India is NOT “resource-limited” if there are people in the country who can spend 5000 crores over a few days and still be left with 99.5% of their wealth. In a country where 60% of the rural population lives on less than 35 rupees per day and 10% lives below 15 rupees per day, everyone should ideally feel frustrated after this outrageous display of wealth.
For those like me who can not even imagine 5000 crore rupees, here is a short list of things that could have been possible to do using that money:
- Run AIIMS Delhi for 1 year, PGI Chandigarh for 2.5 years, Safdarjung Hospital for 2.7 years, JIPMER for 3.5 years, NIMHANS for 6 years, and Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital Delhi for 28 years.
(Source of annual allocated budget for each hospital: Health Budget 2024-25)
- Deliver food baskets daily to the homes of nearly 70 lakh tuberculosis patients for 6 months (duration of drug-sensitive TB treatment) and make TB elimination from India a possible reality.
(Cost of food basket containing 1200 kcal, 52 grams of protein per day with micronutrients = Rs 40/day. Source: RATIONS trial)
- Fund Rajasthan’s 2023-24 annual health budget for the Medical and Health Department.
(Annual budget for 2023-24 = Rs 5186 crores. Source: Rajasthan budget 2023-34)
- Conduct Census 2021 and update the National Population Registry which has been delayed due to “lack of funds”.
(Only 1227.80 crores have been allotted in the 2024-25 interim budget to conduct the Census. Source: Times of India)
- Resolve debt of 6.75 lakh households of farmers. Debt continues to be the leading cause of farmer suicides in India. In 2022, it was estimated that one farmer died by suicide every hour in India.
(Average outstanding loan per household at Rs 74,121 in 2018. Source: NSO survey 2018)
- Fund the education budget of Arunachal Pradesh for 2 years.
(Source: Arunachal Pradesh Budget 2023-24)
- Run the Mission Shakti scheme—aimed at women’s safety and empowerment— for the next 3 years.
(Budget for 2024-25: Rs 1471 crores. Source: Mint)
- Increase the salary of each ASHA in the country by Rs 4000 per month for a year. Currently, the ASHAs are paid roughly in the range of Rs 6000 to Rs 11000 per month.
(Source for the number of ASHAs in India: NHSRC)
- Provide the 14 lakh severely malnourished children in India with three meals per day (costing Rs 50 per day) for two years. Currently, under the POSHAN 2.0, only Rs 12 is allotted for food per day per severely malnourished child.
(Source of number of severely malnourished children in India: Hindustan Times)
- Build three more Ram mandirs. (Special fact for Bhakts)
(Cost of building Ram mandir: 1800 crores. Source: The Hindu BL)
Just a 2% wealth tax on India’s 167 billionaires will raise 1.5 lakh crores every year. That is almost double the amount that India currently spends on health every year. A lot of you will say, “Why do you care how anyone spends their money?” Well if they pay taxes like everyone else does, and adequately pay their employees without exploiting them or their consumers, I do not have a problem with how they spend their money. But till their money reeks of corruption and exploitation while millions are oppressed and live a life of suffering, I will care.
Ask yourself, how much tax did you pay in the last financial year? After paying all the taxes - direct and indirect - are you sure you will get good quality affordable health care if you were to face a serious illness? Why are the rich not getting taxed in India?
It’s time to break the silence and ask questions to those in power.
