CRISIS OF INDIA'S YOUNG HUMAN RESOURCE

The 2009 National   Youth Readership  Survey indicates that the three fourths are matriculates. Here the system needs to modify/change itself to address this very important issue from national strategic perspective of future of our country as it involves the quality of future human resource .  In order to remedy the present stalemate We have to differentiate the "EDUCABLE" from " TRAINABLE". As well identify  that is both "Trainable as well as Educable" as this segment is useful  to impart further education and become Teachers/professors as well as Vocational Trainers.  All this needs to be done by testing them from 8 class onwards. The educable should be encouraged to carry on further studies by subsidizing their education and the Trainable should be channelized to the Vocational stream. Here comes the log jam of gradation of  our job vs pay structure system in which blue collar jobs are placed at the lowest end of  the spectrum. We need to address  our  industry as well as society's  mind set  in which it will be possible that a blue collar worker  will be able to  earn as much as a top grade civil servant/ executive  with equal experience. Only than the talented trainable segment will be  encouraged to become vocationalised. Other wise the societal mindset of "SADA MUNDA B.A  KAR RIHA  HAI JEE" syndrome will continue and keep churning out  Graduates with no  job  avenues. Here the academicians need to step in - Instead of having Graduates with Physical Education, History and Punjabi  as subjects which hardly provides any avenues  for jobs ,what needs to be done is that  Universities  need to sit  with local  industry  and involve them to take the initiative soonest to dovetail, change and modify their syllabus to create education degrees that guarantee jobs in the industry.  Coming to public sector they also need to sit with government also  which needs to provide   new job duty profiles  to the university as much has changed in the govt also in wake of computerization and management study advances. You  do not need clerks –but you need computer executives/ operators, You do not need caretakers but we need Managers to run various govt facilities .Incidentally  the science stream ensures  job guarantee but there are  numerous support systems in Industry that requires arts  stream trained graduates . This needs to taken up immediately. This will ensure that the courses are job oriented and the student population gets channelized post matriculation phase onwards into educable, educable cum trainable  and trainable streams. The above given suggestions need  immediate govt as well as industry support otherwise the matriculate segment is likely to grow resulting in youth unrest and be a good recruiting ground for movements like naxalism etc.

SECURE INDIA FROM INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THREATS

We need to resolve once for all that terror needs to be dealt with a coherent strategy , all shades of indians united as a people and IT NEEDS TO BE DONE ON A PRIORITY BASIS immediately. We, more than one billion people with nationalism as a top agenda with no place for petty political squabbles should realize what we are facing is a full fledged diplomatic offensive by our uneasy neighbours on our very existence by challenging our very established borders and lines. Inside Naxals and Kashmiri stone pelting are a front but for discernible eye there is no smoke screen to see the obvious as these are a challenge to a United prosperous India. USA might because of compulsions to deal with Pakistan may have different views on issues which concern us also but we should have our nationalism agenda cut out with some flexibility built in. We must remember any problem not dealt with in time frames festers like a wound. I also think that why a terror attack should only unite us and why we should have any fissures at all politically while dealing with national sovereignty issues . Does not it needs to be looked from all possible angles which cause these fissures in the first place. Is the situation beyond redemption or still by some bold political action the situation can be salvaged or remedied. We as a country including the loud mouthed politicians and the silent intellectual majority need to introspect what has gone wrong.
To do all this we need a national will to change certain things which have gone wrong and need culling .additions, modifications and curing. This is a long term and time consuming measure but there are some short time measures which need to under taken soonest. I think the most pertinent is to secure our borders - sea air and land by unscrupulously honest Indians who will not falter on the twin alter of duty and honesty. Their compensation packages should be the best as we need to get this out of our mindset the WORK PAY comparison .Please for god sake do not compare forces (includes every body who is involved in tasks which demands guts like NSG commandos going in for sure death while operating) with others including babudom while deciding pay commissions because blood will always sell dearer than ink. Any body who is on a high risk assignment give him more –nobody will grudge that because they are the one who make you cozy in your well furnished AC rooms .By giving them the most handsome salaries and making them above financial allurements -you are securing them against one of the weapons used against the citizens of any poor country - the weapon of financial allurement /bribes which we have seen has been used all over the world by the terrorists in advancing their designs. But IF they still falter in the line of DUTY than nothing less than capital punishment for TREASON should be given because this is the biggest crime a citizen can commit against one's own country. If we need to amend the constitution/IPC make new laws/acts and any other legal statutes -we need to do so post haste. Why we must move on these issues with alacrity because we are moving into an era where our resources of safeguarding ourselves are getting spread thinly but of the resources of terrorists are fast getting concentrated. A day is not far when you will under the threat of a sub kilo ton nuke threat or under the threat of a biological/chemical bomb. This is a real possibility with Al Qaida and the likes. We need to train more and more small groups from the armed forces, Para military and police on NSG pattern and this should be a continuous process because terrorists actions in future may give you a very short reaction time - they could go in initially before the terrorists establish and others could later build on them. We must train civilian volunteers also to reduce reaction time -Let us not leave every thing in the hands of a few elite forces and just watch TV - remember we are plus 100 Crore. Also needs immediate attention is the bureaucratic delays of intelligence interpreting which should be curtailed by having an agency that works 24X7 which acts and reacts on real time basis. We do not need to announce we killed so and so master mind but we need to follow the Israeli zeal in going after the perpetrators of such attacks on our sovereignty..Let them feel we are not a soft state and they can get away like Kandahar hijacking any more because this time in Mumbai we have shown that resolve to seek out and go for the kill come what may. What we need to appreciate is that we need to need to watch ,patrol dominate each cove and beach by physical presence as well as electronic means because without doing so we will remain very vulnerable . I am sure that India incorporated will not hesitate to contribute some percentage of their profits if GOVT OF INDIA is short on funds to execute such elaborate and fool proof border control measures so that we all citizens of this great country can have a safe and secure environment to run our daily lives and businesses. It goes without saying that actually the central government is the sole agency which decides how to secure this country's frontiers and coastlines.
 I appeal to all the decision makers and well meaning individuals in places of power not to waste this chance to secure our borders now and do what actually we should have done after 1993 Bombay blasts so that we do not have repeats of 10 terrorists holding our nation hostage for 60 hours. It is never too late to make amends.

