New Delhi, Jan. 8 -- At first glance, this may seem like a question for economists and statisticians, a matter of compensation data, actuarial logic and policy benchmarks. It is nothing of the sort. It is a moral question that we in India must ask ourselves.

As a citizen who has lived his entire life in India's metropolitan cities, benefited from a measure of material success and travelled globally, my conclusion is neither emotional nor ideological. Across domains, decades and governments, the actual value of an Indian life, as encoded in our systems, appears alarmingly low. In practice, it often feels close to zero.

This is not because we lack compassion. Families care deeply, communities respond instinctively and individuals routinel...