Two India

We live in two India side by side. For citizens of first India, Economy is growing at 8% p.a., Sensex is touching sky high, Multiplexes and posh offices are sprawling everywhere and roads are being flooded with cars. For citizens of second India, things are still very much the same even after 60 years of independence. Making both ends meet still remains a challenge for them. They don't know if their future will ever change.

The first India is making progress in leaps and bounds in the global economy, especially with the outsourcing boom. The second India still lacks access to basic facilities and education. The first India is ebullient with optimism and hope, looking towards the future. The second India doesn't know what the future will be like.

The children of the first India are reaping the benefits of education. They go to English Medium Schools and then to colleges to become graduates, engineers, doctors, MBAs etc. The children of the second India have never seen the doors of school. They are more busy in working as child laborers for their survival.

The youth of the first India is a confident person knowing he/she has to make a mark in his/her career. Work Hard, Party Harder has become a common tag-line for him/her. The youth of second India is a person not sure of how he can move ahead in life. Since his parents couldn't send him to school, he has to rely on earning through subservient means. He might be having an aptitude of an IITian but which goes untapped working as a daily wage earner.

The question that lies ahead is will the "First India" and the "Second India" are always going to be apart??

Or may be sometimes in future we can say that we live in "One India". Where every child has an opportunity to go to school and get education. Where everyone has an opportunity to succeed in life. Where the poor are not trapped in vicious cycle of poverty; the children not going to school since their parents are not able to earn enough and this might repeat for the next generation and so on.

But just dreaming that things will get better won't bring any change. Waiting and hoping that trickle-down economy will work on its own won't help. SOMEONE has to bring the change and rather a bit quickly. We all have seen the efficiency of Government plans and policies. As citizens of India, especially we the youth have an excellent opportunity to change things around us. Each one of us can bring the change at least in some way.

We all have a CHOICE. Whether to ignore our surroundings and just to focus on our own progress or to come forward and making a difference in the life of at least one underprivileged individual along with our own progress. Whether to blame the system and the government or taking charge of the situation.

We have a CHOICE. Whether we want to live in an India which ranks 127 in Human Development Index among 177 countries. (The human development index (HDI) focuses on three measurable dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life, being educated and having a decent standard of living. Thus it combines measures of life expectancy, school enrollment, literacy and income to allow a broader view of a country’s development than does income alone.) Source: http://hdr.undp.org/statistics/data/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_IND.html). Or whether we want to see a much more developed India from where it is standing right now.

The question is whether we shrug off all this saying it is not our responsibility as an Individual or whether we come forward to do whatever we can in our capacity wherever we may be.

Talk to me if you think i am talking sense and you are really interested in making some change in your surroundings.

Who is going to pay for Bhopal Gas victims?

After GoM recommendations, I was thinking how government is going to generate such a huge amount of funds for Bhopal Gas victims. The recommendations, according to reports, are: Compensation to the tune of Rs 10 lakh for the families of those killed in this crime; Rs 5 lakh for those crippled for life; and Rs 3 lakh for people with partial disability. On the issue of cleaning up tones of toxic waste buried at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, the GoM is believed to have recommended that the Madhya Pradesh government would do the dirty job with financial help from the Centre. And on the issue of Warren Anderson, the group has decided to make a "valiant attempt" to get the criminal-in-chief extradited from US to India.

I feel, the judgment was shameful and now GoM recommendations are seriously shocking. The Government of India is planning to spend Rs.1500 crore for compensation to Bhopal victims. How they are going to raise this money? The answer is simple; this money will be taken from - the Indian taxpayer’s pocket. Government is simply robbing one common man to compensate another common man.

GoM has given a clean chit to Dow Chemicals. They don’t have to pay any money to the victims of the world’s worst ever industrial accident, which happened because the Union Carbide dumped outdated technology in the heart of Bhopal, paid no attention to its maintenance, ignored warnings about gas leakage, cut funds and staff at the cost of safety and gave itself a clean chit even as bodies of poor Indians were piling up at the cremations grounds and graveyards of Bhopal in December 1984.

I am not able to find answers for following question and would appreciate if anyone can help me in finding answer for any of my question:
What is the cost of life of a poor common Indian men?
Why Madhya Pradesh government would do the dirty job with financial help from the Centre? As per polluter pay principle , recognized by both US and India, the party responsible for producing pollution is responsible for paying for the damage done to the natural environment.
Why common Indian men would pay for the crime done by an American corporation?

GoM commendation completely violates polluter pay principle. The Union Carbide Corporation and Dow Chemicals have been freed of all the liability. The financial burden has been dumped on the poor Indian taxpayer.

Bhopal case is not just about compensation and money. Its also about justice. This is a slap on the face of all those people who have been fighting for justice for Bhopal for the past 26 years. It’s an insult to the memory of those who lost their lives in this crime. It’s also an insult to those poor people who have knocked at the doors of the government, judiciary and big corporations in order to get justice. It’s a challenge to those who still believe in the idea of India despite the travesty of justice in this country everyday.

I don’t want to pay to Bhopal victims from my pocket. I refuse to accept the government's squandering of public money as private funds.

Note: Some of the data is taken from the web. The views expressed here are mine alone with no intensions to hurt anyone. Feel free to share your views.

One more attempt

Dear All,

One more time i am trying to write a blog. I hope some of you might remember my earlier blog powerdestination. Again i am attempting to pen down my thoughts , my feelings & my experiences. I'd like to be honest in this and this blog and the views I express here is mine alone and is not intentional to hurt anyone. I'll love to hear your reviews over it. I'm not good at writing but still attempting :).........So keep visiting and keep commenting.

The journey will begin soon......