GOOD GOVERNANCE DELIVERY VERSUS NUMBERS OF POPULATION

I want to bring the discrimination based on population numbers vis a vis the quality of governance to the notice of our ever alert politico bureaucratic system. As we are all aware that when there is a provision to have a Lok Sabha constituency based on the population numbers . It is simply surprising that why we are not applying the same principle when we come to the delivery of services by the state to the same population at the district administration level. My question - Is Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Ludhiana holding charge of 30 Lac population ( as per census2001) more efficient than the DC of Moga with a population of 9 Lacs approx ?
As we all understand that the cutting edge of efficient or good governance is the delivery of services and regulatory services by the Deputy Commissioner as he is the sole repository of power in a district.Therefore we need to have a re look on this whole issue. Major cities which are already having Commissioners of Police system need to have Multiple DC level officers under an Additional Commissioner if the hierarchy needs to be established with the Divisional Commissioners. My point is that why should a concentration of population in a particular district due to its industrialisation, religious significance or geographical situation on GT road be denied the right to good governance just because our system allows only ONE DC PER DISTRICT. When police can increase their numbers to match the crime rate as per population - I think we have more than one reason to increase the numbers of persons directly responsible for efficient and effective delivery of governance. The need of the hour is not to provide more additional deputy commissioners but increase number of DC's that is the delivery system heads. Hence existing district administration organisation needs to replicated twice or thrice as per the numbers of population which need to delivered these services while keeping the loose geographical contiguity of areas in mind. This will bring in transparency and faster delivery of services.
Why deny these facilities and rights of faster and efficient delivery of services to the public when you are charging and earning more revenue from each square yard sold and bought in these over populated districts. Therefore there should be no lack of funds and hesitation to spend on the salary and establishment of these additional organisations and posts . This is the responsibility of the state to make good governance available to its constituents in the shortest possible time to eradicate corruption and avoid need less harassment to those being governed which is enshrined in our constitution.

CWG MANAGEMENT : IT SHOWS WE CAN NOT MANAGE

It is time that we start evaluating ourselves on the international scale. Why can not we plan properly , why can't we get the venues ready six months before he start of CWG. Who did not know that August and September are months full of rain which would not let you free sunny days to finish construction work. But why be at the mercy of the rain gods.WHY WE CAN NOT PLAN, EXECUTE AND TEST IN SUCH A MANNER WE ARE READY WITH ALL SPORTING FACILITIES 6 MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT . WHY WE ARE REBUKED AND TOLD BY OTHERS THAT WE ARE NOT UP TO THE MARK IN CREATION OF THE FACILITIES. It only lays bare the lackadaisical , callous and laid back approach of the organisations involved in the execution of the provision of sporting facilities at all the avenues. I do not think we need some foreign CWG official to tell us how filthy are the games village facilities. My dear fellow country men time has come to introspect. What we expected others to say in hushed tones is now being said loud and clear on the international media about our ability and approach to holding such mega events. Why do not we fix responsibilities at highest level,why do not the ministers resign, why bureaucrats are still clinging to their jobs by the skin of their teeth. is is said it will be done after the games are over but please do it. Why we keep claiming that we are about to join the developed countries league. Yes we are about to join but before that let us first change our attitudes and work culture to sustain our place in the league of the developed countries. Let us first have a re look at the system and our work culture in which we spend crores to build facilities but do not even spend thousands to keep them clean. It is being said that WE INDIANS ARE BEST IN CONSTRUCTING BIG BUILDINGS BUT WORST AT MAINTAINING THEM. But here in this case we have not been able to get them up and running forget about maintaining them . Can somebody own up responsibilities and resign or leave high pedestals on moral grounds to own up responsibilities and lackadaisical attitude of their respective organisations which have brought us this national shame.

CONGRESS PARTY URGENTLY NEEDS INTRA PARTY DEMOCRACY

There is some very needy, sagacious,timely and plain advice to the Congress Party.The oldest Democratic Party of the country needs to become democratic from within rather than be labeled a party of sycophants. These observations are in line with the actual observations made by most grass root workers of this party albeit in low tones and in murmurs . This is a very timely and needy warning given because if the party aspires to install the youth icon Mr Rahul Gandi as the next PM after the next elections than it needs to start becoming truly democratic in right earnest.
Nominations prevails in the set ups where the party bosses do not have confidence in the intra party democratic institutions, grass root and middle level leadership. In such set ups the hanger on and chamcha giri ruins the entrails of the edifice before the party realizes but than it is too late. Or it prevails in the parties whose party leadership is hugely popular where again the leadership becomes almost dictator like which is against all sorts of democratic values and norms .
It is for Mrs. Sonia Gandhi to decide which way she wants to react whether to nominate or get the state office bearers elected. Her image has grown in the eyes of aam aadmi when she spurned the PM’s job offered to her on platter by the party. Mind you in such sycophantic cultures certain positives are also there like the movement the party boss says elect the leader and office bearers and send the list to me that is also taken as a diktat.
For Congress party to abandon the basic sycophantic culture is easier said/ written than done because it will very difficult for the party to apply and adopt the intra party democracy. This is so because a culture like sycophancy settles itself in a political party over a period of time and spreads its tentacles far and wide to make a network . Due to this network the party leadership is surrounded by sycophantic beneficiaries who have gained immensely from this culture all along . The movement the party becomes strong democratically intrinsically these sycophants who are precariously placed in the party hierarchy normally come tumbling down or are exposed as root less leaders. It will be interesting to watch if the party leadership bites the bullet of true democracy or not.

TALKS MUST BEGIN EARNESTLY

We need to talk to Naxal as well as Kashmiris. Mother India read government needs to bow down from the high pedestal to embrace the erring sons . In reality situations sometimes Mother India could also be wrong in dealing with her children. Faster the process of national reconciliation is begin the better it is for country's long term integrity. Politicians for once need to forget their personal agendas and adopt a national perspective to SAVE INDIA FROM DISINTEGRATION as planned by its enemies. Our politicians need to learn to follow their head and heart as human beings rather than hidden agendas dictated to them by their respective party ideologues.Politicians across the spectrum need to abandon the established hardened non productive political posturing adopted till date to find lasting solutions that have eluded us for long so as to bring peace to the areas if we stand committed to become a developed nation.

