WHY A POOR INDIAN (FARMER) SUFFERS… (3rd Apr 2010, 1115 Hrs)

In one of the weekly magazines, I read the interview of Mr. Kaushik Basu, who is the Chief Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Finance. The gentleman has had a 15-year-stint at Cornell University. He has been awarded a Padma Bhusan and is currently working closely with the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime Minister to achieve future growth for the nation.

In his interview he did not mince a single word to confess that the money which is meant for the poor never reaches them. And that government should get involved directly in three major areas, namely Food, Healthcare and Education to serve the poor towards a better future. However, our country has just the opposite policies in all the three mentioned areas. It is indeed true that the country cannot provide everything for everyone but an attempt has to be made. We are a 63- year-old democracy and the biggest democratic country in the world, so why we have not been able to achieve the basic necessities to provide succour to the poor Indians?

These problems surely need a serious thought by one and all, in fact, every single Indian. There are as many as 250 million plus (it is more than 60 % of the 1.2 billion plus population, in fact) poor people in India according to Mr. Basu and yet when it comes to budget allocation, the majority of poor have always been neglected by the nation since the last six plus decades. Mr. Basu believes that subsidies should not be given to the producer rather it should be given to the poor consumer directly to provide solace to their depriving state of living conditions. Yes, our government does just the opposite.

Simple solutions are made to look complicated and then there is no looking back to solve the basic problems. The government knows that farmers are committing suicides, yet there is no law and order situation to stop this crime in the rural belt. However, when there is even one suicide case in the city, everyone is there to highlight the plight of the urban situation shouting from the rooftop. Why there is so much INEQUALITY when every Indian has the RIGHT TO EQUALITY as one of the Fundamental Rights of being an Indian?

I only wish instead of pointing fingers at others, we start doing our bit… yes, it is about my DUTY towards my nation and I believe my RIGHTS will follow me automatically. This is one of the main reasons that I have dedicated my life to save few affected farmers’ families to make them self-reliant. Please don’t think what a single man can do… remember if every single man contributes, the collective efforts will do wonders for each one of us and the nation. So start from today… in whatever little ways you think you can contribute towards a better future for your children and grandchildren… I have thought about them… are you thinking?