And then, what to do?

Call in a corporate icon like Captain Gopinath to streamline the foodgrains management and rationalise the price of essential commodities!

There is a 40-month high inflation at 7 and above per cent. There is a great deal of tension in the government. The Cabinet is divided as to what to do. The Prime Minister’s own reputation is now put to test.

On the one hand the PM is  being weakened from inside the government. With Arjun Singh raising the chorus “Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister candidate”, the Opposition wi8th L.K.Advani, pitching himself with the distinction of the Opposition’s candidate for the next PM’s post, there is some understandable confusion and even demoralisation, if we can say so, in the government ranks.

Surely, Sonia Gandhi’s motives would also be put to test, as she knows well what Arjun Singh said was unworthy of a senior Cabinet colleague and also the ever-obliging Pranab Mukerjee’s endorsement adds another dimension to the demoralisation trend that is clearly noticeable in the Government.

As it is, the way the collation partners, given the Sharad Pawar and DMK chief like characters who are gunning from the sidelines, for scoring points and also making their positions stronger, it is time Sonia Gandhi must act. She must surely act, first, to gently remove, if possible, Arjun Singh from the Cabinet and otherwise, she has to call in Arjun Singh and warn him in no uncertain terms that this is not the time to embarrass the Prime Minister and weaken the government.

Read the rest of this entry »

Appoint Nandan Nilekani as Prime Minister’s special adviser!

Call Dr.Devi Shetty of Narayan Hirudalaya to make telemedicine part of the primary health centres!

Revamp the public services in the Indian villages!

Revenue depts. are the age-old institutions. Panchayat raj is with us for so many years.

Rural health services are   in total decline and utterly disappointing.
The average villager’s life is not rosy at all, so many developments, so many socio-economic changes and the poor quality if living in the villages is one major reason for the present exodus from the villages to the urban centres.  The result?

Villages give the look of ghost  haunts.

Electricity, drinking water supply ,sanitation, medical services, take any other imaginable services, they are becoming prey to large scale neglect, large scale corruption and so many social evils have now taken hold thanks to the populist government.

There is a well-established network of liquor sales outlets in TN, may be the same is true in other states, there are so many freebies, free payments for educated unemployed youth and also for old age  women and we are not sure about the status of older men!

But what is common is the poor quality of these services. The basic services of drinking water and electricity supply are yet to be solved satisfactorily.

Sanitation looks like a mirage.  Every village is an open latrine! Garbage would welcome you at the entrance to every village.

This is the scenario in the Southern states. One can imagine the status of villages in the Northern states.
Read the rest of this entry »