UPA recently completed 3 years in office (second term) at the Center and AIADMK completed one year in office at the State level. Looking at the full page advertisements that appeared in most newspapers flaunting the achievements I asked myself a simple question, how much has the Government at Center and State has impacted my life? Is it an audit/accounting exercise, like how Corporates publish their yearly Balance sheet or have they really delivered on their schemes and promises? What is there to celebrate 1 year and 3 year in office?
Only expenses but no ROI
I read Amma’s achievements and as I walked down the street and realized my life in Chennai has not changed a wee-bit with those grand schemes 500 Crores allotted towards Chennai Mega City Development Mission (sewage treatment, garbage disposal, drinking water, potholes free roads). Storm water drains are being constructed at their own pace and leisure, every newly laid road is dug up the next week by Telephone or Metro Water and finally there is garbage strewn over the streets and people still continue to defecate in public places and open air. TNEB is running in red for so many years and so is TN Transport Corporation, but the Government fails to understand there are other ways to turn around things by reduce pilfering and transmission loss than just raising bus fares and electricity tariff. Lot of investment and spending decisions made by the Government seems unreasonable, and goes unquestioned. Science and statistics don’t work for Government. Remember, spending is not an achievement.
There is nothing wrong in converting an Assembly building into a Hospital, but Government should ensure Chief Minister MLAs, Counselors, and Government Servants get their free medical facility only in those hospitals and would have to spend out of their pocket if they decided to go private. The reason why our hospital infrastructure is so bad is because people in power don’t go there and instead go outside the country for their treatment. For sure these politicians and are policy makers are far from ground and reality.
Amma’s release of Vision 2023 seems very futuristic, but is definite to fail if the fundamentals are not in place. Who are they trying to fool? Is it us or them?
The games we play….
Center blaming the Global economy for the state of affairs in the nation, UPA allies threatening to withdraw support and bullying policy makers and State Government blaming the Center has just become the only games these people can adeptly play. When our Finance Minister blamed Greece crisis for rupee depreciation, I felt it was heights of ignorance or may be public is numb to this kind of mind fuck, that needs no protection and needs only ignorance to take it with stride. Mamata Bannerjee ousting the Railway Minister and making the Government do a partial roll-back has become a modus operandi for allies. 3 years in power and the UPA Government is still trying to bring the scamsters from Common Wealth Games, 2G, ISRO Devas deal, Coal gate are far from being brought to justice, while ministers are busy watching pornography in assemblies and people in position of power are found in compromising positions in Court chambers. Where is law and order in this country? The educated stopped questioning the government department and rather than fixing broken links and processes in Government offices have learnt to pay bribes and find a way around.
When Rome was burning…..
One year maybe too short to expect quick turnarounds, but definitely those advertisements only show expenses incurred, but never measures the true outcome. Food grains continue to rot in heat and rain, crumbling infrastructure, and a black hole in supply chain is killing common man with overheads leaving India starved to meet basics need and devoid of values. Yet we will want to run our loss making Indian Airlines and modernize with new fleet. The Government looks through the microscope and PM lauds microscopic achievements during the 3rd anniversary celebration.
So many bills are stagnant in front of the Parliament for discussion and decision making and in the last three years, what achievement is the UPA government bragging about? Is it the achievement of staying in power despite scam after scam, bargaining with allies, and obstruction of justice in many cases?
When country is in fiscal deficit, rupee buried in the valley, inflation on the peak, and reputation of Indian Government at stake, who are these advertisements trying to fool? It is estimated that TN Government spent in excess of 25 crore on a single day and it supposed to be a record. If you look at the content (almost resembles what I shared via power points in IT board rooms during client meetings).
Our Law Minister Kurshid, while speaking to Barkha Dutt on NDTV and says “People world all over are unhappy”, is he eluding that we Indians must also feel unhappy and it is his Governments duty to ensure uniformity and we resonate the feelings of the world around us?
Our Law Minister Kurshid, while speaking to Barkha Dutt on NDTV and says “People world all over are unhappy”, is he eluding that we Indians must also feel unhappy and it is his Governments duty to ensure uniformity and we resonate the feelings of the world around us?
Mountain out of molehill.....
These advertisements by both Central and State governments are making a mountain out of a molehill and it is print media who benefits from my tax money.
1. Announcing grand schemes, trouncing schemes announced by the earlier Government, and slapping cases against former ministers seems like a favorite 5 year activity while in power. There is no benefit any policy brought us, because we killed it before it started to bear fruits.
2. Giving away free milch cows and goats in rural, free power and seeds to farmers, guaranteed rural employment scheme, RTE, etc. the Ministers and cabinet of advisors have no clue if any these schemes would benefit the needy and poor. There is no study or research done, and most of it just targeted at possible vote bank.
3. No officials are on the ground and perform checks to ensure if the schemes reach the intended and they benefit from it.
4. And we still let our PM read the report on Malnutrition report and let him go unanswerable and unaccountable.
60+ years have gone by since we turned independent and though we would like to brag that we are the largest democracy in the world, but in reality we are far from being developed and we, the citizens settled for less than mediocrity. Government after Government has come in and has miserably failed to provide the basics, yet we cast our votes every five years to bring the next set of criminals to power.
The choices we make….
I have already stopped watching news channels, maybe it is time that I give up reading newspapers which is mostly negative and filled with scams and scheming plots and live in a delusion of being in Paradise. Sadly in a Democracy there is no way to question a Government for 5 years and even if people questioned, you know the fate of people like Anna Hazare, RTI activist and whistle blowers (many have been killed - For ex: Kerosene Scam in Maharashtra, Land Scam in Karnataka, Quarry scam in Tamil Nadu, etc.). And anyone who has expressed his displeasure through writings, blog posts or art have been jailed like our neighboring country, China. Where is free speech in a Democracy?
So, Who is at fault for making wrong choices – is it you or the government you elect? We made wrong choices and we trusted the wrong people in power and as a result our suffering list is growing longer every 5 years. It is time for self-reformation before prescribing the same to our parliament and parliamentarians.
My blood boils when I see 30% of my salary deducted at source and going into Government coffers to fund this mind fu**! Darwin says only the fittest survive, maybe I should developed immunity to survive the game of mind fu** or get infected and join the game?
