I got back home from having a snan in Godavari at Nasik Kumbh mela just in time to watch Kumbh mela of another kind on television: sangam of politicians and industry leaders at the inauguration of Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet 2015.
The seating arrangement on the dais was as usual: a few meters between the chief minister and dignitaries. But what really shocked me is the use of adjectives by Minister P.Thangamani Minister for Industries and Transport to describe Amma, many of which he could hardly pronounce. In contrast, I was surprised to see honesty of the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman. She addressed the gathering with statistics, devoid of any superlatives for Amma. In fact, she refrained from referring to her as Amma and stuck to Honorable Chief Minister.
One could visibly see the irritation on Jayalalitha's face during Nirmala's address, while Amma was found glowing in pride during Thangamani's address. You must check JayaTV Chanel or on YouTube and watch these segments.
Can electricity be generated from lies?
Every speaking delegate had only good things to say about Tamil Nadu. And as always, Jayalalitha was too proud and arrogant about the little success of her government. I and My Government dominated her speech, giving no opportunity to be humble and contradicting one of the adjective used to Thambidurai.
I almost fell out of my chair when Chief Minister said that the state will soon be power surplus and that plans are in place to generate electricity from various sources. Had only electricity be generated from lies, Tamil Nadu would have never faced deficit.
While Hon. minister of road transportation and highways Pon Radhakrishnan and many other addressees were proud to make their claims and announcements, they must not forget to work on the areas where they will have a long-term impact on their success.
A glass half-empty
Tamil Nadu accounts for the highest number of road accidents in India accounting for 13.6 per cent of all accidents in the country. With 66,238 accidents in 2013, 11.3 per cent of all road accident deaths and 15 per cent of all road-related injuries, according to data provided by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, what is the state and central governments doing to combat this misfortune? Is it due to increase in alcoholism in the state?
Power Crisis
From a power surplus state in 2005–06, Tamil Nadu has become a state facing severe power shortage over the recent years due to lack of new power generation projects and delay in the commercial power generation at Kudankulam Atomic Power Project. How does the state and centre governments plan to meet the present and future electricity demands if they are rolling out the red carpet?
Literacy rate doesn't translate into addressing social evils
Tamil Nadu ranks at 14th position among 30 states with 80.17% literacy rate - 2011 Census. But this literacy rate doesn't post obey impact infant mortality, women welfare, health care, child sex ratio, child sexual abuse and violence against women.
- More than 30 per cent of children in Tamil Nadu aged under 5 years are underweight, raising serious concerns about their healthy growth and development. More than 30 per cent of adolescent girls (15–19 years) and half of pregnant women (15-19 years) are anaemic.
- The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in Tamil Nadu is 22 deaths per 1000 live births. Although this is lower than the national average, almost three quarters of infant deaths in the state occur within 28 days of birth and 77 per cent of neonatal deaths occur within the first seven days of life (Early Neonatal Mortality).
- The state reports a child sex ratio (0-6 age group) of 943 females to 1000 males, which is lower than the State’s sex ratio of 996 to 1000. The child sex ratio for rural Tamil Nadu is further lower than the State ratio at 943 to 1000. According to the 2011 census, there are seven districts where the child sex ratio is much below the state average.
- According the 2011 census, 1.4 per cent of children in Tamil Nadu aged under 14 years work as child labourers. The constant challenge in child protection is the huge inflow of migrants and their children working in labour intensive sectors such as construction, brick kilns and cotton seed production.
- Child sexual abuse and violence against children are serious concerns in Tamil Nadu. The National Crime Records Bureau reported that child rape cases increased from 292 in 2012 to 419 in 2013.
- While the state has reached a commendable 100 per cent enrollment rate at primary school level, quality and equity in education remain a concern. Specifically, the transition from elementary to secondary and higher secondary education need special attention.
- More than 75 per cent of rural households do not have toilets, while about 25 per cent of the urban population does not have access to toilets. Where toilets are constructed, only one third of family members use them.
Source: http://unicef.in/StateInfo/Tamil-Nadu/Challenges
Unemployment
Though getting investors to invest in the state will reduce high unemployment rate:
32% for urban and 15% for rural (2009-10), let's not forget that TN is in 8th position just above the national average of 34% and 16% respectively.
Rapid rise in alcoholism
Lastly, Tamil Nadu ranks third in alcohol consumption after Punjab and Andhra Pradesh.In volume terms, the state tops the list as a result of higher taxes, they said. The survey findings by Assocham say that rural families spend 27 per cent of their income on alcohol, while the urban population spends 38 per cent. Alcohol intake in youths between the 19 to 26 age group in hostels has registered a whopping 60 per increase over the years. Is Inebriety pride of the state?
Final shock and surprise
None of the speakers failed look at the half empty glass and highlight what can corporates and industries do to improve the situation and poor statistics that I've shared above. Investment alone is not enough for the success of the state, the industries must engage in CR&S initiatives to care for the people who will directly and indirectly help them succeed.
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