Dr. Ashok Bapna
Spiritual Foundation for Developing a New Model of Economic System
Prof. V.S. Vyas
Prof. V.S. Vyas, the Chairman of the session reiterated that there are two issues that need to be addressed on a priority basis. They are distribution and augmentation of wealth. Poverty is unlikely to be eradicated unless more wealth is created and equitably distributed. We have been talking about equitable distribution of wealth, but the problem of growth has not been grappled as yet. Accumulation leads to exploitation, especially when it is not accompanied with non-violence. It is here that the principle of Trusteeship propounded by Gandhiji could come to our rescue.
What Gandhiji said was even when you have to accumulate and invest the wealth, you are not going to do it for your own self for profit maximization. You are going to do it as if the society has entrusted to you some resources and they have to be optimally employed so that the process continues and the accumulated wealth is distributed based on some ethical principles of compassion, non-possession and the like. The integration of ethical principles with the whole philosophy of sustainable development is a formidable challenge before humanity at present.
Gaurav Sharma, an MBA student from IILM, Jaipur proposed a vote of thanks.