The Economy of Permanence: A Quest for a Social Order Based on Non-violence (स्थायी अर्थतन्त्र)

Economy of Permanence
Money economy does not report true values. The values are changed as money
passes from one individual to another. There is a great difference in value
between the rupee in the hands of a poor man and a rupee in the hands of a
rich man. Such transfers either increase the national wealth or impoverish the
nation. Superficially a rupee appears to be a rupee, but in practice it is not so.
A rupee in the hands of a poor man may mean 4 or 5 day's food provisions,
whereas in the hands of a millionaire it may represent the value of a cigar.
Thus, when a rupee passes from the hands of a poor man into the hands of a
millionaire it loses its value considerably; conversely, money when it goes from
the rich to the poor enhances in value. Hence we have got to see that in our
economy we prevent money going into the hands where it will lose its value and
this is what the multi-purpose co-operative society should attempt to do. It will
collect the produce from the villager and will pay the government revenue in
wheat or other commodities. It will pay government officials on government
account in articles of food which will provide a balanced diet and when all this
is carried out, ultimately, there will be only a very small adjustment to be
made between government and the multi-purpose societies and that also can
be done by transfer of surplus between different regions. If that can be
managed we shall neutralise, though not eliminate, the evils of money economy
and retain the true value as dictated by commodity value as distinct from
money value.
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