'A silent revolution of soil, sanitation and social security'

As a Member of the Empowered Committee on "Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Implementing priority program" I recently had an opportunity to review some excellent work done by district administrations on four main areas of incremental development, namely - Soil Health Card, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna, Swachh Vidyalaya and Swachh Bharat Gramin.  I was very pleased to note that enormous progress has been achieved under these program in the country. 

 Under Soil Health Card scheme has provided an opportunity for the rural communities to get expert assistance on assessing soil productivity and effectively enhance its quality.  This would gradually support the budget announcement that within the next five years, the income of farmers would be doubled.  Like the 'white revolution' that occurred decades ago through enhanced milk production, the soil health card scheme has ushered a 'brown revolution' that would enhance India's soil productivity and food security in the coming years.

Under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna, financial literacy, women's emancipation, insurance coverage and a broad general monetary accountability have been established. This has not only empowered the rural communities, but also has made it possible for the Governmental schemes to reach out the last mile in terms of distributing the monetary benefits.  This has initiated a strong 'monetary revolution' in the country.

The Swachh Vidyalaya scheme has established clean toilets in the school and ushered a 'sanitary revolution' by way of inculcating the spirit of cleanliness among the children.  Particularly for the girl students, this has been an endeavour of guarding their honour.  This has been a silent revolution, firmly having foothold in the most important sector of our young generation.

Under Swachh Bharat Gramin, cost effective toilets have been constructed in rural areas with adequate water supply and complete waste management, thereby subduing the open defecation habits.  This is a scheme of fundamental importance to our national life and is a part of the steadily strengthening 'sanitary revolution'.

I have seen substantive supporting data on all these schemes and am convinced that India is changing from the foundation level of our social cultural life.  These schemes and their enthusiastic implementation have begun to change India from within.  I am particularly encouraged by the fact that women administrators have excelled in implementation and deserve recognition and professional rewards.  What is far more important is that the achievements of these processes are to be adequately publicized.  People's representatives, social change agents, media, publicity machinery, political workers and relevant governmental entities are to be effectively engaged in spreading the message of this success in order to motivate all stakeholders in the country.

The media and the people are normally engaged in simply sensational news, rather than with the information of positive development.  This situation needs to change.  A campaign needs to be sustained for this purpose, regardless of political considerations.  Bringing national and international visibility to this foundational change in the country will come a long way in transforming India into a clean, productive and socio-economically vibrant country.  And a proper broadcast of this kind of positive information will also enthuse those who are lagging behind on these schemes.

The Government of India should initiate a well structured campaign to publicize this 'silent revolution of soil, sanitation and social security' among the masses as these programmes have taken India strongly on the path of Millennium Development Goals and the post 2015 MDG agenda, thereby heralding a new era of Indian rural resurgence.  The national and international campaigns should highlight these aspects, as well as the role the women administrators have played in this direction.  

V.K.Saxena      

Chairman

Khadi & Village Industries Commission

New Delhi

Phone no- 011-23724690

Fax No-011-23724693

Email ID- chairmankvic2015@gmail.com

Faith and Filth - Varanasi's double extraordinary parade‏

I returned from Varanasi on 13^th, which rallied behind our future Prime Minister.  While people of Varanasi have given   a smooth road to success for the 15th Prime Minister of India, it is truly a bumpy road for those who trudge everyday in those lanes and by-lanes of this holy city.

A gynecologist relative of mine in Varanasi spoke about the hazards of reaching a pregnant woman to the hospital without risking an untimely abortion.  The potholed roads, unfinished bridges, bamboo poles for power lines, broken water pipes, dilapidated buildings, smell of roadside feces.... well, the city where the dead are cremated is a direct hell for those who live there.  In all the years of our independence, it does not appear that anyone truly governed and developed this city.

 If anyone wants to describe Varanasi in just two words - it is our capital of faith and filth.  Millions of Indians descend on the city to bathe in the holiest of our rivers and pray in one of the holiest of our temples.  They spend a lifetime planning for this pilgrimage and parade the streets in the intoxication of immense faith.  That is one aspect of Varanasi.  On the other hand, filth too parades the streets, the river and every open space of this holy city and the sights and smell appall you all the while.  By far, it is one of the most  filthy cities of India that I have known.

The cities of faith the world over - Vatican, Mecca, Karbala, Mashaad, Jerusalem, Bodh Gaya are all incomparably cleaner to Varanasi.  Our own Somnath, Mathura, Amritsar, Ajmer are far more cleaner and receptive to pilgrims than this high symbol of Hinduism.  With its metaphysical image of faith and physical image of filth, Varanasi is an injustice to the nation delivered by the successive Governments of  UP.

It appears that this city of faith waited to repose faith in the future Prime Minister of this country, to deliver it from filth to modernity.

V K SAXENA
PRESIDENT
National Council for Civil Liberties, Ahmedabad -

Who wants a Shabana certificate!

So, Shabana Azmi does not want to pass Mr Narendra Modi as a Prime Ministerial candidate. 

She gave her usual eccentric and forensic point of view that he has blood on his hand.  She even quoted an absurd reasoning that since he is still denied US visa, he cannot be a Prime Minister for India.  With that, she has joined the select band of US agents in India, whose loyalties belong partially in Osama-land and then in Obama-land.  

Shabana Azmi and  her husband Javed Akhtar appear to think of the country as some kind of talent contest on prime time television, where they often sit as judges and pass remarks.  They have their own strange sense of judgement and they take their seats in the gallery far too seriously.  And being true to their allegiance to Pakistan and Yankeestan, they always hide behind the name Godhra, even after the Supreme Court of India has cleared the matter. Javed Akhtar is a Trustee of the infamous 'Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and Sabrang Trust run by Teesta Setalwad.   CJP and Sabrang Trust goes with a begging bowl to foreign countries  and  collects donations by showing its own country in poor light.   They bleed India from outside its soils and eat away its integrity from inside in a combined 'leach and termite' effect.  Denying India the benefit of development by worming through its poor intestine is their pastime.  So, they search for blood even where there is none.  For the eyes that are bloodshot, every hand appears to have been dipped in the red.

It is strange that this famous pair does not raise its voice when Akbaruddin Owaisi wages war against the country through his inflammatory speeches, when M.F. Hussain paints an Indian goddess in nude to humiliate millions of Indians or when the Pakistani troops in J&K hack the head of an Indian soldier and throw away his body for the vultures to eat.  

And what is Shabana's formula for a person to be a Prime Minister?  Perhaps, he should have a US visa, should ensure that she gets another nomination to Rajya Sabha and should not come from Gujarat.  She neither cares for development of this country nor for people's voice.  It is for her to judge, after all - since her family has this experience of judging on prime time television.

Javed spins stories and Shaban acts.  For them, the nation is a theater. But it is different that people hardly take their views seriously.

V.K.Saxena

President

National Council for Civil Liberties

Ahmedabad.