Leader, but not to be proud

THE former President of India Mr. A P J Abdul Kalam always reiterate in his speech to the youth of this highly diversified nation regarding the great mission of making India a Superpower by 2020. I do not know how we will be able to realize this dream of such a great and inspirational person of our time. The reason that makes me nervous (not nervous I suppose, but sad) about the thought is because of the today's headline which reads " India has 40 per cent of world's malnourished, says expert".  Apart from this the current economic state of India with rupee slashing down with respect to USD, lowest growth of the last decade (2012-2013 financial year growth data), the debt ($172 billion) , which is the sum of short-term debt as well as long term debt maturing the same year (31st March 2014), of India  is approximately 60% of it's foreign exchange reserve and what not. In that case, we have six and a half years left to hit the mission. I would like to wait and watch till I comment anything on the economy as I think it is premature to judge the sudden fall in the economy which is forming a vicious cycle at present with both Current Account Deficit and Depreciation of rupee hunting us together. My main focus, thus, will be regarding the health prospect of India.   

We are surely the leaders of the world in terms of the number of malnourished children. Before beginning to put pen to paper on the impact of such condition on the development prospect of India, let me write the definition of malnutrition: It basically refers to a situation where lack of certain nutrients, necessary for key physiological functions, is observed among children. Sometimes, it also refers to those cases where children are over-nutritioned. Overall, it is necessary for children to have a balanced diet which is required at that particular age. However, in general, children suffers from malnutrition (state of overweight, stunt growth etc.) because of low nutrition resulting out of poverty, hunger etc. According to the UNICEF data, 1 in every 3 of the world's malnourished children lives in India. On one hand, India is being counted as one of the front-runner among emerging economies and it's state of economy being compared to some developed nations. At the same time, on the other side of the story, we are being compared to Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa etc. As a matter of surprise, we are even behind these countries when it comes to the data of malnutrition. 

Looking from the manpower perspective, India is one of those nations having no dearth of manpower to work on it's various projects and contribute to the economy of nation. Some of the European nations promote immigration (with some regulation) in order to supply manpower to it's various industries such as IT. Very recently, the American President Mr. Barack Obama said in a discussion with the business leaders that they need to create a system so that they can attract the young and brilliant minds to do business on the American soil. Inspite of looking at the need of different countries, our policy makers fail to appreciate the need to promote health of its citizens (specially those children under 5 who are vulnerable to various shortcoming in their health bcacuse of their specific requirements) who in the long run might provide the brain to boost up the economy of the country. It is not a rocket science to understand the relation between manpower and development which goes as: If we have large manpower sufficient for every industry which includes education, agriculture etc., there will be more production, more invention as more ideas are working together, more development. However, it is easier said than done. There are several intermediate variables like efficiency, gender equality etc. which needs to be addressed in order to realize the full benefit of having huge manpower. By not able to save the young children, we are inviting a dark future.

India has no dearth of programs to tackle health issues of children. Some programs under the banner of Government of India in this direction includes: 
(a) Midday Meal Scheme in Indian Schools.
(b) Integrated Child Development Scheme.
(c) National Children's Fund.
(d) National Plan of Action for Children.
(e) National Health Mission.
The main objective of all the programs mentioned above it to promote the welfare of children. Programs like Midday meal scheme deals with providing nutritional meal, according to the nutritional norms given by the Government of India, to children of Government and Government-aided schools in India. While ICDS has the task of educating pregnant and lactating mothers about the nutritional requirements of a child. They also provide health services, supplementary food. The objectives of National Rural Health Mission are to reduce the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), provide universal access to public health services, prevent locally endemic diseases, promote healthy life styles etc.  

According to MG Venkatesh Mannar, president of Canada based NGO Micronutrient Initiative, India has all the policies and programs required to handle the problem but there is no proper implementation. Our system regarding the implementation of such policies revolves around many ministries like Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Rural Development. Thus, it is a herculean task to implement any policy as it has to go through many hurdles. He also believes that lack of co-ordination between the central and state government is another obstacle in the solution of this problem. 

