A Wake Up Call!!!

Hats off to the Supreme Court!!! On numerous occasions have i seen the politicians using the law at their own will. Heating and bashing the law suits, molding them and coining as much money as possible. It doesn’t matter even if they stroll over fortunes of thousands. The week saw two decisions taken by SC which do pour water on their motives. Quota dispute and the cauvery row have been the most vexed issues for some time. Cauvery issue though not that significant nation-wide, but i did find the verdict as really interesting. Honest disclosure, am not here to pass my judgment over the issues. But really could not hold myself from lauding the SC’s respective benches.

Quota dispute has been one of the hottest topic of discussions over the last one year. The year saw huge rallies, protests and discussions among “so-called” leaders presenting (or rather forcing) their views. Nebulous were the intentions of the political parties; the restlessness of thousands of the youths following them, with a hope to get some respite. What was rather clear was that the decision cannot and should not be taken with 75 year old data as yardstick. And thats what SC acquainted and slapped Center Government to “determine who is socially and economically backward”. OBC quota gets a stay order, with aspiring students getting a bit of relief. Observation of the bench was “Reservation cannot be permanent and appear to perpetuate backwardness”. Harsh though, but true to the core. What I further fancied was the SC’s verdict for center’s plea to vacate the stay order. Slammed was the government “to stop playing the game first and then framing the rules”. This was a proper slap to the self-centered politicians trying to cash the issue during the elections. Way to go, Division Bench!!!

Cauvery verdict has also seen huge protests in the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu post HC decision. SC passed a verdict asking CM’s of the two states to show some “Statesmanship”. A simple reason was stated that “any order passed is bound to trigger protests in the aggrieved states”. Not only have the bench members refrained from deciding the fortune of the debated dispute but also provided an option to confront the nation wide water-scarcity issue. Hope the “Statesmen” do understand the humble intentions.

Both the verdicts are indeed wake-up calls for the politicians. But what i fear is that the problem is still far away from being solved. Center’s not ready to give up the quota issue so easily, eying the elections. IIMs are still not clear on how to carry the admission process forward. Students stand midway, confused, staring at their hazy future. Our politicians are engrossed completely in debating what literally statesmanship is. And We, the mute and deaf people, are busy blabbering and listening to our Mp3’s. Paradoxical Indeed!!!

Long haul ahead: Laloo gift hamper is a basket case

Aloo is still there in Samosa, but Laloo has been thrown out of Bihar. The people from Bihar wanted change and they voted for it. Hope now the government(I have intentionally said government because I don’t think Bihar has seen any governance for the past 15 years) try fulfilling majority of the promises they have made. Nitish Kumar’s first post-victory statement: I will focus on good governance. But given the state in which Laloo has handed over Bihar, Nitish has to first decide where to begin.

• A seventh of India’s population below the poverty line. Rural poverty is as high as 41%.
• 89% of BPL (below poverty line) families do not receive ration benefits
• 3.50% of households without food sufficiency (national figure: 2.3%).
• Lowest literacy level 48%—compared to national average of 65%.
• Primary enrollment rate for 2000: 52% compared to 77% nationally. Only state where primary enrollment fell in the 90s.
• Number of schools per million: 629 (national: 1,036).
• Indicators for women worse than men— 14% fewer enrollments for women and a literacy gap of 26%
• Only 10% children fully immunized.
• Maternal mortality rate: 707 per 100,000 women die within 6 months of giving birth. National average of 404.
• Only 7.9% of homes have latrines (national: 18%)
• Lowest utilization rate for centrally funded programmes— it forfeited one-fifth of central plan assistance between1997 and 2000.
• Its spending on health, water and sanitation has actually come down in the last 3 yrs: from 6.5% to 5.49% of the total public expenditure.
• There is a link with poverty and slow economic growth— it has averaged to less than 4% by 2002. The first casualty is critical public services.