Raghuram Rajan says promote tolerance of wealth

Calling money a “great equaliser”, Reserve Bank governor Raghuram Rajan on Saturday called for raising society’s tolerance of wealth rather than prohibiting its use.

Mr Rajan, who recently drew criticism for likening the Indian economy to a “one-eyed man being king in the land of the blind”, also said he has no problem with India’s growth, but it can do better.

“In a free market, all it takes to buy what you want is money. You do not need a pedigree, a great family history, the right table manners, or the right fashionable clothings or looks,” he said during his convocation address at the Shiv Nadar University here.

“It is because money has no odour, because it is the great equaliser, that so many people across history have been able to acquire resources and invested them to make the world we live in.”

Making it easier for dalits to start a business can do more for social status than any reservation, he noted.

“Rather than prohibiting the use of money and wealth, let us think about increasing society’s tolerance for its use,” he suggested.

Lamenting that income inequality within countries is on the rise, he said the need of the hour is to provide effective access to school and healthcare, a non-discriminating job market with many jobs and equal opportunities for advancement regardless of gender, race or background. On the country’s GDP, he said: “I have no problem with India’s growth. It is doing great. It could do better”.

India has emerged as the fastest growing large economies in the world with a growth rate of 7.6 per cent in 2015-16. It is projected to expand by 7.5 per cent in the current fiscal.

Rajan said there is a strong link between society’ssupport for free markets and the fairness with which wealth and opportunity are distributed among the population.

“Unfortunately, even while inequality between countries is diminishing today, inequality within countries is increasing. Today, even well-run market economies seem to be favouring those who already have plenty,” he said.

This, he felt, is because skills and capabilities have become much more important in well-paid jobs, and those born under good circumstances have a much better chance of acquiring the same.

“The winner-take-all nature of many occupations, where a few of the most capable entrepreneurs and the best workers take most of the income, accentuates the value of early childhood preparation and hence, the benefit of being born to the right parents in the right community,” he said.

The governor said income inequality is on the rise, with some having colossal incomes and others worrying about the next meal.

“What can we all do to restore faith in markets We have to work to provide effective access to schooling and healthcare for all, a non-discriminating job market with many jobs, equal opportunities for further advancement regardless of gender, race or background,” he said.

These measures will “increase the perceived legitimacy of wealth and society’s willingness to broaden the areas where it is spent,” he said.