It happens with me and I am sure it happens with most of you. In our country whenever and whichever place we go, destitution is all pervasive in various forms. It manifest itself in the form of small children begging on the road, in the form of underpaid labour working roadside in hideous conditions, in the form of long qui in PDS outlets and government hospitals, in the form of old and senior citizens making physical labour for subsistence and many more.
Every time ‘we’ the common man see this picture, feel like doing something for these people but are helpless. So to satiate our feeling of doing something for these people we give money to beggars, donate money to temples, but on an all this all goes waste as it does not contribute towards improving lives of these people.
But this is all problem which everyone talks about, where is the solution, the solution in which we common man can contribute. Let’s try and find some ways in which we can do something or the government can do something to help common citizens contribute towards uplifting the quality of majority of our populace.
We Indians are very generous in terms of giving money to beggars, this is because they are all around us and giving money to them is an easy & convenient way to satisfy our soul. But the money thus donated goes waste making the people dependent on such generosity. There is a solution to it, let us open donation counters in all banks and government offices, the money received through which will go to prime minster relief or development fund. People visit such places on daily routine and would definitely find this a convenient way to donate money (because this way we will know that our money is going in the right hands and will be used for the right purpose). This way money can be clubbed and directed towards various existing & new flagship programmes for poverty reduction.
One underlying reality and a source of great advantage is that despite of being poor and earning quite less a day, poor in India want to and actually save money, but do not find proper means to do that. Banking facilities lack in network to distant places and where they exist, they do not have properly devised schemes to mobilise small savings of poor people. This asks for a unique solution; let us create a mobile infrastructure in all such places. The kiosks or other shops will be provided with a mobile phone with specially formulated e-banking facility; the owner of the shop will accept small deposits in cash (Rs 20, Rs 50 or any amount) and will recharge the customer’s account immediately( same way as we get our mobile phones recharged).The shop owner will get a commission in exchange. This will encourage poor people to save and mobilize their money for investment.
Other way is the one, seeds of which have already been planted but needs to be nourished with more dedication and attention, i.e. Micro Finance. This simple methodology of financing poor and needy people with small amounts of money holds scenario changing capability. All it calls for is that government to encourage banks and other institutions to provide micro finance to poor people, so that they are empowered to come out of poverty on their own.
The theme is that government just need to take steps which facilitates and provide direction, PEOPLE of our country holds the muscle to write and change their own destiny :)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Need Salary!! but for what??
‘Why do you want to enter politics?’ ask this question to any aspiring politician and if you are his confidant, then the answer will be ‘lot's of power and money’.
Then why the entire furore politicians are making in demand over their salary hike. Is the fact hidden that politicians in India live a life no less in grandeur than a King?, in fact even the CEO of big MNC’s cannot afford living like their political counterparts.
Let’s try to find out the rationale behind the demand from MP’s for the same.
One factor could be the ‘play of ego’!! “How a class one officer in SAIL, NTPC or any MNC can earn double the amount I do, when in case I am far above him in hierarchy”, Fair enough a reason if the politicians ignore asking themselves ‘who does more work, the SAIL/MNC guy or I’ . And fair enough a reason if they can ignore the fact that the free accommodation they receive on Lutyen’s zone in Delhi, costs near 2.4 lacks a month in rental at market price.
Other reason could be ‘to ensure and to attract intellects, efficient people in to politics it is bare necessary to pay good salaries’. But wasn’t politics or parliamentary setup introduced for the service of society? Isn’t that we require those people in the setup who wish to work for people and not for money (which as a matter of fact is provided in abundance).
Or the reason that ‘once the politicians start receiving good amount of salary, their appetite for money received through unfair means will reduce and so will the corruption’. But quite alarming is the reality that compared to 80’s and 90’s, corruption has increased in direct proportion to increase in salaries now. In fact the greed for money will increase, take an example of a man who earlier earned Rs 1000 a month and use to ask for Rs 10 as bribe, now with increase in his Salary to Rs 3000 while powers remaining the same, wouldn’t he be expecting more money as bribe( as Rs 10 has reduced relative importance for him now).
Between all this, one funny and one of its kind thing is taking place, nowhere in the world people are the sole members of the committee which is formed to decide their own salary structure (as Govinda says ‘this happens only in India ;)
My personal view over the issue is, incentivise the remuneration structure of MP’s. Put some amount as basic remuneration and link other as incentives based on performance or development work undertaken ( May be this way for their own benefit they start doing work).
Then why the entire furore politicians are making in demand over their salary hike. Is the fact hidden that politicians in India live a life no less in grandeur than a King?, in fact even the CEO of big MNC’s cannot afford living like their political counterparts.
