Sunday, February 21, 2010

Poverty Eradication over seven course dinners


“Common sense is so uncommon” and our official machinery proves this axiom right time and again. Latest in the series of tomfoolery is the decision of forest department to conduct a seminar on poverty eradication in tribal belts. The subject event will be held in the costliest five star hotel at Udaipur where many rooms have been booked and lavish arrangements are made for the delegates by an event management firm.  The distressing part is that money spent will be from 400 million rupee aid received for the proposed poverty eradication program.

A British tabloid once called India a ‘poor country of rich people’ where beds are more fertile than the land. It definitely sounds an overstatement considering the progress we have made especially in service sector. Global perception about the country has definitely altered but not a lot has changed for a poor man in the country. A couple of steps ahead of polished uptown locale are bound to bring you face to face with pathetic scenes of the human life vegetating in slums. We talk about being an IT superpower and still a portion of the population is forced to sleep hungry .India truly is kaleidoscope of extremities.

The poverty can be reduced not by doing charity to poor but by giving them work near their place of habitation. Strengthening of infrastructure, apt conversion of population into human resource and a thorough check on corruption are the only ways we can reduce poverty. It sure cannot be done in this extravagant get-togethers of elites who still cater to the misbelieve that poverty can be reduced by floating another scheme , setting another committee and by demanding another allocation  .

I was truly not able to come to terms with logic of our education minister and his brigade of supporters who think that exam and education are the only reason for stress in students. Now this news of planned poverty eradication program in this extravagant manner makes me understand whose poverty and whose stress they want to reduce…

28 comments:

  1. Even otherwise I believe Seminars waste a lot of money!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Our ministers live in an Utopian world. Better education facilities, more schools, colleges, better infrastructure, congenial study environment, minimum gap between the what is taught in class and what is required in the job market can curb the stress and anxiety that the students face. But our education minister is more bothered about aping the western system.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Online event registration

    Dear sir/madam,
    It is sad that despite deleting your promotion advertisement once , you are again writing your advertisements on my blog. This reflects to a bad work culture and is not likely to yield you any business .Hope you will understand and act sensibly.
    Regards

    ReplyDelete
  5. @ Vikas
    You are right , They generally are .Mostly a chance for delegates to get together and a enjoy a paid holiday and see different places on government expense.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @ Shas
    You are correct in your analysis about trying to ape the west. education and knowledge are life long process , where as exams are the way to check expertise on given area.The stress is of increased expectations and not of exams.

    The opulence our ministers and Babus display should make a sensible person hang his head in shame.Poor suffer and the rhetoric of "GARIBI HATAO" continues on paper and in words .... ......

    ReplyDelete
  7. A British tabloid once called India a ‘poor country of rich people’ where beds are more fertile than the land.
    I liked the statement anyway :P

    ReplyDelete
  8. You are right that the economic condition of the middle classes has enhanced, but the lower classes are the same as before. This doesn't reflect well on the future of Indian economy as this means that middle class people are simply going to spend the extra money they are getting now, without investing it in projects that will bring dividend to the country as a whole.

    There is also a serious need to decentralise the resources. The tendency to heavily concentrate the resources in the capital cities of India is keeping the other cities and the village strapped for resources. This is forcing the large-scale migration to the few developed cities, whose infrastructure is being destroyed because of this. It's high time India follows the model of developed countries, where attention is paid to developing all the cities and villages by decentralisation and not on concentrating the resources in few hands.

    Please comment on my new post as well - http://tropicandstorm.blogspot.com/2010/02/judaism-in-india.html

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  9. @ Archana Thanks for your thoughtful comment . What is truly pathetic and disturbing is not the scarcity of resources but the (mis)management of resources ......

    ReplyDelete
  10. I agree. We also need to take this burgeoning population bull by the horns... it is already late.

    The irony in the 1st para cannot be missed. The folks we have labelled as 'tribals' have a wealth of knowledge on the environment, medicine, ornithology, flora and fauna, handicrafts, art, etc. All passed on through the generations. Instead of tapping that knowledge, we insist on making them learn what the west has succeeded in teaching us and still do.

    Civilizing the already civilized... I must say. Among most tribal settlements, therez no rich and no poor. They have a similar lifestyle. Yet, we the "civilized folks" insist on converting them to our "superior culture and lifestyle". What a pity!

