Question

Write a brief note on the Gandhian economic ideas.

Answer 1

Gandhian economics is based on ethical foundations.
Salient features of Gandhian economic thought:

1. Village republics: Gandhi was interested in developing the villages as self-sufficient units.
2. On machinery: Gandhi described machinery as ‘Great Sin’.
3. Industrialism: Gandhi considered industrialism as a curse on mankind.
4. Decentralization: He advocated a decentralized economy.
5. Village Sarvodaya: Gandhi suggested the development of self-sufficient, self-dependent villages.
6. Bread labour: Gandhi realized the dignity of human labour. Bread labour or body labour was the expression that Gandhi used to mean manual labour.
7. The doctrine of trusteeship: Trusteeship provides a means of transforming the present capitalist society into an egalitarian one.
8. On the food problem: Gandhi was against any sort of food controls. Food controls only create artificial scarcity.
9. On population: Gandhi was in favour of birth control through brahmacharya or self-control.
10. On prohibition: Gandhi advocated cent per cent prohibition.