The U.S. Withdrawal and Limited Options in Iraq | STRATFOR

The U.S. Withdrawal and Limited Options in Iraq STRATFOR

THE LARGEST DEMOCRACY NEEDS IMMEDIATE ELECTORAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS

The conservative Indian society is having promiscuous political character, I think that the average Indian or the AAM AADMI is so fed up with the electoral system that he participates in it in the most disinterested manner. The suggestion on rejecting the candidate with criminal records is worthy of consideration by the electorate but what will happen where people have to make the choice between the lesser evil of the two then I suggest that the time has come to put another button on the EVM - a button for rejection with the party symbol saying REJECTED and if any candidates receives 5 percent or more of the total votes polled as rejection votes then the election should be declared null and void thus forcing the main political parties to change their rejected candidates . Till this type of deterrent is introduced in the system, the political parties will keep nominating sophisticated goondas to fight elections because elections needs money and muscle power and who else has it in plenty other than these. Another way to look at this problem is that it has been established that the muscle and money both play their role in the elections so let us accept that the problem exists ,understand its depth and width across the political system's spectrum. After understanding this malice fully we need to look for changes which might seem radical today will ensure that the DEMOCRACY in our country is strengthened and it survives .
The politicians of all hues and color have honed the art of governance or misgoverning and making use of the MUTE book called constitution. The present system of governance at both centre and state level can be described as a group of walkers (clean looking , self serving ,dishonest and vain persons) taking a blind donkey( call it People) around a park ( Call it the Pseudo Democracy Park) on a path shown in the mute book( The Constitution) to complete the five year journey in a manner which benefits them the most while starving the donkey which carries them . This has been happening since last six decades. This park is now well known to these walkers and is tended by a huge force of gardeners ( the Bureaucrats) . Both the walkers and gardeners use the muteness of the rule book and ever growing weakness of the donkey by taking short cuts and overloading the donkey with tax burdens.All this actually suit the ends of the bureaucrats to somehow prolong , facilitate and increase the hold of these uneducated or semi literate politicians over a large mass of people who actually are not aware of their rights because they have been deliberately kept uneducated and thus remain disinterested in this political drama which is enacted every five years.
The time is here and now to have a look at the level and competence of those ruling us through the present system The time is now to seek changes in system by a national referendum where the caste factor is nullified, the regions are banished, the clans are influential no more and the lineage does not overcome merit. We actually need a system where accountability of Mumbai like terrorist attacks not only falls on the state home minister who resigns after lot of cajoling but also holds the STATE HOME SECRETARY equally responsible and who should have come out openly and resigned on moral grounds or should have been sacked. Actually they are the ones who should have been taken to task for inaction, for poor intelligence, for no preparedness at all , no anticipation of such events and thereby causing loss to national prestige and loss of innocent lives. This I dare say because bureaucrats are the persons who are actually planning and policy making ( not the minister who actually is more worried to get elected next time or save his place in the cabinet as was the case in Maharashtra ).Till today nation has not seen any Secretary( Bureaucrats) resigning but only Ministers resigning, generals being sacked -be it 1962 Chinese aggression or Mumbai terrorist attack.
For example the desired or proposed system will have only those as ministers who know the subject or portfolio they are supposed to handle and not just because he is one MP of the TWO MEMBER PARTY who is supporting the new dispensation required to reach the magic figure of 272 to keep the govt from losing a no confidence motion. We need to change the system with a better one because this vicious and self serving system is a gift to this nation which has been put in place after a lot of hard wasteful labour and paper work of bureaucrats with the tacit support of political leaders of all parties during the last 63 years who have by collective and willful deceit and profound planning have made a mockery of an excellent well meaning document called INDIAN CONSTITUTION . The biggest beneficiaries of the system are bureaucrats who have settled the system in such a manner that the politician remained at their beck and call while in actuality should have been the other way around . At the same time the system has benefited literate ,not so literate but cunning and clever political leaders , some of them may not qualify for a job( if asked to qualify in a written test and interview) barring a small minority and here in the present dispensation they control cabinet secretaries and other intellectuals. We INDIANS need to have RE- LOOK on the efficacy of our present political and administrative systems !

PROTECTION OF WHISTLE BLOWERS UNDER RTI - WHY IT IS REQUIRED

AT LAST PROTECTION OF WHISTLE BLOWERS
Some action in form of a bill likely to become an act of Parliament! But why so late............... Any way it is a good beginning to protect the whistle blowers but why did the Govt wake up only after precious lives have been lost! It is a well known fact that events are reflective of the society in which they occur. The killing of Mr Satish Shetty a RTI activist of Pune was a grave pointer to the things which are in the offing for other whistle blowers like him or the future ones who are to follow this blazen trail of RTI activism because slowly but surely it is becoming a national empowerment movement. Firstly the whole nation must salute social activists like Mr Shetty for his indomitable courage to expose corruption and he needs to be honoured by Government of India so as to honour his actions and to encourage future and existing RTI activists. Time has now come when the bureaucracy and political parties have to acknowledge that the system which is corrupt and is being nudged into action by the RTI users and being made accountable is the same system which is carrying out murderous attacks on the ones who are exposing its dirty under belly . This very system is trying to stifle the voice of these RTI activists who are being very ably supported by the media of all types in their fight to cleanse the system or uncover its misdeeds.The need of the hour is to provide fool proof security to such RTI activists who need and ask for it. Another issue to which no thought has been given is provisioning of extra man power to deal exclusively with the RTI work load which otherwise is being done by existing staff in the government and other public funded organisation. There is another matter which requires immediate executive action to recruit extra staff where it is felt absolutely necessary to deal with RTI related work load so that RTI users get information in time every time and information provisioning is not delayed because of non availability of staff due to their being busy in other matters or non availability to deal with RTI matters.