In the research paper, " Mercedes de Onis, Edward A. Frongillo & Monika Blossner: Is malnutrition declining? An analysis of changes in levels of child malnutrition since 1980", the authors have clearly shown that stunted growth and development can hamper their academic performance and clearly the ability to contribute to the society. The policy-makers thus have to understand and take the burden on their shoulders that the nutritional status in children is one of the major indicators of developments and will play a key role in not only the economic development but also the development of society as a whole. We, as a Nation, certainly need a mass movement to protect the young children. The problem itself does not provide any solution, rather we have to join hands and pledge as a responsible country towards those young minds to protect them from malnutrition. At last, I just want to rewrite the statement in the banner which says, "Let's take a pledge together to rid India of malnutrition"

Not a Gentleman's Game

GONE are the days, perhaps, when my eyes could not resist itself from shedding tears whenever my country (India) lost any cricket match, be in any format. I think it was in my gene to love this game as not only me but my entire family (parents, kins) spent nearly 7 hours for an ODI match. Infact, my mother used to prepare the day's meal beforehand in order to be on time in front of the small television we had in the later 90s and the first few years of 21st century. No one, specially me, wanted to miss even a single ball in the entire match. Even though I am feeling a bit nostalgic about it, but my drop-down of interest do have sufficient reasons. I, personally, do miss those days when 220 used to have been a competitive target to achieve. And the likes of the greats and the committed ones which includes Glen McGrath, Wasim Akram, Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid and a plethora of other dedicated and brilliant players on the ground made my entire journey of enjoying cricket a memorable one. It was no doubt a "GENTLEMAN'S GAME". The passion was so instilled in me that once I gave a thought of choosing cricket as my career. But, the sad part is that a person belonging to a middle class family (at that time we were in the lower middle class category) has many other responsibilities (loosely we can say, at first we have to take care of the economic condition) and thus, people do not get full opportunity to follow their passion. In this scenario, we are left with no other option but to study and secure a job. That's what I have been following till now. Anyway I think I am going off the track (excuse me for this). Coming back to where I started, I think the timing is very perfect for me (Obviously I mean the recent spot-fixing in IPL) to share some reasons and the not-so-happy feelings attached with it.

I do not know but for me, around a decade ago, there was a sense of "Patriotism" attached with the cricket matches.  Winning was a matter of pride for the country and "THE CASTROL CHAUKA" sounds from Radio in every corner of road, shops made me feel like it was really something deserving to give my time to. Some people might want to say that winning is a matter of pride now too, I do not disagree with them, but I can say with high sincerity that the intensity of love among our fellow Indians have seen a down slide in the recent few years. The reason for this is not at all uncommon. The discipline which a national level player should carry with them is not seen. Even though, I agree that we are getting highly talented players, but their on-field behaviour is too low to be categorized as a national asset. The recent blabbering by Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli etc and such high profile players proves my point what I am trying to make. They all have Sachin Tendulkar as their favourites and all say they grew up watching Sachin to bat, but one thing they could not learn form the Master Blaster is his decency and down-to-earth nature. I did not highlight the point much that they are very talented as, in my view, the point does not deserve to be mentioned. This is because it is expected from them to play and give their best and score runs for the country. By scoring runs, they are only doing their duty and fulfilling the responsibility entrusted upon them (Remember they are also paid in excess of their need). The name and fame attached with the cricketing world makes them a national hero. However, the love and respect which is being showered upon these players by our fellow Indians does not receive the same kind of treatment in return. For some players, "GREED" has become the main cause of such low-category activities which we witness off the ground. I think there is no genuine love for cricket among some of the players who are in the Indian team. The situation has become so worse that former betting king Dinesh kalgi (I did not know about him till the time he was in news recently) in his interview to CNN IBN has revealed that no player in the Indian team is honest. Even though I am optimistic and hope to look at positive aspects of Cricket, but these statements by such people (obviously I have negative view for such people) puts me in a dilemma whether these players who are treated not less than a "Messiah" even deserve all that in their hand. In my view, the root cause of all evil lies in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kamal Morarka, Former Vice President of BCCI wrote in a recent discussion "IPL is nothing except money making scheme. Thats what the author Lalit Modi said openly that he will show BCCI how to make money. BCCI and its then President should not have fallen in the trap". Anyway, when the tournament came into picture, I was one of the supporters as I did think for some moment that we can look for the young talent and train them so that they can fill the place when we won't have the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid etc. But, I think I was too immature to look from the other side of the coin and the impact it will have on the Cricketing world. I do not know how to react when I look at the Indian team and find no new name from the IPL in the team even after 6th edition of IPL. Even though we could get some like Saurav Tiwary, Murali Vijay etc who played well in the initial editions of IPL and got a chance in the team, but they could hardly make any impact at the big level. Now, if I look at the picture broadly, it should not come as a surprise to me as 20 over game can't produce big players like Dravid, Tendulkar. The reverse can be true. Chris Gayle is a house-hold name after the IPL but if we carefully look at his record and performance in the country level matches, we can see that he is hardly a game changer. Same is the case with yet another hero of IPL, the big name "Kieron Pollard". Looking at his record in ODI matches, he can hardly be called as a "impact" player.  For big matches, we need "Long race winning horses" and not the ones who hits well in those few overs of IPL and when it comes to ODI matches fail to produce the result out of him.

