Economic development and sanitation
Both are of course very critical
Bureaucracy in India is a peculiar animal!
Prime Minister Mr.Narendra Modi has highlighted the twin goals of his government. One, faster economic development. The other is sanitation, a clean India. He has also mentioned other goals like make in India.
But then there are other issues also that draw out attention. People read the newspapers and also view the TV channels only when there is news.
The news that make headlines these days are not development or the sanitation. But the more sensational news of conversions, not celebrating the Christmas day and also learning Sanskrit rather than German language.
Besides, the Opposition voices are also heard over other issues like what the other outfits like the RSS, VHP leading lights are saying and doing.
Also are the issues like some of the leading lights of these outfits, like Sathvi Jyoti M.P. and also the Yogi Adityananda, another MP who is leading the conversion shows in UP.
Are this news newsworthy? They are. In fact, they make for much readers and viewers attention than what the PM is saying and doing.
Of course, there are many good things; good changes are also taking place.
There had been elections to the Assemblies in Maharashtra and also in Haryana. In Maharashtra also there are other moves like inducting the ShivSena into the Cabinet and also with deft moves Mr.Sharad Pawar’s NCP managed to move into the Opposition party slot.
In the currently concluded Assembly elections in Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir there are indications that the BJP would definitely make a dent in the existing cosy existence of the two or three other parties.
It is pointed out by observers that in Jharkhand a certain cosy get-together by the ruling Jharkhand party and the Congress had kept the state, created in 2000, carved out of South Bihar, had kept the mineral rich state, some 40 per cent of the iron ore of India is in Jharkhand and even then the state had stagnated owing to non-initiative, a certain blind narrow vision had kept the state from really taking on the development path.
A certain British economist had pointed out how the mineral rich states everywhere often remain poor and backward.
May be Jharkhand and Odisha qualify for this distinction too!
Why?
It is pointed out by the economist that the iron ore mining when the ruling elite (or the clique?)sees to it that the iron ore mining remains in the hands of some closely held few then the proceeds of the “crime” as one describes and we can easily see the counterparts in the mineral mining states and also the way the other natural resources rich industries like coal mining proceeded and now ended in Coalgate scandals, the natural resources exploitation doesn’t lead to investing the proceeds from the revenue, of course legally and legitimately earned ways, in socially and economically beneficial way.
So, Jharkhand had remained poor and backward as ever.
Who are to be blamed/everyone engaged in the game!
Sita Saran, a close family belonging to the Soren clan said the other day that the political parties to develop vested interests. The Congress party, for instance, said Sita Soren “had become too big to its boots and demanded a large number of seats this time too.
She had pointed out that how in the previous elections to the Congress demanded 56 seats in an Assembly of just less than 100 seats. Sita Soren pointed out how the Congress even after getting such number didn’t care for campaigning.
While Mr.Chirag Paswan, the young Paswan clan campaigned though was allotted just one seat!
So, there is always a vested interest for a political party in a backward and poor state like Jharkhand.
May be the same sort of political parties pulling in opposite directions in other states too.
Yes, the point here is that many states even though so-called as developed remain very backward when it comes to really developing the states in a genuine way.
See the track records of states where there had been infant deaths of unacceptable numbers. In West Bengal, in Chhattisgarh, in Telengana and also in AP, no less even in such a developed state like TN where in one district, namely, Dharmapuri, there are many infant mortality reports.
The point here is that even the democratically elected governments might not have the real interest of the public interest in mind.
Often, it is the selfish interests and selfish goals of the parties in power that twist and turn the public opinion so that genuine development doesn’t take place and thereby people become more wake and aware!
All these observations are to bring home to the Prime Minister that development is not just investments, FDI and giving land at cheap rates and also environmental clearances and other bureaucratic permissions.
Bureaucracy in India is a very peculiar animal!
It might not be easy for Mr.Modi to drive the bureaucracy to his desired extent.
As one observer had noted that Indian bureaucrats, in their many avatars, either as ex-ministers, or ex-ambassadors or in any other manner, they, the bureaucrats, continue to cling on in Delhi and they manage to occupy the little real estate in Lutyen’s Delhi and continue to benefit from all the governments. Party affiliation is the weakest link in this vested interest and so they are there in any government, either as ambassador or as a junior minister and also as spokespersons or call then by whatever name you know! They are there! They also, please note, as representatives of the corporate high-ups.
So, Modi had a real challenge. How to accelerate the economic development. Somewhat Modi is also immune to the experts. Where are the much-talked about economic experts for this government?
Where are the heavyweights? From Harvard or Chicago or London School of Economics?
Or, where are the home-based economic experts. Media lights and other otherwise noisy media commentators?
They are waiting in the wings!
Economic development or for that matter, social development doesn’t come about easily. They are a complex process.
We hope the Prime Minister and his present team give thought to what are said here. We have no other interest, except the largest public interest only.