INDIA NEEDS TO BUILD NEW CITIES

A study shows that India by 2026 will need 14 Delhi's or 18 Mumbai's or 30 Bangalore's! But how do we create so much of livable urban space or locate the resources and people needed to deliver it?
In many ways this will be the key challenge facing India for the next few decades. It is high time to change the development model- the time has now come to sustain the development of the already developed cities and towns . Time has come now to FOCUS AND CHANNELISE MORE FUNDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL TOWNS SO THAT THEY ARE DEVELOPED INTO U;TRA MODERN CITIES REFLECTING THE INDIAN ETHOS AND CULTURE.
The sole answer is to plan them in a better way. It will be easier to plan /replan these small towns because being small they have a very small baggage of non planned development. Thus these towns will be easier to redefine according to the new plans and models so as to develop these into towns with all modern amenities.
LET A NEW INDIA EMERGE THROUGH THESE NEW TOWNS RATHER THAN CONTAIN,PRESERVE AND CORRECT OLD NON PLANNED FAULTY CITIES AS IS BEING DONE TILL NOW . IT IS BETTER TO HAVE NEW PLANNED CITIES/TOWNS RATHER THAN HAVE SEMI PLANNED CITIES/TOWNS WITH EVER GROWING SLUMS.

TIME TO TREAT SAFAI KARAMCHARIS AS SKILLED PERSONS

It is about 70 years ago when Gandhi ji suggested that we remove the practice of carrying night soil on heads by poor scavengers. In the modern times when so much has been said and done in terms of technology about Solid Waste management it is sad to note that very little has been done about the garbage collection methodology . And still little has been done to change the mind set of an average Indian (whether rural or urban) which  finds  that  garbage is untouchable and so are the SAFAI KARAMCHARIS and GARBAGE COLLECTORS.
Actually what  should have been the FIRST STEP to the chain of solid waste management has not been even thought of . I would like to solicit support every individual /organisation / NGO to bring a simple change in mind set of all fellow Indians. They must think about the garbage collectors when they pack the garbage for removal from their houses/establishments. It is time we make  the garbage safe for them to handle it. Although a lot has been done to make bio medical waste  safe through pollution regulations but not much has been done on the  common garbage frontbe it industrial or household.
We have to launch a campaign to make garbage safe (As discussed in my earlier blog on How to manage our GARBAGE ) because TILL DATE  GARBAGE COLLECTION SYSTEM HAS NO PARTICIPATION FROM THE COMMON CITIZEN OF OTHER THAN PACKING IT IN A POLYTHENE BAG AND KEEPING IT OUTSIDE THE HOUSE SOME EVEN DO NOT DO THIS ALSO!  Such garbage when handled by the poor safai karamcharis  is a very big health hazard.
 In order to make our country proud we need to make and maintain it as CLEAN AND NEAT AS POSSIBLE. To achieve this aim we need a committed ,well trained,motivated cleaning  work force. No body wants to opt for this profession because it is not properly projected and paid for . We need to change our method of maintaining public places, We need to make them as mechanised as  they are in the western world. We need to give dignity to the active participants  or cleaners so that a person takes pride in the job he /she is doing rather than being sniggered  on by others. As of now these persons are  those who remain at the lowest rung of  our society in terms of esteem,poverty and health.


 It is high time that we treat and accord  skilled person's status to    our garbage handlers/public or private cleaners/road sweepers/ public toilet cleaners/janitors and pay them much higher wages as compared to the meagre  ones being doled out to them now. We need to do this because  the job they under take to keep our national environment clean is not undermined and we dispose off our refuse in a manner as it is  being done in the most developed countries.  
So many JAT SIKHS OR SO CALLED UPPER CASTES PERSONS  are working as cleaners  in CANADA  and other foreign countries  and they get fairly and adequately compensated. We have to create an  work environment which ushers and  and nurture DIGNITY OF LABOUR . We need to pay wage rates which are based the difficulty of the job performed and let this difficulty of work reflect in the WAGES.Also the numbers willing to do these types jobs will also decide demand and supply. We need to make this job scientific,mechanical,hygienic,free from health hazards work.
This is required in order to give a message to the outside world that we are actually on road to become developed and we pay attention to things which hither to fore were not our priority. We need to do this fast if we want to join the league of developed nations and drop the tag of being from the  third world.

HOW TO FREE THE ROADS WHICH WERE WIDENED AT AN EXORIBITANT COST FOR FREE FLOW OF TRAFFIC IN LUDHIANA AND ALL ITS TOWNS

THERE IS A NEED TO REMOVE THE ENCROACHMENTS ON ROADS WHICH ARE DUE TO THE ELECTRICITY POLES/ ELECTRIC TRANSFORMERS .
INITIAL PLANNING CATERED FOR all govt infrastructure including electric supply poles/ transformers/water supply lines/telephone cables/optic fibres cables/sewerage lines/storm water pipes to be fixed/erected over ground/under ground on the govt owned land which happened to be roads,streets and their sides.
Due to the development activities taken up by the Central, State and Municipal authorities over a period of time the land on both the sides of the streets/roads has been paved with bitumen, PCC/ inter locking /simple tiles in order to widen them. The electricity poles and transformers poles stand there only where ever they were before the widening as no funds were kept aside to re fix them at an appropriate place to ACTUALLY widen the road. The fund paucity also adds to such absence of detailed planning and cutting corners is also done by authorities to appease the present powers that be. This job can only be done by the POWERCOM authorities which on request from the Municipal Authorities will have to remove and re-erect these again so as to free the already widened space for use by public.

1. As of now in the absence of such planning and execution the very purpose of the widening these roads and streets stands defeated.
2. In fact it has become a boon for the encroachers to put their good next to these poles and rehriwala/farrhiwala to put their goods next to these poles.
3. Wrong Parking close to these places which are made safe due to these electric poles is another factor to add to the parking and traffic chaos of the city.
4. At night during poor visibility periods these poles have become the source of many ACCIDENTS many of them fatal and lot of persons have lost their lives due to this reason.

Basically what is the remedy?
The Municipal authorities have to forward a request to the POWERCOM authorities. The POWERCOM engineers will be too happy to redesign the power lines so that the poles are removed REPLACED BY more sturdy poles which have strong cantilever angle irons for power lines to pass overhead OR they could put the wires underground depending upon the area and cost involved. Similarly the POWERCOM ENGINEERS could design strong iron rails platforms cantilevered to place the transformers on top thus freeing the space underneath for free flow of traffic.
As a resident of Ludhiana I am writing this to build awareness so that space is made free from all hindrances and obstacles which restrict the traffic flow of traffic IN LUDHIANA CITY AND IT MANY NEIGHBOURING TOWNS . This is actually a technical problem which exits on ALL INDIA BASIS . Since it is state subject an advisory can be sent to all states by the concerned central authority.

