Bereft the communalists of their right to represent the common man

I'll not talk about the significance of 'India against corruption movement' and 'Jan lokpal', neither I want to talk about Team Anna, but I would surely want to talk about the trend of intolerance shown publicly by certain people with different ideologies. Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal have been savagely attacked in public because of certain statement they issued. Is it a democracy where you are assaulting savagely the people who thinks different from you? Such acts are the legacy of RSS and Shiv Sena kind of groups which has a history of dictating people according to what they think. But in every sense this is not a democracy. And we must decide, as soon as possible, whether we should allow such people to continue or not. Such acts are no less than communalism, and are in fact contagious.

This is a raging question before us that such organisation are protecting the Indian state or are bleeding the very foundation of the Indian state, which is democracy whose very essence is Freedom to Expression. Democracy is run on the intelligence of common man where it chooses its representatives. This common man should be assumed intelligence enough to understand the meaning of certain statement. But such groups do not let the things decided by the common man as they start imposing by force their own thoughts in the pretext of calling it the sentiment of the entire population or at least the community they belong. In this sense they bereft people of their own independent response. Who gave them the authority to assume their authority? It's not their prerogative to enjoy such a previllage. And if somebody has expressed a certain view, it must left to the people to respond independently and non-violently.

Such groups must be stayed away from media, as most of their acts are just to get attention from media for cheap publicity. Also such groups, irrespective of the community they belong, must be held accountable for their acts deleterious to democracy. Such groups, and their acts, are the things of past where the common man was illeterate and too helpless, and somebody was needed to raise its voice. But in modern world people have become educated. They have the ability, and the right too, to respond in their own independent way. So a public opinion must be made to sack such violent groups, and their goons, out of the main stream. Only then we will have a true democracy where everybody has the right to express, and disputes will be settled amiably by parleys.

A Silent Crisis- Incorrigible Error in Nature of Development

The twentieth century has seen consequences unprecedented in history. It’s witnessed two opposite extremes of human efficiency and human malfunctioning. Human efficiency is in terms of scientific revolution vis-a-vis ultra high speed of communication and production, spaceships and extra-terrestrial adventures, bio-medical breakthroughs, genetical and biological achievements and fantasies, Computers and Robotic realities, world turning into a global village and ‘God’ like ability of humans to affect and influence the planetary life. Human malfunctions are in terms of giant flaws we kept ignoring in the process of development like plummeting varieties of species near to extinction, deforestation, rampant pollution in air, water and land, ever increasing rapacious greed for natural resources in each new generation and above all de-association of human feelings from its very roots that lies in the lap of nature, not in any insane attempt of conquering the nature. Twentieth century witnessed the power of human intelligence, though erroneous. But I foresee twenty first century is going to witness power of nature in its most profound way.

According to a new survey 33% of species will be near extinction in 2030. According to IPCC’s latest report Antarctica Ice and Himalayan glacier will melt in next 30 years rendering lands and masses vulnerable to water shortage. Another report says that the global temperature would rise around 2-7 degree C by 2050 which is lethal for many species and formidable enough for humans. According to WHO world population would reach to its peak of 9 billion (a rise of 3 billion in a shortest period of 50 years from year 2000.) that is going to put heavy pressure on world’s agriculture production and will exacerbate the water crisis across the world. Another report gives serious concern to the depletion of forest reserves and around half of the rain-forests would vanish by 2050. A perfunctory glance to these reports may give us the impression that these are different areas of concern in near future. But a close look is sufficient to realize a common thing behind these eye-opening reports which is that Humans and Nature are interconnected. Nature needs our heed and we need nature’s good health. For next coming decades our priority must not be anything but Nature.

