Indias wrong priorities .

Source, telegraph  news on line version

An impending price rise that is likely to raise India’s budget for a key vaccine by less than Rs 100 crore has prompted the government to seek an international donor’s help at a time it has built a showpiece statue for an estimated Rs 3,000 crore. Two senior health officials declined to speak to this newspaper about the implications of the IPV price rise or reveal how long the already procured IPV stocks are expected to last. The health ministry will have to justify a higher budget and protect our investment for polio eradication and secure it through continued universal IPV immunisation.” global donor community would likely be surprised at India’s request for intervention to address the IPV price rise. A UK media report said Britons were “outraged” that the Indian government had spent so much money on a statue while Britain was sending 1.17 billion pounds in overseas aid to the country. British MP Peter Bone was quoted by The Daily Express as saying: “To take (pounds) 1.1 billion in aid from us and then at the same time spend (pounds) 330 million on a statue is total nonsense and it is the sort of thing that drives people mad.”

intolerance towards minorities

All along we were believing that Indian democracy’s strength lies in  concepts of secularism and solidarity in the midst of diversity . Till today  people of this nation are living in peace, friendship and  tolerance towards with one another   despite India being a multi religious, linguistic,  racial and cultural  nation. But of late as the author feels , high degree of intolerance  is shown towards minorities especially the Muslims . If the leaders following right wing ideologies alone are now  engaged in dividing the society through their intolerant views , statements and actions we need not worry to a greater extent, , because in a vibrant democracy like India, matured voters will take care of it. But   the danger lies in the fact that, majority of youngsters who are active in the social media seems to have been thoroughly  brain washed by the intolerant ideologies expressed  day in day out thorough media by the  leaders of right wing parties . They spit venom on minority communities and accuse them  all the time of non patriotism and anti national activities  in their social media comments.   Is it good for India’s future if these many youngsters have intolerant mindset  towards minorities?   

Strike by Tamil Nadu teachers

Lesson from unresolved protests

Lessons for the government.

 The government in a democratic nation is not supposed to handle a protest by the teachers in this manner. Right for peaceful protest is a right given to the trade unions.  Destroying them through demonstration of mighty government power and thereby creating fears to the protestor’s mind about their future survival is the practice of military rules. If the students welfare had been the top priority   the chief minister could have met them and given some assurances and explain the reasons for inability to meet some of the demands. This is the beauty of the negotiation instrument . A ministers’ open announcement of the teacher’s salary is not in good taste. The teachers right in asking how during the present financial crunch the IAS and IPS cadres latest salary and arrears are paid and MLSs are allowance are revised twice. Let the government also realize that, the general public will question from where they get the money for grand birth day celebrations of their leaders, statues and memorials and who is responsible for the financial mismanagement of the government funds?

 Lessons for the teachers

 Any protest by any union will succeed only if,  there is public support and their member’s full support. All the teacher’s demands are very genuine and are long pending demands. They could have chosen the examination time as a pressure tactics. But it boomeranged due to the adamancy of the government to call them towards the negotiation desk. The parents and students opposition to their protests happened because of their failure to convince the students and parents about the genuineness of the demands. Yes, as one teacher points out it is not going to be easy for the teachers to tell their students to fight for justice with courage and confidence. But even now they can tell them about trade union instruments and honestly explain why they have failed. 

Quality of engineering education in india

What facts the Anna university vice chancellor has revealed in his interview to The Hindu (27.1.19) is not shocking to the news readers and observers of professional education quality in India particularly, the engineering education. He has shared his experience  about the Ariyalore college students pathetic condition .How do we expect students staying in such environment  to  show  brilliant academic performance ?There are many more c such  private engineering colleges in India which produce only herds that usually go no where .   Various expert committees and employers have been giving comments about the worst quality of our engineering graduates . Yet no serious measures have been taken till today .  Students are wasting  their precious 4 years and when come out they  are shocked to find out about their  unemployability . Parent’s ignorance about the dangers facing their children after spending so much of money and years is helping  the various mafia groups to indulge in profiteering activities  in the higher education sector. Various expert committees and scholars have time again are giving enough warnings to the engineering colleges managing bodies and to the government regarding  this explosive situation. Yet , the government   is not paying priority attention to the wastage of  young human resource.

unemployment scenario in india

All the facts and figures presented in the article, “By  the shape of the job crisis “,  by Santhosh Mehrotra ( 13. 2. 19) In ThE Hindu  very clearly conveys  that,  very soon our demographic dividend which happens rarely in the history of a nation  may turn into a curse if timely measures are not taken to prevent it’s wastage.  We have observed that,  China  has reaped the benefit of demographic  dividend through integrating industrial strategy with education and skill development policy as the author  has stated .  But, we have not only failed to do so which is the correct strategy to follow , but has committed certain other blunders.  Our investment  in human capital formation is highly inadequate compared to several other emerging economies .  Moreover, we have failed to draw the skilled women workers into the job market through the needed incentives  and  we have missed the  great chance to mobilise the huge  potential savings of the young  skilled workers whose working life span is longer by keeping them unemployed for a longer time.  Demographic dividend may soon turn into a liability   for India  if, the young and productive human resource  is   kept unused and under utilised for a long time . This situation will create drastic social , economic and political consequences   if, corrective measures are not taken  immediately.