LUDHIANA A CITY -WHERE GARBAGE IS COLLECTED IN THE MOST PRIMITIVE WAY

In the modern times when so much has been said and done in terms of technology about Solid Waste management. it is sad to note that very little has been done about the garbage collection methodology and to change the mind set of an average Indian whether rural or urban which remains the same as centuries ago that is garbage is untouchable and so are the GARBAGE COLLECTORS. Actually this should have been the FIRST STEP to the chain of solid waste management. I would like to take your support to bring a simple change in mind set of urban people who generate the garbage so that the garbage they produce becomes safe when handled by the poor garbage collectors who remain at the lowest rung of society in terms of esteem,poverty and health.This method will reduce urban odours,reduce health hazards to garbage collectors as well as provide enough bio-mass and material to produce vermicompost, methane as well raw fuel for gasifiers to produce electricity. In order to give the outside world that we are on road to become developed we need to pay attention to the mundane things such as how we keep our environment,our cities and villages clean.
This article is with regards sensitisation of all with regard to the sanitation, hygiene and health of my city –THE LUDHIANA CITY . The city's main and inside roads are dotted with the garbage containers lying on the roads .Sometimes they occupy the about one fourth of the width of the road. Why they are a nuisance the reasons are not far to seek -
· They obstruct traffic by their very placement
· They emanate obnoxious smells and bad odors thus causing AIR POLLUTION.
· They invite dogs and cattle to feed on them leading to further traffic congestion .
· Most being without lids invite the swarm of flies to feed on thus ARE A GREAT HELP in spreading contagious and infectious diseases
Now coming to there placement on these roads and streets why they were there at all?
The basic reason was there was no planning at all during the growth of the old city into a sprawling un manageable collection of dwellings surrounded by slums at least on all sides. In fact none in Municipal authorities bothered to plan so as to have a modern garbage collection system .None planned to cater from the paradigm shift from a heap collection system at one corner of the street to a modern scientific collection and disposal system.So these collection heaps were converted into a brick lined structures/metal containers obviously made on the government land. The latest cosmetic change to these open garbage dumps being the covering on all sides by advertisement hoardings thus earning revenue for the Municipal Corporation.
What needs to be done?
The MC needs to do the following
Remove these containers/ garbage dumps from all the roads/streets
Evolve a system to place them in structures either on the government land nearby or buy small plots to house them in such structures which keep the garbage shut out from all the nuisance mentioned above .
· One way of doing this is that direct garbage collection from home and straight away taking it to the dump by vehicles as is being done in developed countries.
· The second way is to house these collection points in the sealed container like cement / metallic structures which should have the following essentials

• an inlet which is metallic/PVC made
• rubber sealed spring loaded top loading one way doors
• inlets which should be fly proof, rainproof/animal proof .

Thus by doing this all the health ,hygiene and pollution causing reasons will be eliminated.
Actually more ignored a problem is the more immediate action when noticed/brought to notice – it deserves. It immediate action per se and coupled with planning other wise with such a huge population and unorganized garbage collection system LUDHIANA is waiting to repeat a SURAT plague repeat.

P.S Local MP Mr Manish Tewari took up the case with local Municipal authorities and they have contracted a private company for door to door collection of garbage . Let us pray it actually happens!

A SOFT BUT FIRM DEVELOPMENT SPEARHEAD TO TACKLE THE NAXAL PROBLEM

 Recently DG CRPF has made a statement saying that the Naxals are our own people, they are not from outside and CRPF is operating within the country and not facing the enemy as a border guarding force. So that is why we have to be selective in our action against Maoists. He meant to home on to the point that these are our own misguided people and thus the strategy to conduct operations against our own people has to be different. In a sense we keep talking to them to find solutions to their purported grievances while at the same time deal with their armed cadres firmly to contain and defeat them thus bringing them to the negotiating table when our   forces have an upper hand. This is normal strategy.

 Naxalism is not a challenge only for the present day governments at center and state  alone but for our entire polity.  There is no doubt that the tactics of these groups to grab maximum attention they resort to very barbaric tactics which are not only inhuman which deserve the maximum condemnation. It is well known that they have no respect for human and democratic values and they needed to tackle with all the might at our command. But at the same time since they are so well entrenched in their areas of operations it is obvious that naxals cannot be merely treated as a law and order problem alone. Therefore force is not the only answer but surely more concerted efforts are required to eradicate reasons for growth and proliferation of the naxalite ideology. The need is to hit at its support base and thus reduce the breeding grounds of their cadre. Taking this argument to an actionable scale is the key to solution and which may ultimate game changer in our fight against Naxals. The solution is initiating a new process which is dynamic and gets results in quick time frames. This solution has to be two pronged instead of not the usual  immediate hit back as hard response. The one of the two prongs will be an effort to eradicate the causes and build confidence in new programmes to solve problems faced  by locals  by being proactive all the time and the second prong will be to  contain and corner them so that they come to the negotiating table.

The major reason for the disgruntled elements to form these groups to militarily challenge the lawfully established and elected governments is our skewed development model of distributing development goodies inequitably. This model started by our leaders with all good intentions actually failed to be flexible enough to meet the emerging challenges. This model was never challenged or audited by independent bodies so as to bring its fault lines to anybody notice. If at all any auditing of the development model has been  done- it has been  actually done by the promoters of this very model hence there is  always a tendency not to find fault and let the  same system carry on with minor cosmetic changes. The system has been  allowed to continue because the persons operating have  a premeditated thought process that it is not required to  change the established system and let it  stay  thereby actually glossing over  all the noticed flaws and fissures. If some bold, intelligent and a person thinking beyond the immediate pay earning syndrome has tried to bring about the need to change the system radically he has always been   in minority.

Keeping this as the backdrop -What next should be our agenda action plan to meet the challenge thrown by Maoists? Everybody knows that this war against  our own people has to be waged not for their bodies but for their  hearts and minds. Time has now come to understand the disparity of distribution of development spectrum or the development sunshine across the country. Most naxalite affected areas are basically those in which there has been development drought resulting in glaring disparity and deficiency when compared with developed areas of our country. These areas lack in basic infrastructure of education, health and communications. They are  totally devoid of any development activity therefore they breed contempt against the state as local people  perceive that their areas are being constantly exploited by the state by mining and tapping of the rich mineral resources while giving nothing or very little to them in return in form of development.

