India can’t afford to keep people socially, educationally, economically backward

By Sudhansu R Das
On 15th August 2023, India celebrated its 77th Independence Day. Even after 76 years of independence, the reservation policy continues; the demand for reservation from the higher castes becomes louder in some developed states. It shows that the various governments have accepted the fact that the country still has a large population who need support to become one among equals. The question arises why government after government in the past 76 years have not made them strong.

Why hundreds of development programs, educational institutions, NGOs, voluntary organizations, political class, intellectuals, media, GDP growth, patriotic organizations, advancement in science and technology and governance mechanism etc have not developed the much needed confidence, knowledge, employable skill and capacity among the millions of men and women across the county? The sustainability of economic growth largely depends on human psychology; self belief, confidence, courage, skill, unity, mutual trust and cooperation etc. India can’t afford to keep a large number of people socially, educationally and economically backward for an indefinite period.
There are ways to treat the vulnerable people in society. The Union Government should immediately scrap reservation for the creamy layer who have cornered the maximum benefits in the past decades. There is no logic to give reservation benefits to a person with an income above Rs 50000 per month. The vast majority of Indians have income less than Rs 15000 per month. Leave aside the subsidies and the freebies. The immediate scrap of the reservation benefits to the creamy layer will benefit a large number of vulnerable people in the country.
There should be a dedicated investigation to know why the benefits of the hundreds of development programs for the vulnerable people have not percolated. It is very essential to know why the educational institutions, NGOs, Voluntary Organizations and various agencies etc have not delivered in the past seven and half decades. They may not deliver in the future if they are not punished now. This is time to show patriotism and commitment to the nation with visible actions. Vulnerability is the main reason for religious conversion, migration and the breaking down of the unique joint family system.
Over decades populism has become a plague in India. Political parties instead of spending thousands of crores of rupees on populist schemes should develop the right environment for people so that they could earn with self respect. Instead of exercising populism, they should personally supervise the revival of village ponds, activation of rivers, plantation of native fruit bearing trees, revival crop diversity, functioning of a transparent domestic market and running of quality schools etc on a priority basis.

They should stalk the cities and villages like Lord Ram and Mahatma Gandhi to experience how people live; what they think and what they want. First hand information is the most precious asset of political leaders. Political leaders should crack on people who feed them with misleading information about development. Only a group of honest, bold, mentally and physically strong politicians can hunt for hard facts and dismantle the massive idle energy which has been created due to the distribution of freebies. The idle energy has become the biggest threat to the economy and the society. Converting the idle energy into productive work force is the biggest challenge before the country.

Thousands of acres of agricultural land remains uncultivated in Odisha due to the shortage of labor and water. Massive migration of skilled and unskilled people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and North East states to big cities has given a setback to the village economy. Free food and freebies can not stop migration. Right environment for generating income should be created in villages and in small towns so that people could happily earn and live with a sense of owning economic assets. This is high time to treat poverty and backwardness with commitment, patriotism and with a sense of belongingness to the country, its culture and its people.

The majority of religions mention hell and heaven which will be the homes for the bad and good people after their deaths. Some oriental scholars believe in the natural justice system; as per the natural justice system, even the most powerful and the wealthiest person seldom escapes punishment in his present life. He may not express the pain in public life; the inscrutable pain due to the natural justice system grips him from within. Politics gives the best opportunity to serve people. Service to people through politics should not be a slogan but a Mul Mantra and a visible action.

Comments

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Spirit of leadership vs bondage: Of empowered chairman of 100-acre social forestry coop

By Gagan Sethi* This is about Khoda Sava, a young Dalit belonging to the Vankar sub-caste, who worked as a bonded labourer in a village near Vadgam in Banskantha district of North Gujarat. The year was 1982. Khoda had taken a loan of Rs 7,000 from the village sarpanch, a powerful landlord doing money-lending as his side business. Khoda, who had taken the loan for marriage, was landless. Normally, villagers would mortgage their land if they took loan from the sarpanch. But Khoda had no land. He had no option but to enter into a bondage agreement with the sarpanch in order to repay the loan. Working in bondage on the sarpanch’s field meant that he would be paid Rs 1,200 per annum, from which his loan amount with interest would be deducted. He was also obliged not to leave the sarpanch’s field and work as daily wager somewhere else. At the same time, Khoda was offered meal once a day, and his wife job as agricultural worker on a “priority basis”. That year, I was working as secretary...

Proposed Modi yatra from Jharkhand an 'insult' of Adivasi hero Birsa Munda: JMM

Counterview Desk The civil rights network, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JMM), which claims to have 30 grassroots groups under its wings, has decided to launch Save Democracy campaign to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to be launched on November 15 from the village of legendary 19th century tribal independence leader Birsa Munda from Ulihatu (Khunti district).

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857 By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

NREGA Sangharsh Morcha demands rollback of NMMS App, restoration of workers’ rights

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM) has strongly demanded the immediate revocation of the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) App used for recording workers’ attendance under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Citing the Union Ministry of Rural Development’s (MoRD) July 8, 2025 directive acknowledging widespread misuse and discrepancies in the NMMS App, NSM accused the government of admitting to deep-rooted corruption while continuing to impose a failed digital system.

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

Bangladesh alternative more vital for NE India than Kaladan project in Myanmar

By Mehjabin Bhanu* There has been a recent surge in the number of Chin refugees entering Mizoram from the adjacent nation as a result of airstrikes by the Myanmar Army on ethnic insurgents and intense fighting along the border between India and Myanmar. Uncertainty has surrounded India's Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project, which uses Sittwe port in Myanmar, due to the recent outbreak of hostilities along the Mizoram-Myanmar border. Construction on the road portion of the Kaladan project, which runs from Paletwa in Myanmar to Zorinpui in Mizoram, was resumed thanks to the time of relative calm during the intermittent period. However, recent unrest has increased concerns about missing the revised commissioning goal dates. The project's goal is to link northeastern states with the rest of India via an alternate route, using the Sittwe port in Myanmar. In addition to this route, India can also connect the region with the rest of India through Assam by using the Chittagon...

Job opportunities decreasing, wages remain low: Delhi construction workers' plight

By Bharat Dogra* It was about 32 years back that a hut colony in posh Prashant Vihar area of Delhi was demolished. It was after a great struggle that the people evicted from here could get alternative plots that were not too far away from their earlier colony. Nirmana, an organization of construction workers, played an important role in helping the evicted people to get this alternative land. At that time it was a big relief to get this alternative land, even though the plots given to them were very small ones of 10X8 feet size. The people worked hard to construct new houses, often constructing two floors so that the family could be accommodated in the small plots. However a recent visit revealed that people are rather disheartened now by a number of adverse factors. They have not been given the proper allotment papers yet. There is still no sewer system here. They have to use public toilets constructed some distance away which can sometimes be quite messy. There is still no...

Search This Blog