The fresh binaries in the US and Bihar may achieve similar charters if they decide to continue with a similar cosmic resolve
The world has woken up to a new era of binaries, where seemingly distant stars have moved closer, occupying pole positions of significant strength. I am not pointing to any cosmic event but to the verdicts of the US and Bihar elections, where new dimensions of 21st century political reality have started to emerge. Let us see what it means for businesses, with regard to key policy manoeuvres. Cybersecurity, in an era of work from anywhere, should be the first stop for the new administration in the White House. It is expected that the Joe Biden administration will move towards a multilateral approach on tackling complex cybersecurity challenges. A link of commonality with the past may be to take an aggressive stance towards China’s hyper technology-aided economic ambitions with a tech-colonisation background. The only divergence may be to move away from the company-by-company approach to a wider, sustainable, multilateral, partnership-based one to arrest China’s disproportionate share in ICT supply chains.
That is where the Bihar election verdict becomes relevant. It had many firsts, including the absence of veterans of Bihar politics from the centrestage, at least till the last phases. This threw up a simple yet complex verdict, where many preconceived notions about the State and its citizens were trashed and the paradigm shifted. A bunch of young netas appealing for votes, for the first time, brought the issue of jobs to the forefront, for a State widely known for its caste-led voting patterns. That leaves the fourth-term incumbent Chief Minister with the clear-cut task of providing jobs to Bihar’s youth, just emerging from the trauma of a forced reverse migration.
One of the easiest ways of creating thousands of jobs in a relatively short span of time is by persuading one of the bigger companies in the ICT domain to set up a manufacturing base. This requires a “cast in stone” assurance of freedom from future tyrannies of any “jungle raj” and a guarantee of return on investments sunk into the region. The Centre’s push towards domestic manufacturing for ICT products via performance-linked incentives should get its well-deserved play in Bihar, like it is finding resonance in Uttar Pradesh. A diversified (globally and within the country) supply chain network addresses key concerns of sovereign cybersecurity and increases the self-sufficiency of a country in an era of technology.
The next big area is of immigration, where half the world, given a chance, wants to move to the US. The Biden administration is likely to abandon some of the stringent policies of the Donald Trump regime, including travel bans on certain categories of people based on their religious and regional identities or access to modern healthcare facilities. The more in demand non-immigrant visas could see some relaxations as could country caps for PhD graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The regime may again make it lucrative for trained-in-US, PhD degree holders fast-track their permanent citizenship in the US.
Similarly, everyone knows the story of migrations from Bihar to the rest of the country, particularly to unfriendly, big cities. As witnessed recently, when a mass-scale misfortune threatens, they are often seen heading back to their towns and villages.This constant cycle of migrations creates a social churning and to some extent stigmatisation of Bihar as a region, which can be arrested by creating great livelihood opportunities. From day one, the Nitish Kumar regime has to deliver economic and holistic well-being. Creation of long-term economic opportunities, healthcare and educational facilities for the citizens could prevent migration out of Bihar and result in the creation of a new and sustainable loyal voter base.
One of the key issues dominating Bihar election campaigns was the status of infrastructure in the State. This echoed widely in the aftermath of the recurring floods. The Central Government has widely been credited with creating world-class infrastructure in a relatively short span of time within the country. Now with the BJP as the dominant partner in the new Bihar Government, no kuccha road, bridge or piped water connection should be left unattended, so that the glorious days of the State can be revived.
Similarly, the new regime in the US has talked a great deal about infrastructure investments being the centrepiece as well as dominant sub-theme of activities such as workforce development, climate change, digital connectivity, on-shoring and so on. Earlier, it had promised a $2 trillion infrastructure spend across multiple areas. What has caught the world’s attention is the President-elect’s promise of allocating sizeable investments towards building clean energy future-ready infrastructure. The world awaits a switch to a cleaner, healthier tomorrow and is looking for directions from the oldest democracy. It is often observed that binary star systems eventually create large magnetic fields, ultimately leaving the ecosystem energy-rich and charged. The new binaries in the US and Bihar may achieve similar charters if they decide to continue with similar cosmic resolve.
(The writer is a policy analyst)