Too much democracy in India making tough reforms hard, says Niti Aayog chief Amitabh Kant

In a controverisal statement, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on Tuesday (December 8) said that  “tough” reforms are “very difficult in the Indian context,” as “we are too much of a democracy”. He, however, added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has shown “courage” and “determination” in pushing such tough reforms in different sectors, including agriculture.

Addressing an online event, ‘The Road to Atmanirbhar Bharat’, Kant backed the new farm laws and asserted that these reforms should be implemented for the development of the country.

Responding to a query on whether India should become global leader in manufacturing, the NITI Aayog CEO said, “So tough reforms are very difficult in the Indian context, we are too much of a democracy. For the first time, the government has had the courage and the determination to carry out very hard-headed reforms across sectors… mining, coal, labour, agriculture… these are very, very difficult reforms… You needed a huge amount of political determination and administrative will to carry out these reforms which are being done.”

He added, “Agriculture must get reforms. It’s very important to understand this, that the present reforms, nobody is saying that we do away with the mandis, the mandis will exist, the MSP will be there. But (a) farmer gets alternate choices (to sell his crop). I am a great believer that the farmer must have a choice. Why should we force (him) to only go to one place, we give you opportunity to go to five other places. Somebody gives you more than the MSP, why should the farmer not get it? That is the objective of the reforms.”

Read: Government finally breaks silence on NITI Aayog CEO's 'too much democracy in India' remark

About the farmers' demand to make a law guranteeing Minimum Support Price, Kant said he “(does) not want to comment” with the talks between farmers and the government on.

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“And many more reforms still need to be done, as I mentioned to you, across logistics, across power,” the NITI Aayog CEO said. “But… this government has at least demonstrated its political will to do hard-headed reforms. And we need to see them through to become a major manufacturing nation. It is not easy to compete with China. It is not easy to become a manufacturing nation. It doesn’t happen out of holding seminars and webinars. It requires a very hard-headed, ground-level approach, which is being attempted for the first time in India.”