Let’s try to find out the rationale behind the demand from MP’s for the same.
One factor could be the ‘play of ego’!! “How a class one officer in SAIL, NTPC or any MNC can earn double the amount I do, when in case I am far above him in hierarchy”, Fair enough a reason if the politicians ignore asking themselves ‘who does more work, the SAIL/MNC guy or I’ . And fair enough a reason if they can ignore the fact that the free accommodation they receive on Lutyen’s zone in Delhi, costs near 2.4 lacks a month in rental at market price.
Other reason could be ‘to ensure and to attract intellects, efficient people in to politics it is bare necessary to pay good salaries’. But wasn’t politics or parliamentary setup introduced for the service of society? Isn’t that we require those people in the setup who wish to work for people and not for money (which as a matter of fact is provided in abundance).
Or the reason that ‘once the politicians start receiving good amount of salary, their appetite for money received through unfair means will reduce and so will the corruption’. But quite alarming is the reality that compared to 80’s and 90’s, corruption has increased in direct proportion to increase in salaries now. In fact the greed for money will increase, take an example of a man who earlier earned Rs 1000 a month and use to ask for Rs 10 as bribe, now with increase in his Salary to Rs 3000 while powers remaining the same, wouldn’t he be expecting more money as bribe( as Rs 10 has reduced relative importance for him now).
Between all this, one funny and one of its kind thing is taking place, nowhere in the world people are the sole members of the committee which is formed to decide their own salary structure (as Govinda says ‘this happens only in India ;)
My personal view over the issue is, incentivise the remuneration structure of MP’s. Put some amount as basic remuneration and link other as incentives based on performance or development work undertaken ( May be this way for their own benefit they start doing work).
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Good and Evil.....who wins will decide the game
Jesus used to tell to his followers about the eternal and the only truth of life. That entire world manifests in just two words ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’. Now this can be interpreted in many ways, but so far no consensus has been reached.
One interpretation is that whatever exists in this world and whatever any human being thinks, does, intend or convey has one and only one root i.e. the balancing act of Good and the evil. Good is often related to Love and Evil to hatred.
Long following and the recent unrest in the beautiful valley of Jammu and Kashmir can also be traced down to the same balancing act. Consider the reason and the purpose which these unmindful people give for creating such social unrest. For militants it is the love for their people, their religion, their motherland which pushes them towards display and expression of hatred towards those whom they consider a threat. For the successive governments in Pakistan it is their love for ego, for self esteem, for power which makes them breed hatred as a tool of self-defence.
For the victim people who come out on roads to show their displeasure and anger by creating civic unrest, it is their love for the unconscious hope of ‘soon living a fair and happy life’ which makes them show hatred. For the religious leaders who take advantage of people’s feelings and misguide them, it is their love for the purpose they consider they are born to fulfil.
So great the god is to create the feeling of Love and so unfortunate we are to use hatred as a means to relish love.
This interpretation clearly depicts the cause for the existence of ‘Bad’ in the world. The very assumption that love can be achieved or experienced by using hatred is wrong. What we need is not the stringent punishment for those who commit such acts, but the very understanding that love can be achieved only by love.
Hope someday people will realise the real purpose of humanity and there will be no place for hatred and suffering but only LOVE.........
One interpretation is that whatever exists in this world and whatever any human being thinks, does, intend or convey has one and only one root i.e. the balancing act of Good and the evil. Good is often related to Love and Evil to hatred.
Long following and the recent unrest in the beautiful valley of Jammu and Kashmir can also be traced down to the same balancing act. Consider the reason and the purpose which these unmindful people give for creating such social unrest. For militants it is the love for their people, their religion, their motherland which pushes them towards display and expression of hatred towards those whom they consider a threat. For the successive governments in Pakistan it is their love for ego, for self esteem, for power which makes them breed hatred as a tool of self-defence.
For the victim people who come out on roads to show their displeasure and anger by creating civic unrest, it is their love for the unconscious hope of ‘soon living a fair and happy life’ which makes them show hatred. For the religious leaders who take advantage of people’s feelings and misguide them, it is their love for the purpose they consider they are born to fulfil.
So great the god is to create the feeling of Love and so unfortunate we are to use hatred as a means to relish love.
This interpretation clearly depicts the cause for the existence of ‘Bad’ in the world. The very assumption that love can be achieved or experienced by using hatred is wrong. What we need is not the stringent punishment for those who commit such acts, but the very understanding that love can be achieved only by love.
Hope someday people will realise the real purpose of humanity and there will be no place for hatred and suffering but only LOVE.........
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