INTERNET: An Invention becomes a Blessing

The recent Arabian upheaval is a fresh example of what human rights awareness can do. It can resuscitate the dying cultures by injecting the energy of awareness. Arab countries are witnessing the throes of change after the decades of gloom under the dictatorship. It is the prime reminder of the modern era where human dignity and growth holds power and any attempt to suppress it would have to face dire consequences. Some pacifist may find it against the laws of non-violence, but action and reaction are always bound to be equal. If ruthlessness is at its peak, equally ruthless resurrection could obviously be expected. Science has once again paid its role in changing the course of uprise by providing swift communication between the people. Internet arose as the silent, but stentorian, tool in the hands of common men to express, purge their emotions and also to unite.

It is even said that internet provided the fuel to turn this movement into a colossal upheaval. It helped people to share their grief, which led to a common concern that turned out to be against the government. Government can easily restrain the other modern modes of communication like electronic media and press, but internet has proved like a panacea that is unfettered and can be accessed from home with least government intervention. People were simmering in resentment waiting for just a spark to outburst into. And that spark was provided by the self-immolation of a venderor, frustrated by the repeated torture by the police. The spark did the blast fueled by a common resentment, and mutual communication was provided by this new age benediction of science called Internet.

Populist Budget-Cheated People- Precarious Future

Union budget has been presented by FM. Expecting a prudent action towards social welfare has become like hoping against hope. The allocation of money towards health program is abysmal 0.5 % of entire budget. And education constitutes hardly 3 %. It is indisputable that the most important indicator of human development is the progress in ‘health and education’ of the people. But our conscientious policy makers do not give it its due privilege. They do admit the importance of Health and Education has the paramount indicator of human upliftment but they hardly take concrete steps towards mass health welfare and education program. Though the same government boasts of passing the bill of ‘Right to Education (RTE)’ and ‘National Rural health mission (NRHM), two most ambitious scheme under the aegis of UPA government, but no concrete measure has been taken to ensure their quality ,efficiency and their reach to the supposed beneficiaries. Both the schemes are indubitably meant for the poor people and underprivileged. But mere intentions are not going to solve the deep rooted problem of illiteracy, lack of quality education, malnutrition and access of food at nominal rates to the large section of society.

Let us compare our budget to that of the developed countries. In most of the developed countries including Germany, France, Japan, UK and US, Education and Health together constitute 9-12 % of the total budget. Its 9 % in Japan and 12 % in US. While in India it sticks around 3-4 % only. So how do we compare it. Is it clearly 3-4 times to that of India? No. It’s even worse because size of Indian economy is much smaller than those countries. E.g. US economy is 7 times the size of Indian economy and still their allocation of Health and Education is 4 times to that of India (even when their population is much smaller than India's). So their 12% as compared to india’s 4 % is not just 3 times, it’s rather more than 20 times. So the amount of money US government spends on each individual’s health and education is 20 times higher than it is being spent by Indian government. (Forget about the difference in the value of currency between their and ours, that will make the figure abjectly ignominious). If an average Indian spends Rs. 25,000 every year on health and education, a US citizen spends 5 lac. So quality, including better sanitation, better nutrition, hospitals, better education infrastructure, could obviously be maintained to the best in the world.

Our difference of size of economy will be matched with higher growth rates and that we have. But do we need such a growth rate where actual growth in Health and Education has been neglected. Definitely we don’t want to see a developed but malnourished, rich but poorly educated India. Such an economic growth could be called an aberration or erroneous. It is just unacceptable because in that case it won't be indicating human development. Then it could only serves the elites, with poor penetration to the poor majority. According to Paul Krugman, the eminent economist of US, “if you want to define the success story of US in last century, you can do it with just single word, Education.” In 21^st century it could also be twined with Health. But our policy makers give it only secondary status. So only secondary results would come from it. We don’t have good quality of teachers, we lack infrastructure in school, so how can we expect our children to become scholars and doing research. We have abysmal record of child mortality and malnutrition. Then how can we boast that we are the Youngest Nation in the world when we know that young Indians are the most malnourished people.

