act needs to be passed by the parliament with 3 gradings on type of any religious places be it a Temple, Mosque, Church or Gurudwara. Let’s explore the proposed grading system for temple administration:
Grade A types of Religions Places:
- These temples have the highest scores a formula based on factors such as donations and worshippers (annually registered members). The grading will be done based on three-year average.
- Under the new law, Grade A temples would be allowed to manage their affairs autonomously. A committee of the trustees should include a Chartered Accountant who will be responsible to file the balance sheet to pay the taxes.
- Autonomy ensures that religious organizations or trusts can make decisions without government interference. The entire committee will be have their elections held under the Election commission act (new amendment) by the members of the community.
Grade B types of religious places:
- Grade B types fall into the medium range in terms of donations and worshippers (annually registered members).
- They have the option to choose their management approach:
- Option 1: Grade B temples can opt to be managed by a Grade A temple administration, benefiting from their expertise and experience.
- Option 2: Alternatively, Grade B temples can choose to be managed by the state government.
- They have the option to choose their management approach:
- Grade B types of religious places will be not exempted from taxes.
Grade C types of religious places:
- Grade C types are fully managed by the state government.
- This arrangement follows the existing rules and regulations.
- These would need to file the balance sheet but would be exempted from taxes.
The proposed system aims to strike a balance between autonomy and oversight, ensuring efficient temple administration while respecting religious freedom. Transparency, accountability, and the well-being of worshippers remain essential considerations in this process.
- Indian Legal System: The Indian legal system is rooted in the common law system introduced during British colonization. Post-independence, there has been an ongoing debate about the extent to which this system has been decolonized. While some argue that the Indian judiciary has developed its own unique traditions, others point out that the foundational structures and language of the courts remain influenced by colonial legacy.
- Resurrecting Forts of Maharashtra: Resurrecting and making Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj forts economically self-sustaining involves a combination of historical preservation, tourism development, and sustainable management practices. Here are some steps that could be taken to achieve this goal:
- Historical Preservation:
- Conduct thorough assessments of the current state of each fort to identify areas that require restoration and preservation.
- Implement restoration projects using traditional methods and materials to maintain the historical authenticity of the forts.
- Establish a dedicated team of historians, archaeologists, and conservationists to oversee the preservation efforts.
- Tourism Development:
- Develop a sustainable tourism strategy that highlights the historical significance and cultural heritage of the forts.
- Create visitor centers with informative displays, guided tours, and interactive exhibits to educate visitors about the history of the forts.
- Offer unique experiences such as cultural events, reenactments, and workshops to attract visitors and generate interest in the forts.
- Revenue Generation:
- Introduce entry fees for visitors to help cover maintenance costs and fund preservation efforts.
- Explore partnerships with private businesses for activities such as guided tours, accommodations, and souvenir shops within the forts.
- Organize events, festivals, and cultural programs at the forts to attract a wider audience and generate additional revenue.
- Sustainable Management:
- Implement sustainable practices to minimize the environmental impact of tourism activities on the forts and surrounding areas.
- Develop maintenance plans to ensure the long-term preservation of the forts, including regular inspections, repairs, and upkeep.
- Engage with local communities and stakeholders to involve them in the management and promotion of the forts, fostering a sense of ownership and pride.
- Promotion and Marketing:
- Utilize digital marketing, social media, and tourism platforms to promote the forts and attract visitors from both domestic and international markets.
- Collaborate with travel agencies, tour operators, and government agencies to include the forts in tourism itineraries and promotional campaigns.
- Highlight the unique features, stories, and legends associated with each fort to create a compelling narrative that appeals to a wide audience.
Decolonization is a complex process that involves not just legal reforms but also a shift in the collective consciousness and societal values. It’s a path that requires careful consideration of historical contexts, current needs, and future aspirations of the nation.
One Nation Programs
Imposing uniformity under the garb of unity is not welcome. One Nation One Tax, One Nation One Identity Card, One Nation One Election, One Nation Gas Grid, One Nation One Ration Card all such initiatives are welcomed by the central government. All such programs are helping each state to be more effective and achieving faster development. However, languages and Regional identity is very sensitive subject in non-Hindi states. No program or Scheme should threaten such identities. One programs under One Nation plan but under concurrent list should have some space for individual states to adapt as per their reasonable and ethical expectations of their citizens. One Nation One Exam Policy is against Cooperative Federalism unless it gives space to state and its education board. Exams should be held in their regional languages as well as should be adapted according to the needs of the state. A common monitoring system for such exams can be under one central agency. Similarly, One Nation One Police is a very bad idea, though a common model Police act should be enacted in all states. The Police department should and always be under state government.
| Institutional | 63 |
| Developing | 130 |
| Vigorous | 187 |
| In Trouble | 54 |
| Dying | 13 |
| Extinct | 14 |
| Total | 461 |
All entire literature should be translated in Institutional languages (incl. major 22 languages). All the 22 official languages of India should have their own research universities sponsored equally by the Central-State governments. Languages like Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Sanskrit and Malayalam are already having central institutes to do more research.
All states should communicate with the public in their official regional languages and ensure that Hindi nor English is not pushed by the Central government. Essentially languages are one of the most important components which makes us Indians. Destroying the Diversity cannot be anyone one agenda.
