Can v route out Corruption??

India is the largest democracy in the world; we have a very old civilization, rich n diverse in our culture, heritage and value system. India has never invaded any country. We have produced many Noble laureates, Scientists, Intellectuals, Leaders and many other personalities who have brought laurels to our country. India is a fast developing country and is poised to be one of the developed countries by 2050. However in light of all these +ve signs we are bogged down with one big obnoxious word called Corruption, which cud snowball and slide us down like an avalanche.

While “Corruption” is a dreaded word to many, it is word which cannot escape our daily lives. We are so used to this word that our system has become immune to it. Activists are struggling to find an appropriate law/tool/means/drug to kill it, it has already spread rampantly across every sections of our society. Guess which is the most common word ringing ur ears as u are in a debate/discussion concerning National/Social issues? It is “Corruption”, This is the most common word heard n read in the media and the press. Probably this word could be replaced in the syllables what our children learnt earlier fm C for Cat now standing as C for Corruption. I do not think I need to explain the meaning. We have all seen, experienced and have sometime or another been inadvertently been part of this due to our unavoidable circumstances.

India has institutionalized Corruption to Core. We have many of our Politicians, bureaucrats, business houses, the so called champions serving for the common man turning out to b Corrupt. B it admission to Kinder Garden, Professional course, Ration Card, Arms deal, Tender, Telecom, Infrastructure projects or the Commonwealth Games, the list is endless and u could pick all the nouns fm the dictionary. We can stoop to such a level that even in the hour of grief, for procuring a death certificate u need to shell out Chai-Pani/Baksihi at the Municipal office, a euphemistic way of corruption.

Reasons why v r affected :

• Criminalization of Indian Politics is the culprit for the state in which we r today. Looks at our own MPs who get elected using all the corrupt practices to return to the parliament.
• Bureaucrats the so called Administrators have joined hands which weaken our whole democratic processes as a whole.
• The Judiciary which is supposed to be the law makers and guarding is itself under the scanner for corrupt practice.

Corruption is classless, it is not just the rich who are corrupt as they have the means/resource and the power to bend the rules and get scot free, it is also the middleclass and the poor who learn the ropes of malpractices to graduate 2 b corrupt.

Effects of Corruption :

• This is a huge loss to the Government and the exchequer thus affecting development and employment.
• Fear of corruption has created a unhealthy environment in the investment and thus this puts in a burden on the cost of Govt’s subsidized services.

Corruption has modified or translated in different forms, fm cashing on the cash to seeking favors for getting work done. Corruption is now directly proportional to our Population. The level of corruption is so extensive that India’s corrupt people are running a parallel economy. India’s so called “Black Money” is worth almost 1.4 Trillion $ which is almost 20% of our GDP.

I never understood Why r we Corrupt??

Nearly 50 % of our population has access to Education, no matter what type/quality it is. Stats show that it is invariably the Educated who are more corrupt than the lay man. Wonder what kind of Education are we imparting? It is not that I blame the Education, but, I feel there is something a miss in our system which draws ppl to b corrupt, feel that we have forgotten our “Values” which is not thought in our schools. This is one of the easiest way to fulfill ones desires, no matter how small it can b, the only bargaining factor is the task u need to part/discharge unethically. This greed to achieve something easily tempts us to b corrupt. The only Common Religion practiced in India is Corruption. India ranks 74th in the Corruption Perceptions Index. With corruption hitting every strata of our society, it looks like v r in rat race to climb of the Index.

Can Corruption b contained or routed out??? Is there a way out???

Well, I think it is very difficult to have a 100% corrupt free environment. However I feel flwng measures can act as a deterrent to corruption. :
• Use of RTI effectively to dig in the suspect.
• The Judicary should be strengthened and action has to be taken against the officials, We need to really demonstrate and show our commitment to eradicate corruption o/wise it is a mere lip sympathy. We are just “Spitting in the Sky”
• By enforcing “Transparency” in all Govt transactions.
• Capital punishment is the last resort if none of the above work.

Last but not the least. Humans must learn to be CONTEND, it does not mean that they need to starve or b stingy, after all we just need 6 x 3 ft end of our life.

Let me conclude with a famous quote which is quite relevant in today world.
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”

Thanks of reading, please post in ur comments or email ur valuable feedback to hkumanath@gmail.com .

Take care, God bless u and keep smiling

India's Health Sector

Mahatma Gandhi remarked

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

Expanding Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, Health is something on which countries Progress and Prospers, and if our citizens are healthy it is indeed a reflection of the country’s Health Policy. Article 21 of our Constitution states Health is a Primary Human right for every Indian.

