India is on the threshold of a new era of prosperity and progress or a breaking point. These are two extremes which face the nation today one can pick up anyone of the two options available to us depending on ones choice of deciding to state weather the glass is half full or half empty. If one were to look at the pace at which our industries, particularly in sectors like I.T. and hospitality are growing with Indian entities becoming world players one feel that we are entering a new age of prosperity.

On the other hand if you were to observe our performance on social front by looking at the poor state of health, sanitation, power supply or water for drinking which is leading to riots one would have to agree that one should forget all the progress or high rise buildings coming up and also any talk of India as emerging world power because we are close to reaching a breaking point. Even the growth of economy is not balanced as our cities are witnessing growth which is converting them into slums, as they continue to attract more and more migrants as jobs are drying up in rural areas.

Our major achievement of sixties was self sufficiency in food production and that is under threat and the job of feeding our growing population even though a major chunk of them are undernourished and underfed is becoming more and more difficult. Our yields have become flat and no more land s available for increasing production. The demand for land from all sectors including the need for producing food, commercial crops and industry are putting great pressures on it.

Thus the scenario presents opportunities as well as challenges. The country is certainly ready as far as talent to meet these challenges is concerned, but one has a problem as far as the ability of our politicians or people in power are concerned to rise and provide the kind of governance that is required to prepare the country for overcoming major deficiencies in our basic infrastructure and turning a huge asset in terms of young manpower into a productive asset. At present a major chunk of young men and young women getting education in small towns are simply unemployable.

We require a major change in our approach if the current shortages in requirement of trained manpower are to be filled and large numbers of unemployable young men are to become asset for society by getting trained and becoming employable. The tragedy is that over the years we have created facilities with eye on numbers without bothering about the quality. This will have to be changed if India is to become a major power in the twenty first century.

The same position holds good with respect to meeting basic requirements of power, water supply, roads, health care and education. In all these sectors there are big gaps between quality and quantity. Our cities allow high rise buildings before making cities ready for them. New colleges were opened without adequate staff or infrastructure. The story is same with respect of our efforts in all fields where infrastructure is concerned.

Obsessed with need to get votes we provided power for agriculture free but today all are unhappy as farmers feel that free power has no meaning if the same remains elusive for major part of the day while electricity boards have gone bankrupt because they were unable to meet their obligations. In recent times riots for poor power supply, poor water supply or absence of it totally has led to coining of new terms like power riots, water riots and the next on list may be food riots as is happening in some countries of Africa.

I for one agree that India is better placed as compared to many countries of third world as well as some major powers in the world, but it does not imply that these problems do not exist. In our middle class homes power back up systems inverters or power generating sets have become common so is the use of water purifications systems. This has happened as supply of both these essential items has become erratic and unreliable.

The need for having back up systems is understandable in industry or large commercial establishments and essential services, but there is something wrong if they become a part of normal life. Such systems are inefficient and costly and come as a last resort. Unfortunately what may be considered as a stand by has become part of the system. Same has happened in our transport system where personal vehicles like cars and two wheelers are choking our roads because we have no public transport.

The problems listed above are part of an unplanned growth and lack of good governance. There can be no substitute for it as beyond a point private sector initiative makes no sense as there are certain tasks which have to be performed by the State. At times we have shown that we have the ability to do so as it happened when Delhi was made ready for Asian Games in 1982 and soon will host Commonwealth Games and in the near future may offer to host Olympic Games. But immediate need is to give top priority to infrastructure building and manpower training before this country becomes chaotic.

EMAIL THIS NEWS COMMENTS No comments yet