How ‘Integral Humanism’ is on ample display in Modi government’s latest budget

One of the pillars of Integral Humanism implies that individual welfare should gradually transform into the welfare for the whole society.

(Sanghnomics is a weekly column that tracks down and demystifies the economic world view of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and organisations inspired by its ideology.)

The official ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an ideological mentee of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is Ekatma Manav Darshan, commonly known as Integral Humanism. It was propounded by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, an RSS Pracharak (full-time worker), in 1965 during the time when the BJP was known as the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS).

It would be interesting to see how far the BJP has adhered to its ideological framework in the Union Budget for 2024-25. Aparna Kulkarni of the Ekatma Prabodh Mandal, a think tank that works on intellectual aspects of Integral Humanism, has conducted an insightful analysis in the context of the key guidelines of Integral Humanism.

Unity of Existence

This is one of the key guidelines of Integral Humanism. It implies that anything promoting basic unity and integrity is a positive measure. Anything promoting separatism should be avoided, and a holistic approach is preferred at the policy level.

In the Union Budget for 2024-25, the Modi government seems to have followed this fundamental principle. To promote unity, integrity, and inclusivity in economic development, four sections were identified: Women, Farmers, Youth, and the Poor. To address the needs of these sections, the budget created nine priority areas with five schemes funded by the union government: PM Vishwakarma, PM SVANidhi, National Livelihood Missions, and Stand-Up India.

The nine priority areas are: Productivity and Resilience in Agriculture; Employment and Skilling; Inclusive Human Resource Development and Social Justice; Manufacturing and Services; Urban Development; Energy Security; Infrastructure; Innovation, Research and Development; and Next Generation Reforms.

According to Kulkarni, “The announcement of nine priority areas brings clarity about the vision and mission of the government and thus states the commitment clearly and loudly. It’s a positive move to articulate the vision clearly. It also indicates the policymakers' intention to move beyond typical stereotypes of Class and Caste.”

For the Larger Good of Society

One of the pillars of Integral Humanism is called ‘Vyashti to Samashti’ which broadly implies that individual welfare should gradually transform into the welfare for the whole society and the policy makers should always keep the larger good of the society as their top priority.

It can be further elaborated as promoting social well as opposed to only individual or sectional advancement and encouraging giving out to society at large.

This has been implanted in the budget through a number of steps that include - Continuation of educational cess, diverting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) resources to offer internships to the young aspirants in the job market, contribution of the union government in the internship program and the new tax regime doesn’t allow too many tax concessions.

Kulkarni says, “The shifting of CSR funds to internship funding will have a positive impact by creating employment opportunities. However, this policy needs proper planning and careful nationwide execution.”

Preparing National Mind

Integral Humanism emphasises the importance of preparing the national mind through formal education supplemented by public awareness about Indian ethos.

The budget addresses this by fostering Indian ethos through the New Education Policy (NEP), which promotes Indian languages, and through Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). A significant focus has been placed on inculcating the right values in students.

Swadeshi in spirit and action

Swadeshi and Self-reliance are two sides of the same coin in ‘Integral Humanism’.  The latter emphasises that development needs to be rooted in our cultural ethos.

The Union Budget reflects this culturally rooted development approach through the announcement of developing an industrial node at Gaya on the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor to showcase the importance of ‘Vikas bhi Virasat bhi.’ To create public goods that will play a significant role in making India self-reliant, the budget allocates 3.9% of Capex for the creation and promotion of digital, financial, and physical infrastructure. Additionally, the use of local resources like minerals, solar energy, marine products, and metals will see reduced custom duties. The flagship campaign ‘Make in India,’ which embodies India’s Swadeshi spirit, also received top priority in this budget.

Integral Development

The philosophy of ‘Integral Humanism’ advocates all round development. It specifically talks about ‘Antyoday’ which implies that the disadvantaged sections of the society and the backward regions should get the highest priority when it comes to funds allocation by the government for various programmes and schemes.

The budget allocates special grants to backward states, particularly Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Bihar will receive Rs 26,000 crores for improving road connectivity Rs 21,000 and power generation.  Andhra will receive Rs 15,000 crores. The Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) have also received grants up to Rs 20,000 crrores in sectors like space technology.

Conclusion

The philosophy of Integral Humanism is clearly reflected in this year’s budget. This is significant because political parties often lose their ideological moorings under various pressures, especially when it comes to the budget. It is clear that the Modi government has adhered to its ideological roots concerning the Union Budget.

Earlier Sanghnomics columns can be read here.