I think its time to realize and rectify both the cause and the meaning of growth. A growing society must tantamount to the growing quality education and health of the mass. This is not possible without giving these two their due place in the budget. It must be somewhere near the respectable figure of 10% (of GDP). Only then we will have enough funds to build better school and health centers, we will be able to give handsome salary to our teachers, scholars and research associates, government can take the burden of providing education loan to its lowest possible interest, subsidized medicines and health check-ups could be made available to the poor, nutritional records could be regularly monitored and maintained in schools, even in government schools of remote areas with the help of technology, and other innumerable aspects that are not possible without funds. Because Healthy and Educated people are higher treasure than Gold mines and Petroleum wells. Giving 3% of total budget is like making mockery of the people of India to bereft them of their Primary rights, and that also year after year. It must be raised atleast to the decent level by doubling it in next budget. And I believe it could be easily arranged by compromising a bit in other departments, its because no other department is as important as people’s Health and Education. I hope situation would ameliorate in the successive budgets and human’s most significant development aspect would get its due place.

Union Budget: A Repeatitive Juvenile mistake

Each year Union budget is presented in Lok Sabha by Finance Minister (FM). Each year there is plethora of new announcements and schemes, which appears more a sycophancy of elite rather than concrete solutions, juxtaposed with brief announcement of fiscal deficit. I want to shed light on pseudo-significance of the kind of budget that is being presented and passed in Lok Sabha. If you give money to a housewife for the domestic expenditure of an year, she can tell the each minute detail involving gains and Losses and can tell you the reason behind a failure of particular investment. Not only this, she will modify her demand for the next year expenditure as result of last year's experience. If a common housewife can analyze all the reasoning behind the expenses with finesse, what's wrong with the policy makers and our economists. Either they are juvenile or are too reluctant to ameliorate.

I've never heard in any budget when last budget's failures, and flaws, have been told along with the reasons and what measures have been taken to avoid any previous repetition next year. If FM can't tell its people the percentage of success, also region-wise, along with the definition of success for a particular policy, how the public would come to know that a particular policy is worth continuing.

For example if government has implemented Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment guarantee Act(MGNREGA) and mentions in each successive budget just the amount involved in the scheme, with no concern to the hitherto percentage of success, what better it can achieve in next year in continuation. Government increases the amount of money involved in this scheme. But it's reluctant to tell the people in which region it is being implemented successfully and in which region it is a fiasco. Because no scheme can have the same result in each region of the country. Thus the next obvious question would arise as what are the reason behind the success or failure also in the particular regions. Along with that which section of the society has been benefited the most, again along with the reasons. Then in the next step we seek the solutions towards overcoming those hurdles and accordingly we change the policy and guide the money. But this involve a culture of revaluation and reviewing, which would be there if those in policy making are anyhow concerned with the common man.

I dont think it's of any use announcing budget, a cliche, each year and just cutting the corners by dividing the money given towards different departments and policies. We need a budget that is based on the research done by the analysts with judicious amendments each year. Let it not be an act of sycophancy of Aam-aadmi. It must contain everything that could ascertain long term welfare of Aam-aadmi. Such bedget is of no-significance.

Commonwealth Games: Perfect Blend of Extravagance, Poor Accountability, Lack of Vision and Mismanaged Resources

South Africa, with all its prior doubts and critics, has written history by hosting a successful world class game. Long period of one month has raised doubts in the minds of all the people whether an African country, into the clutches of Poverty, history of racial wars and AIDS, would be able to host a mammoth game like Football World Cup. But the way they prepared has a great lessons for India which is going to host another major sports event Common Wealth(CW) Games. They started preparing for the event in late 2006 and Stadiums were made ready by 2009. After that only regular daily care was left to done. Hosting such a grand sport event offered advantage in three ways. Firstly it showed the ability of South Africa to host a world class event that puts it at world stature. Secondly it has recognized its hidden potential in a global game like Football. High skilled shown by South Africa team and fantastic display of Ghana till the quarter final was exemplary. This will definitely change the way football was seen in Africa by a common man prior to the World Cup. Thirdly it has proved economically beneficial. Total expenditure in the preparation of the game was approx $ 4 bn ( 20,000 cr), while the revenue generated was approx $ 5 bn (25,000 cr). A clear cut profit of $ 1 bn which is nonetheless huge.

