Making way for real education

We were creating a new stratified society by imparting superior form of education to higher classes to students from rich families and we were not giving admission to students from poor families. Very high school fees and large donations deterred the aspiring parents to get best education for their children. Yesterday, the Supreme Court has made a ruling that 25% of seats in government aided will be reserved for economically and socially backward classes in government aided schools and fees would not be charged. ‘Right to education for all children less than 14 years’ has been merged with the ‘25% reservation to children of backward classes’ ruling. The previous Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 had given right to some school but not good schools. Now this ruling has made possible for admission to a good school without having to pay exorbitant fees. Those schools which do not receive government funds will also give seats to the children from backward families because government will reimburse the fees. If any one of the schools deny admission or punish the child, their recognition of that will be withdrawn. But the cost of books, notebooks and computer costs (e-library & internet) will not be reimbursed. Can we really give egalitarian education?

Facts: In India there are about 1250755 schools providing elementary education. In these about 80.2% are government run, 5.8% private aided and 13.1% are private and unaided. Enrolments in them vary as per costs of good education and affordability of parents.

Results: The backgrounds of students will vary greatly. Less advantaged (poor) will be studying with more advantaged (rich) students. There is good scope of real learning about each other’s conditions. And such environment is good for children to learn about social pressures from one another by sharing visions on the very different social situations,which they face and experience. Deep seated resentments may arise due to social distances that the gap in economic statuses generates. There is firm faith that this situation would be by itself a valuable social interaction which is an intrinsic part of real education.

Continuous needs of present India

In India, in the last two decades, liberalisation of the economy has worked very well as we have progressed in all fields—telecommunications, commerce, education and so on. But the Indian way of carrying of social welfare schemes is not efficiently run. Government makes policies which are not implemented transparently. We cannot seem to eliminate poverty or hunger. When investigations are made, it is found that the funds for welfare schemes do not reach the people for whom it was meant for.

There are some successes; for example, the rural employment guarantee scheme (MGREGA) has had the effect of arresting the rural to urban migration. People would prefer to get some way of getting an income near their home than risk travelling to a city where they may or may not find work.

But food schemes are not reaching the people. It is difficult to identify the poor for whom free food grains could be provided for. We are now trying to provide identity to an individual by giving them identity cards based on bio-metrics (fingerprinting or iris imaging) Universal “Public Distribution Scheme” may work out better than the long process of identifying and reaching the “poor”.

Hundred years ago people of working age (15–60) were healthier than people now, as the quality for food grains was better then. Now the people working ages of (15-30) need more food to work for eight hours a day in rural lands, as quality of food grains has now reduced. Since work is now distributed to younger age group, it has meant that the older weaker people(who are not able to work) have become “the unemployed” group and therefore require help from welfare schemes. In other words, more persons are unemployed than ever before. Thus we are more “poor” now than hundred years ago.

Community kitchens (where all persons would eat together) will not work in India for cultural reasons. For us, home means a hearth where all of a family would dine together. We cannot keep our identity of our home in a public dining area. Only when we are reduced to  the condition of a refugee, such sharing of dining space could be done. For a day or two, we can dine with all, but it would not be a long term solution.

With the need for food, comes the conventional necessity of housing or need of a home. So the train of needs continues to grow. These are needs of the present, to be addressed by future India.

May Peace reign supreme

Today, a symbolic visit took place which was never anticipated.  We are a friendly nation, extending our arms for friendship with all (including those with whom we had shared a troubled history)

Pakistan’s head of state came to India in an informal visit. He had to go on a pilgrimage to a Sufi shrine near New Delhi, and was invited by our Prime Minister for lunch. During the meeting before lunch they had discussed many important pending issues. Tackling of terrorists who had caused terror in Mumbai on 26/11 was in our minds and there was agreement on dealing with this. Issue of Kashmir featured next. Then security in the border was discussed about. Trade ties were given urgency and we will be given the “most favored nation" status; trade in petroleum products was explored. These were topics which had to be discussed and we cannot cover up these important issues and go for meetings without arriving at common interests. We need to be practical and need policy oriented solutions and cannot evade solutions under the cloak of diplomacy. Communications with them was very easy as there is non-military leadership in Pakistan now. There foreign policy is determined by the military generals and that is very different from us.Our military has to take orders from the government. Our religious leaders have no say in the government, but not so there. However different we may be we respect each other’s ways and want good mutual relations. Individual leaders’ qualities shapes the destinies of nations.Our leaders are very very good in making friendships. We may build a dam on the river which runs in our subcontinent, and we can share electric power generated. 

There are skeptical views in both countries who are suspicious.The fact that we are going towards peace is highly inspirational, for we never expected such a positive turn of events.We are very thankful to the shrine which brought about this change in our relations!

You can not "roll-back" History

Some elected leaders out perform "support for the common man"routine. For instance, removing the rail minister who had proposed a small hike in freight rates is too much. Agreed, that the needs of the poor should be kept in mind, but sacking a minister for making a sound policy is not correct.The hike was "rolled back" so that the "common man" can travel easily in a lower fare.This may not be good.We should enable the ordinary average Indian to pay for the new rail fare by giving him good wages and an enhanced way of life.

There is news today that the school text books for class 11 and 12 will not have any chapters on Marx and Engels or on Russian revolution. In a state that was ruled by communist party for so many years, and which has now voted out communist party, the students should know that communism had once ruled. The new elected leader perhaps feels that by erasing it from history books,all will forget history. Actually this move would mean control of thoughts, its like re-inventing new form of communist ideology.
There are other methods to deal with poverty, and the needs of the poor.Always hammering on "common man" syndrome would not work. How  to implement successfully the policies for erasing poverty is more important.The ordinary citizen should be enabled to travel paying the new fares.His standard of living must be raised.

