Delivering free foodgrains to 80 crore people in the country should be seen as an ambitious failure: Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor advocates for wealth redistribution to address inequality and empower individuals in Indian society.

Redistribution of wealth can bridge the inequality gap and ensure that everyone can participate in the benefits of growth, said Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP, here on Friday, while responding to a query on inequality in Indian society.

Speaking at a panel on ‘Thriving in turbulence – How nations can build lasting resilience’ at ‘Invest Karnataka 2025’ meet here, Mr. Tharoor said, the government’s free distribution of foodgrains to 80 crore people was only a reflection of the lack of empowerment of people. Despite the free food scheme, the majority still do not have purchasing power, he said.

“Redistributing of wealth can lift up those at the bottom of the pyramid in India. We now see the government boasting about providing foodgrains to 80 crore people. But that should be seen as an ambitious failure, in the sense that we haven’t empowered them enough to buy their own food. And, it masks many other problems,” Mr. Tharoor said.

He said Indians tend to align with autocratic administrations that deliver. There was a growing tendency for governments to control institutions that should be independent or participatory, which was a worrying trend in many countries, including India. He cited leaders such as Viktor Mihály Orbán of Hungary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey as those determined to control autonomous institutions.

Talking of the education sector, Mr. Tharoor said India has the highest unemployment rate in the world and its education system requires a complete overhaul to prepare its youth for jobs in the future. This was critical especially when AI and automation are expected to make 30% of global jobs obsolete in some years.

He highlighted the importance of critical thinking in education and encouraged educational institutions to focus on teaching students how to think rather than what to think.

The MP, talking about international organisations, said that while the U.N. was often criticised for its perceived ineffectiveness, particularly during the Ukraine war and in the Syrian conflict, the body should not be judged solely based on its inability to resolve such crises. “Look at its success in tackling global issues like climate change, human trafficking, and drug abuse and other issues that transcend borders,” he said.