Sensation of successful hosting of World Cup by South Africa has churned Indians as well but in a different way. It has started flurry of questions, doubts and skepticism mixed with pessimism over our preparation of CW Game which is regarded as the 4th gigantic sports event. All these doubts are not mere allegations by the opposition but are concrete. Intelligentsia are seeing some serious flaws in the policies designed for the preparation of games. Initially the money proposed was Rs 1800 cr in 2004. But actually expenditure came out to be mindboggling 80,000 cr, means more than 45 times, by 2010. How could such a huge discrepancy in the approximation of expenditure be possible? It is beyond in the understanding of a common man. If a common man decides to make his own house and money estimation comes out to be 5 lakh, he knows the cost could well rise to around 8-10 lakh or at the most 15 lakh, but it could never be the case when it comes out to be 1 cr or more. How could you spend Rs 80,000 cr, when you are proposing a budget of mere 1800 cr! This shows some serious irregularities and utmost sense (rather non-sense) of non-accountability. Valuable money of the tax-payers is being wasted unabashedly. CW game is a bright opportunity to party for the most corrupt policy makers and the beaurocrats.

In the month of Jan'10, state government of Delhi openly accepted that it did not have 800 cr for the metro project and has asked help from DDA to bear out the expenditure. One of the allegation is that Rs 100 cr was spent in just planning of the expenditure sitting in the AC room which is ridiculous and preposterous. State government of Delhi did not have money to implement Right to Education in its schools also and asked help from the centre. Government did not have 6000 cr for the National I-card scheme, crucial for the security of the nation, and the budget proposed was reduced to 3000 cr. It again shows that the priority is not towards the people, their education, upliftment and security, but towards games. Delhi government claims to have fully prepared infrastructure till Aug'10 which should have been ready 1 year prior to the games. From the RTI it also came out that only Rs 700 cr has been spent directly for the players and their facilities, less than 1% of total budget. Government try to hide its face from the mask of success of Metro and fly overs. But Metro rail and fly overs have only little to do with the preparation of games. Our stadiums are not ready even now. What home-advantage they are going to offer to our own player when they cannot practice there? Metro Rail and most of the flyovers were under the proposed future development of the delhi as early as 1996. And it is mere a co-incidence that CWG came at the same time, giving the government a chance to justify its poor policies and extravagance and hide face.

Pride of hosting the grand event does not lie only in building the infrastructure, but also in the rank in the Medal Tally of the host country. China, which hosted one of the Best Olympics ever in 2008, was on the top of medal tally. Can our players be manage to do the same in CWG? If you are spending only 1% of the total budget on your players, what kind of priority you are showing in the preparation of the game, is it to appease the guests with facilities only or the medal tally you get? Had such a huge money was spent on the players only, or just one fourth of it, we could have come on the top of medal tally in Olympics as well. But Alas! this is not at all the case. Our players are preparing in the same conditions as ever. Even the most basic facilities of Play grounds, nutrition and Coaching is lacking in every town of India. Then where the calibre will be generated. Good players are not imported, rather they are generated with basic facilities, guidance and motivation. Focus has forcibly made shifted towards Metros, flyovers, footpaths, which has nothing to do with hosting a successful game.

So let us hope, mere hope, together of a successful world class games with India arises as a major sports destination with top rank tally. Let us keep our policy makers befool us and spend the precious sweat and blood money of the common man unabashedly. Let us allow to make this CWG a perfect blend of Extravagance, poor accountability,lack of vision and mismanaged resources. And let us show the world that we can neither host a game successfully nor do any good for our own players, forget the rest of the common men and his ever increasing problems.

