By D N Singh
It was in a real good time that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at length on terror at the ‘No Money for Terror Conference’.
What, in fact, a bit puzzling that, since quite some time the PM has not heard saying on the other terror and which is more terrifying, is the terror of poverty. A terror that keeps the posterity in an absolute jeopardy so far their lives are concerned.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi has pitched for a new IT policy there, under which there would be new IT cities in many regions, almost in all, besides an IT park in every administrative division of UP.
Fair enough if that opens the gate for employment. But, the state of UP should also volunteer to say yes on the GST on petroleum products such as Petrol, diesel or cooking gas. He has not been heard anything saying on that.
The PM even has not spoken a word on that aspect. Why not he convenes a meeting of all the chief ministers of India for a dialogue on that issue.
For over last 8 and half years, the PM has focused on terror and terror finance. There is no wrong in that but when it is the question of poverty at the bottom and an ever-increasing price, everyone on his side tries to skirt the issue as vital as that.
Poverty has always an impact as dangerous as cancer. It has no specific area or time when and from where it starts. That means poverty is all pervasive. Which mostly affects the bottom strata.
According to a survey by the UNICEF, every 66 seconds a newborn baby dies in India. No terror can claim a human life as fast as that. If we lose 1.5 million kids a year, that is much worse and incurable than any terror in the world.
We build parks of IT or GST, statues are being erected at regular gaps costing the exchequer in crores of rupees, new ambitious structures like Vistas, then why not on the health sector or education.
The recent window dressing of the Morbi hospital for the PM’s visit has literally exposed the dark underbelly of our beleaguered health sector. There is no need to get into the details in the interiors of the country.
We let go lakhs of lamps burning on so many occasions at the religious venues and people know how much are being spent on such extravaganzas.
It is bizarre to see pictures or videos when parents or relatives carry babies on shoulders dead or alive from the hospitals.
It is no less pain that, a child blisters in the sun to sell a few flags of a country which has no scope of education for him.