Apart from the above shortcomings, IPL has even failed to maintain the "Spirit of the Game". In this aspect, it is less said than better. The recent "Spot-fixing" and the long chain of networks working "so hard" to make money came as a "Bolt out of the Blue" for the millions of Cricket lovers including me. Not alone the players like Sreesanth, Ankit etc but the authorities are no less culprit in the entire make-up of spot fixing. I would not like to go in the entire detail of involvements of every one from Gurunath Meiyappan to Vindoo Dara Singh, but let's focus directly on the head of everyone- the President of BCCI himself, Mr. N Srinivasan. Till the time investigations are on, it will not be fair to comment on anyone. However, the seed of corruption developed from some of the actions of the  President himself. It was none other than N Srinivasan himself who amended the BCCI's rules in 2008 to allow his company Indian Cements to bid for an IPL franchise. The result is the conflict of interest. Even though it is not a matter of great importance here but the impropriety and wrongdoing attached with it are (The statement is from The Hindu). Somewhere I read a statement which I would like to pen it down here "We are not living in the era of Lal Bahadur Shastri, who resigned for an accident with which he was remotely connected personally. This is the Era of Bansals / Kalmadis / DMK / YEDDURAPPA.....where you should shamelessly fight to the last breath, even though you know the truth". The continuation of Mr. Srinavasan aptly justifies the above statement. If I start thinking and jotting it down every action of those linked with the BCCI or IPL govrning body and their motives, I would take a day or two to finish. It's better to leave the entire matter to the "Public" who are the victims of the entire controversy and decide for themselves if they would like to restore their faith on these games with frivolous intention of some. I did not mention the authorities here as everyone in India at present knows the motive of those who are sitting at the top and decide the matter. It would be better if some one comes to the forefront and look at the long term impact of IPL on Indian cricket and put behind the short term gains to some franchise and the BCCI Board. Atleast the authorities should try to adhere to the anti-corruption code book which says, If public confidence in the integrity of the game is undermined, “the very essence of cricket will be shaken to the core”.  Looking at the hue and cry made by public regarding punishing such players having links with the bookies gives a sense of feeling that they doubt the integrity of the IPL. Now, it is upto the board to decide on their future course of actions to restore the public faith on them. I would like to conclude my writing by quoting Mr. Kamal Morarka, "BCCI should have never started IPL. It is neither international cricket nor domestic tournament. It is a frivolous inter corporate activity between nine teams played by paid players. It should be discontinued if BCCI wants to save Indian cricket".

Looking from the Environmental Angle!!