Myth of Economic Growth: Human Development Report 2009

Since economic reforms of 1991, India has been on the path of continuous economic growth, which many economists call as 'incredible'. And especially in the last decade from 2000-2010, we have made the possibility of double digit growth a possible dream. We have even withstood the global financial downturn with finesse. Even amidst the another European crises many economist have expected Indian economy to grow at 8+ %, which is truly remarkable. It shows India, in the coming decade, is going to acquire the great share of world GDP which will lift its status to a future economic power-house. As world equation has been changing, every single country wants to gain maximum profit out of it, so everyone is looking for the place which offer definite and tangible benefit. India is considered as one such place with biggest market and greatest hidden potential, so great future possibility. This fact is growing India's stature and making it one of the most attractive country.

But let us take a pause and take actual account of the impact of this much talked about Economic Growth on Human development. Here comes the mother of all human development reports, the UNDP's own Human Development Report (HDR) 2009. HDR is a precisely calculative data based on life expectancy, literacy, per capita income and overall health and well being of a certain population over a period of time. It is considered as the best measure of development globally. Latest report 2009 give India the rank of 134, with a score of 0.612, which in no way allow us to boast of our economic growth. Though our score has improved in last 10 years but rank has remained stick to the worst performing countries. Because of the precision and authenticity, HDR is actually a good way to make comparision with our own past years record and with other countries as well. Norway, Australia, Ireland, Iceland etc remained at the top positions with the score of more than 0.965 (near perfect 1). Even many African and less known countries are far better than us like Libiya-0.847, Mauritius- 0.804, Gabon- 0.755, Algeria- 0.754 etc.

Our competitive neighbour China has given spectacular show in the improvement. Here is the a data that shows China's remarkable stride towards human development.

Rank (2009) Score 2009 2000 1975

India 134 0.612 0.577 0.407

China 92 0.772 0.726 0.523

Even from 2008 to 2009 China has jumped 7 rank in the Index and came on 92, while we remained on abysmal 134.

World map indicating the Human Development Index (based on 2007 data, published on October 5, 2009)

0.950 and over 0.900–0.949 0.850–0.899 0.800–0.849 0.750–0.799

0.700–0.749 0.650–0.699 0.600–0.649 0.550–0.599 0.500–0.549

0.450–0.499 0.400–0.449 0.350–0.399 under 0.350 Data unavailable

This is a list of all countries by Human Development Index as included in a United Nations Development

Unfortunately this perfect indicator has been least bothered and least talked about in our country. No media coverage, neither print nor electronic, except 'The Hindu' has given this report its due place. While such an important marker was made elusive, some comparatively insignificant markers like increase in no. of rich people, share market boom etc kept on deceiving us. Infect HDR should have come up in a way that it would become an eye opener to the common man and the policy makers as well. So that must have removed the camouflage of booming India and have shown the naked reality. HDR could have become de riguer in the last election. People would have asked the politicians with greater vehemence to give the account of all the national policies designed to lift the people of India. People could have made the better use of RTI to check the pro-poor policies and the money spent with respect the actual change produced. Infect had this report earned its due respect, we would not have allowed our policy makers go reckless on every other policy next time, neither on implementation temrs nor on accountability.

Though economic reforms helped gaining plethora of foriegn investment which has opened the gates of opportunities for many young Indians. Still true meaning of inclusive growth has yet to be realized. While let not be reluctant towards its significance, yet let not get our politicians befool us and illusioned us with rhetoric talks of growth. We have to scrutinize closely all the pro-poor policies and their impact on HD and take the accountability of the government. 9% of annual growth rate should roughly raise our score by 0.020, which is hardly 4%, means less than half of the economic growth. In this way we can touch the score of 0.800 in the end of this decade which is descent if not laudatory.