State’s regional aspirations
The satisfaction of J&K’s state flag removal was considered national pride and gave us all huge satisfaction. However, when the Karnataka’s Flag issue came up the voice was not as strong against such moves. This is because of two reasons 1) One version is that India’s constitutional democracy has been flexible enough to accommodate the linguistic and cultural aspirations of different groups in creative ways. In fact, it is the recognition of subnational aspirations and identities that has allowed India to endure as a single nation. 2) Others might think whether such a form of sub-nationalism threatens national integrity and privileges certain communities over the other. It should be noted that the flag code under our Constitution mandates that the tricolour should always be distinctly placed and should “occupy the position of honour. the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act 1971 very clearly mentions the official sacredness of the Tricolour and the significance of the national anthem. Any state flag should never be hoisted along with the national flag and the height of the national flag should be always above the state flag. The National tricolour flag should always be hoisted briskly and lowered slowly and ceremoniously. The state flag should be only hoisted after hoisting our Tricolour and should be lowered before the lowering our national flag. The respect which the National Flag gets should never be compromised. Never a state flag should be displayed without our National Flag. Any national event or ceremony by the Central Government the state flag should never be hoisted even displayed. We should not find us feeling insecure if there is any state demanding for their state flag after all we should never forget that we are a Union of States. This is precisely the reason why J&K state was criticized, as it was the only flag on state government offices. Similar code should be followed if there is any state anthem declared by the state. There should be distinction between a song and an anthem, a State Anthem should be recognised not a song. Such professionalism should be maintained by any government at any levels.
State symbols we don’t find any objection since every state has declared their state emblem, symbol including the state bird, animal and flower. Such identities for preservation of our tradition, culture and heritage is necessary and do not mind if they even enacted as law by the state governments.
Seventh Schedule of our Constitution
Our founding fathers had a vision for our country. There expectations from the constitution might have been met a bit but we still have to move further. Some countries have been celebrating 200 years of independence we will reach that stage too. As the demands increase roles of the state and the centre are more interlinked than ever. Some of the state list under the seventh schedule of our constitution should be move to the concurrent list. There should be Joint Parliamentary Committee on whether we should bring Health, Education, Sports and Tourism under the concurrent list. Bring these subjects under the concurrent list should provide benefits to the state otherwise it will never be implemented whole heartedly. One such benefit is the Cooperative Federalism of India Bill proposed below.
Current Subject Lists
| Constitution Of India | ||
| Union List | State List | Concurrent List |
| Defence | Agriculture | Education |
| Atomic Energy | Law & Order | Forests |
| Foreign Affairs | Prison | Trade Unions |
| War & peace | Local Government | Population Control |
| Banking | Public Health | Religious Institutions |
| Railways, Aviation & Highways | Land | Electricity |
| Communication | Liquor | Inland Waterways |
| Ports | Trade & Commerce | Economic & Social Planning |
| Foreign Trade | Livestock & Animal Husbandry | Uniform Civil Code |
| Currency & Coinage | State Public Services | |
| Mineral Resources | Tourism | |
| Census | ||
Proposed Subject Lists
| Constitution Of India (not finalised)?? | ||
| Union List | State List | Concurrent List |
| Defence | Agriculture | Education |
| Atomic Energy | Law & Order | Forests |
| Foreign Affairs | Prison | Liquor |
| War & peace | Local Government | Population Control |
| Banking | Public Health | Religious Institutions |
| Railways, Aviation, | Land | Electricity |
| Communication | Inland Waterways | |
| Foreign Trade | Trade & Commerce | Economic & Social Planning |
| Currency & Coinage | Livestock & Animal Husbandry | Uniform Civil Code |
| Mineral Resources | State Public Services | Research & Development |
| Patents | Tourism | Census |
| Highways & Ports | Labour Welfare | |
Cooperative Federal Councils
Finance Commission’s fundamental role in keeping the country united. Many politically sensitive and border states receive disproportionately larger shares of funds. More importantly, the consultative and non-partisan character of successive Finance Commissions has meant that the Union and states accept its allocations as fair, even if they felt they deserved more. Institutionally, the Finance Commission should have a permanent secretariat in Central Vista. This Inter-State Council must be upgraded into a national forum, chaired by the Prime Minister and comprising state chief ministers and the subject wise ‘Cooperative Federal Councils’ will work under this Inter-State Council.
Several issues such as trust deficit affecting Centre-State relations. The present inter-state competition in attracting investment is too early to determine whether it will really encourage competitive patterns of investment on a continuous basis. The socio-economic parameters and development of each State in India is different and while a few have made substantial progress in terms of employment, literacy and creating a conducive environment for doing business and investments, there are a few which are lagging. The southern states who are able to control their fertility rate are actually being pushing by lesser tax compensation. This should be avoided as the Central government should be the one compensating the under-performing poor states.
Cooperative and competitive federalism are not mutually exclusive. They have the same basic principle underlying i.e. development of the nation as a whole. Cooperative and competitive federalism may be two sides of the same coin as the competition alone cannot give the best results, it is competition with cooperation that will drive the real change. Centre’s support would be required by some states to participate in competitive federalism. Strong states make strong nation and to realise this vision, it requires a “Team India” approach to work for India’s development. While all policy-makers and economists believe that “true” cooperative federalism is the way forward, they underline the need for the Centre to include states more aggressively in the decision-making process.
This is the exact reason why a Comparative Federalism of India Bill or “Team-India Bill” should be enacted. All the subjects in the concurrent list should be clubbed as per their respective Ministries at the Centre and at the State level. Exactly similar to the GST council, councils should be made where Chairman will the Cabinet Minister of the Union government with two Vice Chairmen under the Cabinet Minister. One would be the Vice Chairman of the Niti Aayog and Second would be an elected State Minister. Election will be carried out every 2 years for the second Vice-Chaiman seat and each state will be only be allowed to vote. The minister of the state under the Union Government and other state ministers will be the members of this council. Voting Strength will be similar too, the Union Government would carry 1/3 vote weightage and States would carry 2/3 votes equally divided between each. Even the Union Territory would be equally represented. 75% voted are required to make any decision.
How Reforms Should Look Like 