Ecological Footprint is a matter of concern for most of the countries at present and for India also it is posing a serious challenge with the population growing at an alarming rate. With the increasing usage of lands, water and other resources, the loss of such resources is being observed as the rate of usage is greater than the rate of regeneration. This is the basic concept of the ecological footprint imbalance. All these results in overexploitation, pollution and climate change. It is known to all that the problems are so grave that country--level discussion are on the way to reduce the sources of pollution and solutions are being searched regarding the climate change . Due to this climatic change, sea level are rising and very recent research suggests that cities like Kolkata, Dhaka, Shanghai, which are located in the coastal areas are most vulnerable to the rising sea levels due to climate change. Researches also show that the terrestrial, marine and freshwater living planet indexes are all decreasing. The impact is that the amount of land, water etc are continuously decreasing, thus creating problem for both the human generations to come as well for the marine organisms. It also hurts those who are dependent on the marine organisms for food. Thus, it seems that a vicious cycle exists and imbalance at any step or in any section creates a problem for the entire ecosystem. Also, due to the activities of human beings (eg. Deforestation, poaching), most of all the species are becoming extinct. The burning concern of Tiger is a well known fact in India and just about 400 tigers are believed to be present. The ecological footprint of India is --0.4 and for Australia it is 7.9, this shown the difference of overuse of land in India. Solutions should not be sought only after facing the problems and even if it can be provided, our energy should be concentrated at the root cause of problem and trying to reduce or eliminate at the starting point. It is correct that “Preventing pollution is more effective and less costly than cleaning up pollution”. In my view, this concept is not limited only to pollution but to each and every sphere of problem where we desire for a solution.


Now, let us look at some of the causes of environmental pollution. A proper knowledge at the beginning is a key in providing solutions. Population growth, Unsustainable resource use, Poverty, Not having sound knowledge of the environment etc. are some of the causes of pollution. About the population growth, I do not want to concentrate much as this is known to one and all. I would like to concentrate on unsustainable resource use. It can be related to the environmental effect of affluence. We can see that land is not being used according to the requirements. Overuse and misuse are the proper terms to be used here. It seems that some people who wants land for key purposes like cultivation, housing do not have even the required amount. In many cases, I know it happens in India, people who do not require so much of land possess in ten-time excess of that. Point to be noted here is that it is not sustainable. It is true that India as a country do not impose any restrictions of possessing of land or properties; however it is a matter of social responsibility and showing solidarity towards the environment problem. The next cause Poverty is “less said the better” type. As the people become poorer, they destroy the resources faster. They tend to overuse the natural resources because they don’t have anything to eat or any means of getting money except through the natural resources, they start to depend more on natural resources. Overall, the process leads to exploitation of the natural resources and the ecological footprint also imbalances. The next is little knowledge about the environment. We are caught in the process of trying to manage the nature without knowing enough about it. More research is required so that how the nature around us works can be better understood. In that case, if we have knowledge about it, whenever we try to work out a process in the environment, we can know its implications.


On the same note, I would like to present a case study of Ankoli, Maharashtra where a gentleman Mr. Arun Deshpande has proposed the idea of “Water Bank” and the result is in front of the whole nation. When people fight with one another in other districts of Maharashtra for water, Ankoli (Solapur Dist.) have enough water in their reserve. The concept of water bank is that People can use water only if they conserve water. We can only get money from our bank if we have some amount present; the same concept is replicated here. Only that there is no concept of “loan” in water bank. It is now the responsibility of the government to replicate such methods in different drought-hit areas of the country. Even if the government does not come forward, some leaders of their own areas can come forward and learn the process and try to implement it. These are the small steps which are needed/expected from the citizens to come forward and show their “Bhagidari” in environment protection.


Fig: The comparison between a drought area and Ankoli (Maharashtra).


On conclusion, in order to motivate people we can think of tax-breaks being provided to people who show responsibility towards protecting the environment. It can be given either to corporate or to any citizen who prove his contribution. This is followed in some countries. In America some amount of money is given to those who provide innovative solutions to protect the environment. All these show the gravity of the problem at hand. There is some solution available at hand, only thing we need is their proper implementation which is to be done by the government. Before it is too late, the citizens as well as the government must wake up and work for the betterment.

An English Game or dilemma !!!!!

Is it a game being played with the students who are not in the English "forum" or is it only being used for political mileage by various party leaders? Do the recent developments by UPSC really provides advantage to those "expert" in English or are the steps favourable in the reverse directions? Now no more questions and a serious analysis will follow the dilemma (if you think the above  thoughts put in a dual state of mind). 