Time has now come to dump the old development model and look for a new model or a process. We need to formulate and initiate this new model post haste. The first step which needs to start the process is to immediately bring excellent governance to the people who have been deprived of it from long.

As most of these areas are remote time has now come to reverse the present  model and process of development. In the present model the administration is delivered from already developed cities and towns as these provide the cushy places for the state administrative echelons to operate from.

To achieve this the next logical step is to gather voluntary human resource in addition to one which is already posted in these areas. This human resource has to be enthusiastic, morally upright, hard working and which is ready to take calculated risk. This can be done by  asking  for volunteers pan INDIA from amongst all India services like IAS ,IPS and allied services  to serve in these affected states thus not limiting the numbers which want to participate in this national effort which otherwise would have been limited to the  cadres of these affected states only. We can ask volunteers who are willing especially from amongst young technical from  IIT’s  and non technical educated graduate/post graduates from management institutes like  IIM’s and other top ranking management institutes who are willing to be  part of this process. These persons so selected can be on contract to be  later absorbed in the services depending upon their merit, dedication, application of mind , results and delivery of programs. Mind you there are thousands educated youth unemployed wanting to participate in this honorable national task with honesty. Let us be optimistic in assuming that our youth are interested  and willing to take risks while participating in the process of  in national building . Let the government also ask volunteers from military and corporate world who would be willing to participate in this process of re-establishing the new development model in these difficult areas. As this model has to be established, run and settled in the most difficult terrain areas, interiors of jungles, inaccessible and remote areas to provide good governance it will not be very easy or a cushy job. We are sure that we still have 20% people from the above mentioned human resources who have the honesty and intellect to be the harbingers of this change while ushering in this new model. Next we will need to give administrative and judicial powers to the cutting edge cadres of this change.  Also  they need to be provided with basic amenities and incentives to build motivation and morale amongst  these volunteers  need to operate and perform in very harsh conditions .  

 THE NEW MODEL

It will be far wiser to spend and establish infrastructure in these remote places than spend on raising more para - military battalions which actually will be a wasteful expenditure without yielding the desired results. It is of no use raising armed battalions without removing the causes which propel, breed and encourage the maoist/ naxal activities and leading to the vicious cycle of  training para military cadres-encounters- training more cadres and more encounters and cadre training.

Now let us look at the scenario which is there . There are what are called remote areas - to simply put these remote areas are places which are far removed in time, distance and communications of all types from already developed areas . These remote areas are lacking in administrative, judicial and legal support infrastructure and other amenities which are otherwise is  being enjoyed by residents of the developed areas .

Time has now come actually to leave the well established administrative set ups in the developed areas in the hands of junior officials. This can be done because in these developed areas they have well established executive, judicial and legislative systems .In these seats of power at district/tehsil level the government be it central or state has already put lot of development funds to provide all types of amenities. The people of these areas are generally educated, well versed and more aware of their rights and they have access to judicial remedies against repression like RTI. But such is not the case with the residents of the  remote areas.

The time has now come for the top echelons of the district/tehsil officials to go and establish their new offices in midst of the remote places to provide just and fast administrative succor to the so far deprived masses. In doing so the state will be cutting the root of the naxalite propaganda tree which thrives on such lines like that there is no government representative to listen and solve your problems or the government in the centre/state is not sincere in solving your problems etc. In this there will be a need to allocate extra funds for development in the hands of the newly formed task force which should honestly spend these funds to kick start and speed up the development process avoiding typical red tape delays.We need to make a blue print and act on it fast before more and more districts of our country come under the category of disturbed areas.

TIME HAS COME TO MAKE THE AREAS TERMED "REMOTE" BECOME AS “NEAREST" BY PROVIDING ALL THE BASIC AMENITIES, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS . All this is achievable because the systems to establish these facilities have become very fast, sure and very developed due to scientific innovations as compared to the methods and facilities available when we started our development journey six decades back. We need to dovetail these new methods and processes in our new development model for faster , surer and timely delivery of these in these hitherto fore deprived and remote areas.

This requires prompt action as delay to deliver development models on part of administrative authorities normally leads to suspecting governments intentions. The basic focus should be to bring in programmes to act on the heart and minds of people which are fertile grounds for sowing the seeds of naxalism or otherwise. Speedy and transparent actions with good intentions will be the essence of this model.

This has to be done on a war footing as actually we are fighting a war where we are trying to just limit or eradicate a well established thought process. This new model will provide tools for amelioration of the genuine grievances of the area populace and thus these actions will deprive this naxal propaganda machine the reasons of the very being or basis of the outlawed organisation.

The need is to make the new district headquarters in remote and inaccessible areas permanent cannot be overemphasized. This has to be done so that people here do not view these as methods which are temporary and emergency/knee jerk reactions to naxal menace but they should actually believe in the redesigned model which has been customised to address their area's specific needs rather than a template method which is otherwise the case in all our development models.

What will be the most important element of this EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of the earlier development model will be the reversal of present model TO MAKE THESE remote areas into the BEEHIVES  of development activity and centers of excellent governance. In addition of course will be the WILL ,COURAGE, PERSONAL COMMITMENT AND MORALE OF THE CHANGE MAKERS of these volunteers.

As this model actually will be the model of future so that country ‘s growth process is equality driven,fair and just. We need this because in our country which has millions who are still illiterate, poor,living in remote/faraway places , living in tribes and people dependent on jungle for their livelihood . This model will cater to the needs of these deprived people who have lost the will to raise their voice against the atrocities perpetuated on them by the system as well as by the their so called protectors from the abusive system - the politicians and bureaucrats.

Today there are naxals/ Maoists’ in some areas tomorrow there will be some others who are dissatisfied . What we need to do is to set our own house in order and do it fastest before it is too late. As pointed out by evidence that Pakistan supplied or procured weapons are with naxals and this goes on to prove our charge that there are elements in Pakistan who in a clandestine manner are supporting our home grown insurgencies. All the above entails that we start the new process on an emergency basis and quickly as if we have to do something before an expiry date! 

