DEHRADUN, 20 May: In a one-day panel discussion organized by the Department of Economics, Doon University, experts discussed in detail the topic of global peace and social and economic development. Elaborating on positive and negative peace, the experts said that an ideal society can be called only where there is an abundance of positive peace and for this it is necessary that the criteria of economic development should be centered on positive peace. The keynote speaker at the panel discussion, Dr Mahesh Bhatt, emphasised on the importance of peace, saying that peace is a fundamental requirement for the development and prosperity of individuals and communities. They discussed the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), a research organization dedicated to studying issues related to peace.
Dr Bhatt introduced the concept of positive peace, originally propounded by Johann Galtung. He explained that positive peace refers to the presence of desirable conditions, while negative peace focuses on the absence of undesirable elements.He elaborated on the eight pillars of peace, which include factors such as low levels of corruption, a conducive business environment, effective governance, fair resource distribution, unrestricted flow of information, harmonious relations with neighboring countries, a highly educated population, and more. and respect for the rights of others.
They also discussed the Global Peace Index, which assesses negative peace through 23 indicators, and the Positive Peace Index, which considers 24 indicators. India was cited as an example, with a Global Peace Index ranking of 135 negative, indicating room for improvement in peace. But having a Positive Peace Index score of 85 shows that India has a surplus of positive peace.
Dr KR Nautiyal continued the discussion by highlighting the challenges that arise after receiving education and training, especially in the context of the limited employment opportunities available in the job market. He also addressed the issue of climate change, which has resulted in changes in water flow patterns in the agriculture sector. Additionally, he expressed concern about animals encroaching on human habitats.
Drawing conclusions from his research findings, Dr Nautiyal raised important questions about governance. In particular, he highlighted the absence of teachers in the remote hilly areas of the state, thereby depriving the students of quality education. In addition, he pointed to the shortage of doctors in hospitals, indicating a significant gap in the healthcare system.
On this occasion Prof SP Sati emphasized the importance of scientific temper as a fundamental aspect of society. He also discussed the concept of positive peace, considering it an idealistic notion. According to him, the work of maintaining peace is mainly done by the army.
Apart from this, Prof Sati pointed out that countries with high levels of positive peacefulness tend to have less reliance on the military and minimal interference by the police. The credit for this goes to the moral values inculcated in the people of such countries.
He addressed the high vulnerability of a specific state, which is prone to disasters and faces increased risks in this regard.
Prof HC Purohit highlighted the importance of skilling the youth and enhancing their capabilities in line with the principles propounded by Mahatma Gandhi. He emphasized on the transformation of India’s economy from agriculture to industry and later to Industry 4.0.
Apart from this, Prof Purohit stressed the need for adopting a human resource development strategy. In this context, he referred to the six components enunciated by Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee in his book “Poor Economics”, which throw light on effective methods of poverty alleviation and economic growth.
Presenting the outline of the program, Prof. RP Mamgai, Head of the Department of Economics, said that with economic development and global peace, there is prosperity and prosperity in the society, but structural infrastructural deficiencies sometimes block this process, happiness and peace are affected. And the possibility of economic and social discrimination is more likely to arise. For permanent peace and prosperity in Uttarakhand, it is necessary that more attention should be paid to institutional reform and development.
Research students and students including Dr Sudhanshu Joshi, Dr Savita Karnataka, Deputy Registrar Narendra Lal, Dr Arun Kumar, Dr Rashi Mishra, Dr Madhu Bisht, Shikha Ahmed, Dr Rakesh Bhatt, Dr Preeti Mishra, Vartika P Singh, Piyush Sharma were present in the program.
