India's state run post offices in Ghaziabad have started to sell bottled Ganga water

(The Times of India
5 Jun 2008)

VIEW: Keep off the business of faith

Who said the government is insensitive to the needs of the public? Keeping in mind the religious sentiments of many Hindus, post offices in Ghaziabad have started to sell bottled Ganga water.

They will earn a commission on each bottle sold. A private company and Garhwal Vikas Mandal, a government body, are responsible for procurement and packaging of the water sourced from Gaumukh in the Himalayas.

There may be a mass market for Gangajal, but is it the business of a government-run entity to market it? Ours is a secular country.

Yes, our secularism, unlike say the French version, is porous in theory and practice. There is no firm separation of state and church, and, more importantly, the Constitution allows the government to facilitate religious practices.

Government subsidies for Haj pilgrims and management of Hindu temples would not have been possible but for this peculiar character of Indian secularism. In the Indian social context, active government intervention may even be necessary. But there is an urgent need to draw a line, somewhere.

It is not the job of the government to peddle faith. The Gangajal promotion is clearly an attempt to make money by exploiting a religious superstition. People do value superstitions here. The government can't help that, of course. But surely it need not promote superstition.

There is demand for black magic, witchcraft, faith healing and astrology. Would the government now open counters to help believers access these? People have the right to believe in these in their private spaces. The government has no busi-ness to promote faith through public utilities.

The postal department is also exposing itself to legal hassles by entering the retail business. Every retailer is responsible under the law for the products on offer in the shop. Can a post office vouchsafe for the Gangajal sold through its counter?

By all means, let post offices expand their services and make profits in a range of new areas, but please keep off the faith business. There are enough private enterprises to do that.