Lt Col (Retd) Jasjit Singh Gill

[email protected]

09872458161

43 Defence Colony

B R S Nagar

Ludhiana 141012

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NEED TO EMPOWER FUTURE WOMEN POLITICIANS AND LEADERS

The women reservation  bill  for ensuring quota for women  is here and likely to become a reality.  A point to ponder is that  Are our women really ready to take up the mantle? 
The niggling doubt in mind  and unseen writing on the wall says -......"not at all".
Barring a few  women who  belong to  active political families  and have their fathers,brothers, in-laws families and husbands already in the politics , the  rest of women in the society are not trained,sensitised or ready for the role which is going to be thrust on them by this new women reservation. The reasons are very clear because in the house holds she is led by men and in society too she has been following her man from centuries. All this needs to be taken into account at this stage to mentor and groom future women politicians who are not from political background or lineage.
So  then what should be done by the powers that be - to make  women aware about their constitutional role and responsibilities from the level of  Panchayat to Parliament  pan India.
The time  is fast running out for Govt of India ( if it has the will) to really empower women. Because in actual sense they should prepare women before they bring in the legislation? But nobody is giving it a heed .  The  Central/state governments should start programmes  to  specifically train them. The future women leaders have to be educated ,trained and supported continuously  so as to help them to assume and perform their assigned  role   in the governance of the state at all the three tiers. This has to be done so that their husbands  do not usurp the actual powers while they  remain  just ornamental elected representatives. This cannot be done unless we train and test them  on their assigned constitutional roles. Otherwise they will not measure up to their male counter parts.
 

• The biggest challenge for a novice is to know and learn - even bigger challenge is to unlearn what they learnt which is wrong and follow the path which is right .
•  They need to be trained because in order to become good leaders they must know all about public administration and governance.
• It is required so that they  learn and know all about their rights, duties, responsibilities, rules  and regulations.
•  Above all they need to know the  functioning and character of present day  bureaucratic structure. They need to know who controls whom  so that they do not end up as rubber stamps.
• They need to be taught about the strengths , weaknesses ,hollowness and failures of the existing system so that they know that the whole system before they enter it.
• They need to know that system  is not corrupt by itself but made so by political-bureaucratic nexus. They need to be taught what  has happened  and what can happens to corrupt leaders and bureaucrats who do not stay with in rules of honest and transparent  public dealing and functioning.
•  The need to be taught about the honourous task of dealing with public money without being corrupt.
•  The  need to have  total commitment to public they are serving being public servants  and  to have impeccable  integrity while being a political leader needs to be over emphasised to them in to days very corrupt environment.
• They must know it all and they must be taught to choose the right but difficult path. They need to be taught  all about what happens to corrupt political leaders - the laws which can strangle them and  finish their careers.  They need to be told that the red beacon vehicle can be driven straight to jail also.

  Keeping all the above reasons and facts in view it does need to overemphasised that the government  needs to provide a training platform  to train  WOULD BE AND PRESENT WOMEN POLITICIANS  so that they become trained and competent to take their rightful place alongside their male colleagues without feeling inferior to them in any way. The facilities to train/retrain/continuously educate and update the  potential women leaders   are  an urgent need to back up any Women Reservation Legislation.

NEED FOR CERTIFICATION OF NON FORMALLY TRAINED TECHNICAL AND SKILLED PERSONS IN INDIA

There is a large segment of un-employed/underemployed persons who are skilled but don’t have a formal certificate to prove their skills and experience. As a result of this they are unable to gain proper employment in the field of their competency.Because of not having any certification which gives out their skills and experience they are denied a chance to gain at useful employment in the Government, semi Government, Non Government agencies and also miss out on foreign placements. On the contrary whenever they are employed, they are exploited due to this lack of certification and are given much below par salaries.. On the contrary whenever they are employed they are exploited due to this lack of certification of their skills and experience. They are denied promotions, increments and are given much below par salaries. In short they are exploited despite their having skills and experience. More over they are always denied a chance to upgrade their skill set and do continuous training and education because they do not fulfill the certification criteria which is required by institutes or in house training capsules of Govt and private bodies.I am sure when you had a two wheeler as young man you would have always gone to a particular scooter/motor cycle mechanic whose ITI certificate you never bothered to see but who knew our scooter/bikes auto problems backwards and set them right in a jiffy that too at half the authorised garage costs. Here I am highlighting the plight of this kind of self taught or non formally trained technicians. I have tried to suggest a method which is very much followed in most advanced countries but has not been encouraged in INDIA. In short they are exploited despite their having skills and experience.
Reasons for not attaining Formal Technical Certification. These persons are not able to pursue their formal skills training and studies and get employment due to the following reasons:-
Due to ancestral profession being followed by the family
· Due to family reasons – as all poor parents send the first born to work so that he/she supports the other or younger siblings to be educated and trained/married off if they happen to be females.
· Due to ignorance about future job scenario.
· Due to lack of proper mentoring.
· Due to economic backwardness and lack of opportunities.
· Scoring low marks in the matriculation or plus 2/Higher Secondary examinations thus not getting admission in the ITI’s.
Common Skills in which non formally trained persons exist in large numbers.

These are – Welder, Furniture Carpenter, Lathe mechanic, Air Conditioner Mechanic, Plumber, Heavy Tractor/ Truck Mechanic, Scooter / Motorcycle mechanic, Car mechanic, Electricians of house /construction/ home appliances, Tool and Die maker, Mason, Painter, Denter/painter, Earth moving and heavy road construction machinery Mechanic, Auto Electrician, Computer Operator, Computer Hardware Mechanic, etc.
Factors which make this Certification of these Non Formal Skills and Experience Necessary
. The certification of these non formal skills and competency is required due to the following factors:-

REQUIREMENT TO HAVE MORE SKILLED PERSONS FOR FUTURE JOB MARKET When these tests are conducted for the total eligible persons of the state and certification is done for their competency and skills then these persons whose skills and experience is certified there will be a large pool of skilled manpower for all stake holders to choose from.

REQUIREMENT TO BENEFIT LARGE NUMBER WHO HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT OF FORMAL TECHNICAL AND EDUCATION TRAINING FOLD A large number will be benefited with this Certification as their skills and experience will be certified irrespective of their age . They can be tested and certificate of competency and experience will be awarded to bring then into the mainstream of employment. Thus a large population segment shall benefit from this effort of the government. This will encourage the idea of continuous education also to a large extent.