I agree with most of the concerns of these party leaders and the voice-lenders against the step of UPSC regarding the consideration of 100 marks separately in English Paper. They are absolutely correct when they say that the "Administrative Skill" required to enter the elite IAS, IPS, IFS etc services has very less to do with the language he/she uses in writing the paper. Also, since all the national languages are recognized by our constitution, so there should be no preference given to a particular language as it may give some un-fair advantage to few chunks of people who had the capacity (I am talking on the economic ground)  to enter into English medium schools/colleges. So far, it seems everything to be on their support..  Let us now turn the coin and analyze at the other side. The story is quite different on this side if we look it from the "Global" perspective. The Civil Servants are believed to be running the country on their shoulders (However, in no sense, I mean that other services are not important). Only for a few years at the beginning of their career, they are posted at their cadre as a "District Collector" or "District Magistrate" (Name varies with states) and then they are posted as secretary under the Government which requires communication not only at the National level but even across the Border. This is the first instance which proves rightly the significance of introduction of "English" as a compulsory paper. It is worth mentioning in this context that some of these IAS officers are sent as delegates to institutions of high importance (World Bank is an example in this context) and the medium of discussion is none other than "English". To say in other words, it is a "NECESSARY EVIL" and the truth should be faced boldly and in no case we turn our back to ignore it, otherwise in future it will hunt us in one way or the other. To prove my statement, I have strong defense in support of it. The two superpower of the present world- Japan and China are facing the heat due to their negligence of English and it is a practice being followed by these two countries to send their "Civil Servants" to other advanced countries so that they can learn the art of competing globally. To further support the step taken by UPSC, I want to quote Mr. Srivatsa Krishna (He is one of the most brilliant and dynamic IAS officers in the present time) directly, "Being able to communicate with the rest of the world means you need a competitive, forward looking, and articulate civil service which requires to know English."

Contrary to the view that the pattern will favour the students with a strong background in English and thus it will be not in the interest of those form the Rural areas, I would like to point out that UPSC has acted brilliantly on their new recommendation which suggests that a student can only opt for Literature paper only if he/she is graduated in the particular subject. Hence, this will certainly act as a deterrent to the common practice (Specially followed by the people of IITs) of taking any literature subject (for example Maithili) and mastering it in 6 Weeks and qualify the exam easily . It is certainly a blow to these students, hence in all it obviously favours the rural area students. Hence, there is no question of any un-fair advantage to the urban area students. The ball is in the court of the rural students and they should take its advantage without wasting mush energy on the issue of introducing a separate English paper. 

Another point which I would like to bring to the book is that Civil Service is an All India Service and voicing in favour of regional language (like Marathis etc.) only is a childish act on their part. People who have a dream of representing India at national or international level must not even give a second thought on the requirement of English. It is not only the intelligence level or the administrative skill which defines a civil servant but adapting to various extreme situation at different levels which is required sometime in diplomacy. Thus, a challenge is in front of everyone and winning this race requires quick transformation according to the situation as put forth by UPSC. I want to conclude by saying that " Time is running and without following unnecessary thoughts and falling prey to unsolicited advice by the politicians and the related ones, students should try to catch the fish before it moves deep into the ocean. 

Being the Chief Minister

“That Government is Best which Governs Least” as righty said by Henry David Thomas is
the best strategy in my view to be adopted by a Chief Minister of any state or Prime Minister
of a country. Before coming to the problems and its solutions, let me begin first by
highlighting the key aspects of a “Good Governance” and my approach will be based on
these parameters. There is no doubt and debate on the matter that Democracy is the best form
of any government. However, it is to be understood that simply electing our representatives is
not the complete form of Democracy. It does not take much time when governance becomes
the privilege of these representatives and leads to misgovernance. We need a “participatory
democracy” where the voices of masses are heard and the policies must be based on the
welfare of helpless and needless people rather than keeping in mind the benefit of few chunks
of people. If I need to put it in 5 letters, I will follow the policy of SMART government-
Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent. I agree to some criticizers that
these are ideal cases and look good only on the paper; however, I strongly believe that all we
need is just a simple point- “Political Will” and everything will move on in favour.