    P.S. Sunilji, long time no post...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sir,
    As always your article has blend of research, wide knowledge and a lot of thought on the subject. I too always wonder why govt. is spending so many bucks on useless seminars , committees ,Regional tours of minister etc.
    India where there is a single doctor over population of 1000, why an ambulance always Trails with politicians. Well common sense is so uncommon. Any ways Kudos sir Hope ur articles keep spreading light in the dark realities of our country.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I agree with the comments above we are not trying to see and improve on what we are good at we are just moon struck with west and its idea of development.

    ReplyDelete
  13. No new posts Sunilji... its nearly three months. Keno?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello Roshmi,
    At the outset it feels good that someone has noticed the absence .Kichu vishesh nahi....Was very busy with the classes and as I am getting a new house constructed.... mind is too preoccupied with arches, elevations and furnishings ...to think of something meaningful.....was planning to write on spirituality and objectivity but could not get around it.....Going to Himachal for Holidays... Promise to come back with something new soon......Hope you have recovered completely ...take good care of yourself.....thanks again for caring words

    ReplyDelete
  15. @ Rishabh , Thanks for reading and commenting ...I have lot of hope from Young men like you

    ReplyDelete
  16. @Vinnie you are right we ape west ...we need their approval for everything see the systematic degradation all around ...what we were and what we are planing to become ....Thanks for comments

    ReplyDelete
  17. wow ! ! ! with writing like this i am sure india will go farther in growth and become a better place to live kudos friend keep it up

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi,

    Nice post! For this wonderful read, we present you with a unique opportunity of mystery shopping. Onion Insights Pvt. Ltd. is a Global Customer Experience Measurement (CEM) company that uses the tool of Mystery Shopping wherein one poses as a customer to a particular product or service and anonymously evaluates his/her shopping experience and provides a well-written structured report on the findings. The assignment lets you combine two of your favourite things – shopping and writing!

    Being a Mystery Shopper not only helps you to become a Better Customer, you also get paid for shopping! You will be paid a nominal fee for your time and efforts and additionally reimbursed for the products you purchase to complete the Mystery Shop.

    To begin with, register with us for free at www.onioninsights.info as New Mystery Shopper and start your journey into the world of Mystery Shopping!

    ReplyDelete
  19. i think students are more stressed cos of subjectivity of the exam checking ... same paper checked by the same individual or different individual's twice will get u significantly different marks ... and with poverty india follows the time tested tradition of the capitalists... give them enough to 'survive' but not enough to 'live' .. so they don't think of revolting ...n those who do are branded enemy of the state

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sunilji... your blog has been on the 'pause' mode for 8 months now. Why this silence??

    ReplyDelete
  21. Please promote my post: "GPRS ko Tata. 3G? Buy. Buy." @ IndiBlogger.

    Link: http://www.indiblogger.in/indipost.php?post=37509

    It is for the "3G Life Blogger Contest".


    P.S. In case you are not an IndiBlogger member... it will take only a minute to register and promote.

    Link: http://www.indiblogger.in/signup.php

    ReplyDelete
  22. @ Roshmi , I Was too occupied and involved with the construction of new house and was having a busy schedule with classes .
    Feels good that somebody noticed the absence.will come back soon .
    Your posts are always good read . was browsing through them regularly.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sunilji... still awaiting your post on your trip to Himachal...

    ReplyDelete
  24. @ Roshmi, we finally decided for kashmir and the trip was great, as holidays mostly are. nothing significant happened which I can mention specially so did not quite post on that . You have a good memory though, to have remembered that I had mentioned Himachal trip.will post soon and good luck for the competition.

    ReplyDelete
  25. A trip to Kashmir... wow! Please share some pics... and your thoughts on Kashmir... or whatever is left of it...

    ReplyDelete
  26. @ Roshmi
    http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28837&id=100000259528153&l=03dc2bdc96

    It is truly a heaven for a visitor but for a local guy the life is very tough, I think. All the photographs are taken in the month of may when the summers are at peak in north, we were literally shivering while boating in Dul lake.
    will write more soon in more organised manner...

    ReplyDelete
  27. Great captures Sunilji... Thanks for sharing :)

    Awaiting the detailed post. Keen to know more re: the 'monument of Avantipur'...

    ReplyDelete
  28. You're so awesome! I don't think I've truly read through anything like this before. So nice to find another person with genuine thoughts on this subject. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This web site is one thing that's needed on the internet, someone with a little originality! line feed payday loans
    Feel free to surf my blog payday loans line feed

    ReplyDelete

Your viewpoint will definitely give it wider perspective

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Thanks for visiting .Soliciting your comments.

Website counter