Communistic ideology cannot find a solution to problems in India.It cannot bring equality in India. We have a long history of institutionalised inequality which cannot easily be erased. Western ideologies imply that all men are created equal. Our religion has taught that all men are created unequal and there are innate differences among men. We have to evolve new ideology to deal with our problems. Policies will have to be adopted for the uplifting of the backward castes and tribes. Good educational systems will erase,in due course of time, various  inequalities.Controlling thinking by banning books or erasing chapters will not work. We cannot "stop, re-wind and erase" history or "control undo" history. And a "roll back" in history(education is healthy) is preposterous, is this a free India?

Today's crimes and negotiating with the criminals

There are many new enemies threatening us and those that threaten from within are most difficult to deal with. At present the Maoists are holding the state to ransom. They have kidnapped a foreign tourist and an elected leader and have bargained with the government to release 27 prisoners in exchange for the freedom of the two kidnapped persons.The government has agreed and negotiations are going on at present.
Just a few days ago Tibetans were protesting in New Delhi and one of them died in a self-immolation bid. After this happened, all Tibetans in New Delhi were arrested. It was so absurd that all those who looked "oriental" were arrested. Right to protest is put down but  who gave "right to kidnap" and "right to bargain or right to trade-off" and government negotiates with them. This is setting a bad precedent for criminals.

Long range implications of crime and punishment must be thought about before sending out "orders" for mass arrests. And right to demonstrate has to be upheld in a democracy. Protesters must not alight themselves and commit suicide. And suicide is punished by law in India. Self-immolation is not martyrdom, its just trying to seek glory in death. 

We must rethink what is crime and what is not. And crowd mentality --mood or fury should not mean "arrest all". Protesters will be heard, and should be allowed to protest.Police can announce that suicide is against the law.

Instead of guns and 'lathi' or sticks, police will need to use tear-gas shells to disperse crowds and fire extinguishing cans to stop self-immolating people from committing suicide.New tools for combating new crimes.

BRICS-Our role in building future

The fourth edition of the BRICS summit was held in the capital of New Delhi last week. The nations like Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa represent half the population of the world. Our leaders made new guidelines for growth for all nations by cooperation. India has made great strides in the international arena in organising joint ventures, collaborations, in cooperation and transfer of technology. And most of all, trade amongst nations. This will make way for other cooperative relationships.

Our needs are self-evident; we have a big growth in labour force, and we have to find gainful employment for all of them. We can learn how from other developing nations. We have constraints and limitations in fields like energy, in food stores and in water availability. And we need sustained economic growth and not just a spurt of growth. Energy production along with energy consumption has to be addressed. Green growth with ecology-friendly energy utilisation with limited use of fossil fuels is urgently needed. Although our per capita income has increased, there are extreme inequalities. By encouraging trade we will make sure that our economy grows. We have deficiencies in global governance and we have to come up with a plan for development of all. If we succeed in good trading relations, then scarcities can be eliminated.

India is strategically located and plays an important role in leading the nations of the developing world. All countries of the BRICKS have common problems like prolific urbanisation, and its allied ills like sanitation, water management, water drainage, transport, energy efficient structures etc. And all are affected by prevailing political climate which is causing world’s economic instability.For example price rise of oil.

We signed agreements to extend credit facilities in local currencies to reduce dependency on the dollar as a medium of currency.  To bring the economies of the BRICKS nations closer, we can invest on each other countries stock exchanges without currency risk. India and Brazil had made several pacts for mutual cooperation.We are, as bricks, building the future of the world as we play a central role in making of a new                   global order.Earth hour was observed two days ago when we had turned all lights off from 8:30 to 9:30 at night.....

Imaging the imaginary poverty line

For making welfare schemes for the poor, an imaginary poverty line is drawn distinguishing the categories which need state's assistance. Counting the poor and identifying the poor was done as per the slogan,"garibi hatao" or remove poverty was promised by contesting parties. And back in 1974 ways were devised to draw the imaginary poverty  line. Today the focus is to respond to the needs of the "aum admi" or the common man. But this common man has to be identified first. When the yardstick of "28 rupees per day income" is used, the number of people who fall below this line is very  few. That is that the number of below poverty people identified by the state is low and providing food subsidy for them would be easy. It was said that this yardstick was devised by the data on the state of economy in 2004-05 and when this was told to the public it was 2011.By then cost of living had increased considerably. And in 2011,this number was inadequate in defining the present poverty level.Now the line of 32 Rupees per day for urban areas and 28 Rupees per day for rural areas is the new adjusted figure. Even this is too too low to define the poor.

Now it is understood that the imaginary line is not a good tool to look at poverty.Other perspectives can be investigated. Consumption patterns, malnourished children, health of the individuals, clean drinking water, whether their children go to school, whether they live under proper roofs(pukka roof or thatch),whether they are the desperately poor or the vulnerable category and so on. How to make people afford food, shelter should be the angle of investigation rather than how to provide for the poor.There always will be some poor classes, but development of all should not be stalled. 

As per committees made to enumerate the poor, only 30% of the population are really really  poor, but additional 16% above them are given subsidy of free food along with them.After this 30% more people who need subsidy are also under public distribution scheme.That is 76% of the population will need food subsidy. Only 24% of the population are well-off enough not to need state's help.

If the state spends on food on such a huge part of the population, then how will have funds to allocate to spend on health,on research, on education, on development of infrastructures, on defence  expenditures and on payment to the state's workers?