Assam is one of the prominent states of India and since independence; it has been facing
political and social issues both internally (in terms of insurgency of ULFA) and externally
(the Border issue with Bangladesh). Whether it is illegal immigration, migration of people in
search of better education, inefficient utilisation of natural resources, and rampant corruption
among the government officials etc. all have to be checked by a collective effort of the
Government and those who are being governed.


Let me then begin by taking into consideration the problem of illegal migrants. We must
understand the impact it has on the residing people. There is also too much pressure on the
natural resources which is available for the people of a particular area. Very recently, we saw
the violence in three districts of Assam which was believed to be a cause of illegal
Bangladeshi migrants. As said by the leader of Asom Gana Parishad, because of the increase
in the proportion of these illegal migrants, there is a growing aggressiveness among these
people and they sometimes clash with the local people for controlling the available resources.
As a Chief Minister, I will immediately discuss the severity of these issues with the Home Minister
and plan for sealing the Border. It is only the reluctancy of the Union Government
and the State Government and probably the vote bank politics of the State Government that
leads to such type of situation in the state. I will not wait for the next violence to take its
shape but will ensure that it is done and will also prepare a plan with the help of locals to
identify those immigrants and will take them to legal course of action.


The other problem which needs the serious attention of State Government is that of Education
sector. The literacy rate of Assam is 73.18% which is even below the national average (when
the national average is not too impressive!!!). Hence, we need a collective effort to improve
upon it from the basic level i.e right from the Primary level to the Secondary level. We find
most students migrate to other cities for higher education. Last year, our education minister
Himanta Biswas Sarma requested the HRD ministry to set up IIIT and IISER but nothing has
been done so far. It was a good step on the part of education minister of the state. But,
considering the fact that the central government lacks political will, as a CM, I will prepare a
plan and try to retain these students by collaborating with the research institutes to set up its
branch it my state. I want to apply this approach as my first step. This is because if I can get
few good institutes, I can attract many students from other cities too. This will in response
will reduce my dependency on the central government for funds. Also, I will try to allocate
more percentage of GDP in the education sector as I believe proper education can itself solve
most of the problems. For this purpose, I will improve on other sectors to gain more funds.
Assam is one of the gifted states on the ground of natural resources. Only thing we need to
understand that the state government is unable to attract investors. However, the primary
requirement for this is the “Infrastructure” which is purely on the hands of any state
government. So, even though I have no control over the geographic location of my state, but I
can surely improve the infrastructure of my state which will lead to the creation of investment
friendly climate in the state. Just like the “Vibrant Gujarat Summit”, I will create similar type
of Summit on a large scale with the investors of India and will make them understand the
importance of investing in Assam. At first, I will have to provide them the required incentives
to set up their industries or invest in the existing ones. Other areas where I can play to get
more investment in the economy is Tourism.Even though Assam is one of the naturally
gifted places, we are not able attract as many as other states like Rajasthan in “Tourism”. I
will try to promote it throughout the length and breadth of the country and promise to the
visitors their safe visit to the state. When tourism is a growing field, we should keep in mind
its impact on the economy. In some country like Monaco, their main source of income is
tourism. However, I will make it a point that tourism does not lead to degradation of its
unique culture as is the case with some tourist places like in Andaman and Nicobar Island.


On a further note, I would like to discuss about the growing menace of corruption. Assam
government is no good in this aspect. It is a general perception that most of these government
officials evade the funds meant to be invested in infrastructure, health and education only for
their personal gains. However, if I say that I will be an honest CM and will not allow any of
such activities to be in place in my government, I will be making a hollow statement because
people have probably lost their faith on the political class or their credibility has surely
decreased. Hence, to revive this faith, I will adopt the policy of “Right to Recall” and “Right
to Reject”.


On conclusion, I would try to create a link between the government and People. The political
class must understand that it is for the “Aam Junta” that we have to work and not for the
fulfilment of their political ambition. As far as economy is concerned, it is like a cycle, I will
take into account all together and not target any particular sector to become self sustained.
This is like a chain, even if any single unit is not working, it may destabilize the entire
system. Hence, I will improve infrastructure, look into investment, fund more into the
education sector etc. and only then we as a citizen can be proud of our state and will serve as
an example for others. Let’s take the initiative!!!