Lifeline for India’s economic prosperity. Times seem to have changed. Forever? It looks at this point of time it is forever!
The Covid-19 Pandemic could not have come at the worst time. Among the more serious tragedies and human misery about the sights and sounds of the thousands of ads the rural migrant desperately seeking to return to their own natives homes distributed in almost all the northern states from Assam to the other neighboring states from Bengal to Jharkhand and Bihar and UP from where lakhs of rural migrants who had migrated every year till now. Seeking better life, higher wages and assurance jobs at times of scarcity. This is an annual ritual till. This time.
Only now after the Covid 19 broke out even the authorities never seem to have realized the dimension of the scale of the problems.
Even after the Covid 19 Pandemic broke out, after some more than 60 days we see the thousands of migrants hanging over in the cities, in Mumbai and Delhi. In Delhi after ignoring the human issues and many tragedies, many retiring migrants have died on the was, still more poignant stories, the Apex Court had decided to hear the plight of the migrants stranded in the cities.
As for the government it is of great credit for the government that India has done extremely well; it earns a very good name among the more advanced countries. This we have to keep in mind and stand united behind the government in this hour of peril.
The whole world is puzzled; USA and UK were once held as role models; no more, we are sorry to note.
If this is what these countries have achieved in healthcare, then it is too much to expect from lesser endowed in resources like India.
What India must be doing now and after is a matter for discussion.
What we have to do at the moment is to lessen the hardships of the people, the returning migrants.
The humbling truth is that the government, specially the critical railways authorities have failed the suffering people by letting them to hang on for such long days.
The other agency. That are engaged in humanitarian series like catering and care for the suffering people on the railway tracks and roads where they seem to have halted for the nights and they also walked all through these thousands of miles and we, as compassionate society failed.
No leaders of any stature seem to have come out and spoken and asked for help from the concerned authorities.
This is one side of the problem, even as we write at the beginning of June thousands are left out. On the day the Supreme Court was hearing the cases, thousands are seen gathered and ,by one account 2.5 lakh people in Delhi alone and there are 262 trains required to ferry them.
In this new human crisis everyone concerned seems to have failed. Whatever be the outcomes of the SC hearing, there is no immediate end to this seemingly unending tragedy.
This is one side of the Pandemic crisis, apart from the pandemic crisis itself which is taking an unbearable heavy human toll. This is not the place to discuss further about how the issues would be sorted out. We are sure it would be sorted out, we hope in some days. The other more serious issues are lying to be tackled and this might not be very easy by any standard.
That is how to envisage the economic challenges. One is creating employment on sustainable scale. It is not easy at all. How this estimated 5 and odd crore returnee migrants to be retained or helping them to their own haunts.
There is no way to deviate from ground level realities. After a few days, not even months, the returned migrants would be the realities at their home states, given the manner in which ground level realities are played out there is no other way than to allow the people to go wherever they want, wherever there are productive jobs.
Punjab and Haryana would beckon them back. No doubts about it. So, let us at least now learn to. send them back with some dignity and order. Then, of course there are other larger issues, the larger picture and also some wisdom on the part of politicians and leaders to learn to. Speak some truth, not bravo and empty rhetoric.
We have written long and much. About rural India, rural realities. We need power decentralisation, establishing genuine panchayat Raj institutions and creating more urban-type jobs another new world technology based jobs.
Now having met whole Pandemic 19 virus attack, here would be new technologies. More online based productive jobs outside, away from the concentrated office jobs.
Online there can be any number of new innovations.
We at Vadamalai are also changing with the times. There are now new features online and discussion groups online and video-conferencing activities in the days to come. Thank you.