IT’S TIME THAT WE REALISED WE ARE BETTER OFF

As usual, I sat in front of the telly for the Independence Day address of the Prime Minister, an annual ritual I have become habituated to. Expectedly, Dr Manmohan Singh started by paying his obeisance to the Mahatma and Pandit Nehru in India's path to freedom. Then came the startling but true scenario of today’s India - a country which is still plagued by poverty, illiteracy, hunger and backwardness.
One of the promises made by the PM was the creation of new employment opportunities for the youth, especially the poor. It is a known fact that unemployment is a major factor in our country. But when we take the case of our State, things are different. There are no lack of employment opportunities. For our people, employment only means Government jobs. Look at the number of jobs being created in the service sector. There are hardly any takers from amongst the bonafide Sikkimese. The ever booming tourism sector for instance. How many of our locals are reaping the benefits? Same are the cases with other sectors. The opportunities are definitely not lacking but they are not being taken. The definition of unemployment is "the condition when people are willing to work but there is no work", which sadly is not applicable to Sikkim. There are a hosts of job opportunities available but our people are not ready to grab them! Still people crib about unemployment. Isn't it ironical? When the leader of the Nation is talking about MGNREGA as employment opportunity, shouldn't we acknowledge the fact that Sikkim abounds in multiple vistas for earning your daily bread, ranging from organic farming to opening of 7 star hotels! Is this not call development?
A sad statistic revealed by the PM's I-Day speech was the mention of malnutrition among the children, a shameful challenge faced by India even in the modern age. But again if we compare this with our State, well, it is for us to see and conclude. Our children are not only being well nourished but their nourishment is taken care of even before they are born. The expecting mothers are given iron and other supplements for their health as well as to deliver healthy babies. The ICDS centres are well run in the State and have also started providing free uniforms to the children. The mid-day meal scheme is much better implemented in our State compared to rest of the country. The other day, I was watching on TV about mid-day meal scheme in a school in Karnataka and I was appalled to see the food served to the students. The cooks were made to measure the rice in a small 'katori' and then fill the vessel with water. The teachers, in order to provide some nutrition were bringing a kind of local herb from the fields to add to the gruel! Unfortunately, the herb too was no longer available due to scanty rainfall. Just compare this to our schools, where meals consist of rice, dal, veg/ non-veg items!
An important declaration in the PM's speech was imparting training to the youth, in other words skill development through National Skill Development Council. This would mean imparting short term training of 6 weeks to 6 months. Well, well. Sikkim has already made giant strides in this front. The Directorate of Capacity Building was established almost 3 years ago and Livelihood Schools have been established in almost all the constituencies. What is being envisioned at the national level has already been implemented in our State. So, shouldn't we realize this and doesn't the Government deserve a pat on the back? Another example is the PM's sop of giving relief on interest for housing loans of less than Rs 5 lakhs. Corresponding to that,what do the Sikkimese people have? Chief Minister's Rural Housing Scheme and host of other schemes for the under privileged.
As for the education sector, as expected the PM harped on providing quality education. Many a critic will argue with me and say the same lies with the Sate Government. Agreed, our education system is not without its vices, but as far as the standard and quality of the so-called government school education is concerned our State can arguably be a front runner. The facilities and the avenues provided for the students by the Government are, I feel one of the best in the country. The Chief Minister's Meritorious Students' Scholarship Scheme(Class V toppers of Govt schools are sponsored by the State Government in best public schools of the country) and Chief Minister's Special Scholarship Scheme (Students securing admissions in top 10 universities of the world are sponsored by the State Government) are facilities unheard of anywhere in the world. Such steps are for the upliftment of the lower sections of the society. Even a child from the poorest of the poor can dream of studying in India's best school. This dream can realize only in Sikkim!
Over the years, we Indians have seen many Prime Ministers delivering the I-Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort barricaded by glass walls for security reasons. This very fact proves that our country is not safe and security is beefed up mainly during the national day. It was of no surprise when PM Manmohan Singh mentioned about the incidents of violence in Assam as well as his concern over internal security. But in this field too, we are blessed. In spite of being a border State, Sikkim is known as a peaceful State. However, it is high time we value our prevailing peace and security. They have not come on their own. Due credit has to be given to the Government and the people. A stable Government in the State has no doubt ensured peace, security and communal harmony.
Today, we are far ahead in almost every field as compared to rest of the country. Our forte lies in our unity in diversity. We are one of the younger states of the Indian Union but let us prove that in our youth lies our power! (pun intended)!
Karma Bhutia [recvd on email]