Question

What was gandhi's concept of the doctrine of trusteeship?

Answer 1

Trusteeship is a socio-economic philosophy that was propounded by Mahatma Gandhi [1]. It provides a means by which the wealthy people would be the trustees of trusts that looked after the welfare of the people in general. This concept was condemned by socialists as being in favor of the landlords, feudal princes and the capitalists, opposed to socialist theories.[2] Gandhi believed that the wealthy people could be persuaded to part with their wealth to help the poor.

Answer 2

The main ideas of Gandhiji's 'trusteeship' are as follows:

• The capitalist has to denounce sole ownership and declare that he holds wealth as a trustee of the public.
• A trustee has no other heir but the public.
• The nature of production is decided by the society and not by the individual's choice or greed.
• Just as we decide about minimum wages needed for a modest living, there must be a limit to maximum wage as well