THIS WILL BE A CONTINUOUS EFFORT. It should not be one time measure alone but when this scheme is continued then many persons who are unable to get formal technical education in future because of the reasons cited above will keep getting opportunities to get certified for their non formal skills and experience.

THIS CERTIFICATION WILL DECREASE UNEMPLOYMENT With this the unemployed youth will get employment in their own profession and they will not vile away their time in aimless pursuits and this will decrease the problem of unemployment in turn actually as this will assist the youth in getting employment in large numbers.

IT IS DEMAND OF ALL SEGMENTS OF THE SOCIETY WHO WILL STAND TO BENEFIT AND THIS DEMAND CUTS ACROSS MOST SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY BE IT ON CASTE OR ECONOMIC BASIS This will lead to a satisfaction of a large number of persons who will stand to benefit and it is a win win situation for all the stake holders.
Procedure of this Certification of competency and experience
Methodology There can be many options of testing these candidates but three are mentioned here.A body of experts who are experts in various skills which are to be certified be will be formed to certify the skills, competency and experience of the applicants who need certification OR This can be a body approved internationally and approved by CII OR May be body of experts or a NGO which is abreast with the current and future skill sets requirement. This NGO or body of experts will be paid adequate honorarium for their time to keep the process of certification as transparent as possible.
Hence there are distinct options available to choose from and it is imperative to mention here that the process of certification is kept temper proof, free from all kinds of influence and corruption.

Steps of Certification
· The technical education department or the approved certifying body shall ask for applications every month from persons who like to be tested and certified.
· A basic registration cum examination fee as decided which will cater for all categories of persons i.e. for general/reserved categories/ economically weaker sections.
· After receipt of applications a short training program to get all candidates on the basic and same grid can be conducted.
· Skill testing including a verbal test will be conducted in which 80% marks will be allotted for skill test and 20% marks will be allotted for verbal examination and a gradation certificate will be issued based on their performance in the tests. Experts will test and grade keeping in view the range of basic to latest technology skills set in a particular profession . Two sample copies of certificates for the proposed certification of skills, competency and experience are enclosed at the end of these paper.
· Any person who is still found wanting in skills should be then sent to such institutes who run such capsules courses to learn/relearn/upgrade knowledge and skill set.

Benefits of this Certification
For Youth

· A large number of youth who are in search of employment without any guidance and direction will get assistance in getting employment in the profession in which they have certain skills

· Will assist in eradication of unemployment and frustration.

· Many persons in their advancing age who were not able to study but are competent in their profession will get assistance in employment even at the late age of 45.

For the Government
· Government will gain immediate trust of the very large number of persons from all segments of society.

· It will reduce the headache for the government by reducing the uneasiness/directionless among the youth as more persons will better employment opportunities due to this government approved certification.

· This will immediately increase trust of youth in the present Government.

· Will assist Government in fulfilling the promise of providing fruitful employment to a large number of unemployed persons.

· It will help the industry to recruit suitable persons hither to fore not available in such skills and in such numbers.

· The government will have ready database available for Strategic Technical Education Manpower Planning of the state.
Common Benefits for Government and Society
· Reduction in growing trend of drug abuse.

· Reduction in crime.

· Improvement in self Confidence of the youth of the state due to technological competency which is being conferred.

No Financial burden on Government Treasury due to this certification

· No additional burden will be put on the treasury if it decides to conduct the certification on its own as government already has instructors in Industrial Training Institutes to conduct these examinations. Industrial Training Institutes also have tools / Machinery to conduct such tests. The cost of conducting these tests will be compensated by the fee collected for such tests. If any machinery /equipment is required to conduct tests for any specialized profession then assistance from the Government/industry will be sought.
· On the other hand if it is decided to hand it over to an independent body then that body will make all the arrangement with the best testing equipment for a particular profession and charge a reasonable fee for short training capsule, for the testing and certification.

· Any reasonable amount of testing fee will be readily accepted by the youth as they will be getting the requisite certification after testing their claimed skills.
Basis of this Non formal Skill and Experience Certification

Almost all developed countries are adopting this system and is active in Canada and Australia. It is also called Challenge / Apprenticeship Examination and is conducted for the foreign / local Apprentices who seek certification of their non formal skills in many foreign countries.
Conclusion. If this system of certification of non formal skills and experience is adopted then a very large number of persons in the state will join the league of trained persons. After this system is adopted then more and more competent and experienced youth will get employment in their respective professions and will also get exposure, upgraded training and guidance to get jobs. The Government will have a ready Trained Manpower Reserve pool because this will lead to more number of technically qualified and certified youth in the total population. Due to this the new department of Employment Generation for providing employment to the youth will have a ready reserve pool of skilled manpower and statistics. With the implementation of this scheme, there will be increase in the self confidence of the youth and they will save them from being victims of various ills prevalent in the present day society especially drugs, crimes and other such bad habits. It is basically a win win situation for all the stakeholders – the youth, the parents, the society, the government and the industry.

INDIAS URBAN POOR AND HOMELESS NEED NIGHT SHELTERS

There is a need to take up the case of night shelters for our urban poor  homeless persons who otherwise   earn  very small incomes to keep their body and soul together by working  and doing menial jobs. They are very   distinct segment  from the easy going large numbers who are into begging. They may be earning their bread by doing odd jobs but are not as fortunate as some of us to have a shelter  of their own. They may be migrants from other parts of the country or our city's poor but otherwise they are earning their living by pulling rickshaws/hand carts/working as coolies or doing any other such  jobs.
This  step to provide night shelters will certainly go a long way to ameliorate the plight of thousands who sleep out on pavements in all the major cities or towns of our country.  Some of the cities have this facility but  there is no policy as such which governs their establishment.  As of now it is more in the hands of philanthropists.
The users  can be nominally charged for provision of this facility. In setting up of these night shelters the central govt can take up the help of the state governments to provide land,NGOs to organise these and take material and financial support from trusts, masjids,gurdwaras, mandirs and philanthropists who are willing to take up such causes or are already doing similar charities. The help of industrial houses can be also be taken who can build wings named under their trademark names or any name they want. Sulabh International can be roped in to maintain clean toilets/bathrooms. The area of these night shelters needs to be big enough where these home less can park their richshaws , rehris etc when they come to spend the night and feel secure.
 But is any body listening?