Taking an insight of India’s Health sector. Health sector/industry is something which will never die in India. For a country of 1.2 Billion this industry is just going to thrive, it has grown exponentially and the outlook of Health Industry seems Healthy if the GoI take a look at it seriously. While other industry will have their share of ups and down, Health is something which each one of us just cannot afford to ignore as we grow in this intense competitive world plugged with all kinds of mental/physical/economical and emotional challenges.

I am lucky to be born in India n learn the essentials of surviving/existing (not living, Remember the difference between Living and Existing what we learned in school). It is not a joke for any country to reach a billion without a good hell sector (Sorry for the misspelling, it should read Health sector).

How Healthy is India’s Health Industry???

Pre-Independence days, our health care was more inclined to the traditional medicine than the conventional health care. Since Independence the influence of Allopathic medicine made steady progress in our country. While India population grew, the Govt just could not match/cater to the masses. The need for better, quick and effective medical care was getting a dream, this is when the GoI in ‘80’s allowed the Private sector to enter into the fray turning fm solo practitioners to nursing homes and later full fledged hospital. Today India has some of the World class State of Art hospitals. We have been boasting of Medical Tourism, wherein patients from abroad come over in hordes to get treated for various ailments/diseases. Viz: Bypass, Orthopedic, Dental, Child care, Cosmetic etc etc wherein combining the modern treatments & Ayurvedic Therapy. India has many Five n Seven Star hospitals in Delhi N Mumbai. We are backed up with a large pool of foreign educated/trained doctor who have mastered their skills. No doubt India is the best place to get hands on experience while G7 countries are showing a decline in population. The Pharma Industry is working in tandem with the Medical Profession to produce life saving drugs.

While India’ medical fraternity smile with the flow of their foreign patients and their earning fm the foreign exchange. A visit to some of these clinic will display Testimony from their patients treated in many foreign languages.
Our own Aam Admi on the street is left high and dry wondering why he has been deprived of this same facilities while the world comes here on a package tour of Medical & Pleasure. Are we 1st class or a 3rd Class citizens in our own country??? The only differentiating factor is that our guest who visit, brings along Foreign exchange while we slog on for several years paying taxes to not even get Basic Health care. This is an Irony.


Aam Admi’s Health Nightmare.

While the rich can afford the best of the treatments at any cost.
Walk in to any of the Govt or Local Municipal hospitals to gauge the ground reality.
I am sure u will be shocked to find the appalling conditions in these hospitals.
The beds, equipments, facilities, support staff etc etc. A lot is desired and the so called hospitals are not a make shift relief camp/clinic. As u travel to Tier 2 or 3 cities or to smaller towns, Primary health care is just not adequate.
I happened to visit one of the Municipal/Govt hospitals in Mumbai, shocked to find the way the patient’s r bundled, the Old & the sick frail, limping without even a proper wheel chair. I prayed for them wondering what changes if any, could have bn done to improve this. I was dumbstruck n helpless and wondered if our Govt is spending enough on this sector. This made me blog on this issue. Stats show that India just spends 5% of GDP on health care , while the US spends almost 16 % of their GDP. India also lacks the no of beds in hospital per 1000 population, while the world average is 4, India stands just a little over 0.7 beds per 1K.

Health care for a common man is at crossroads, it is just not affordable even to middle income group forget the LIG n BPL. We pay hefty medical premium to cover against any eventuality. However with inflation and escalating cost, the cover is just not sufficient. In case of any terminal illness or major surgeries it can drain not only all your savings but can transform the family fm rich to rags. Emergency care is only for those who can shell out money, Specialty care is well beyond reach for an average Indian.

Health Reforms will reach Health Care for all

We need more Doctors/Pra-medical staff and Well equipped Hospitals catering to the common man either funded thru Govt or philanthropist.

With India’ huge population, we could have one of the best Health care system wherein we can rope in lacs of youth in Primary Health care n Medical profession. We just need to stress the +ve side of this profession to attract the best talent.

Just in line of PPF, start a Medical scheme so that individuals can monthly set aside a nominal amount for Health, so that they could avail the facilities later in life.

In rural area, start a Co-operative Health scheme where in the daily labourer/farmer contributes monthly a fixed amount on a monthly basis which builds up the corpus and help the community as a whole

Last but not the least, WE NEED TO ENSURE AFFORDABILITY without which no amount of Advancement in Medicine will benefit the common man.

With Indian Population aging there is a urgent need to address above.

Let me end with a quote fm Benjamin “The Health of People is really the Foundation upon which all their happiness and all their power as a Country/State depend”

Thanks of reading, please post in ur comments or email ur valuable feedback to hkumanath@gmail.com .

Take care, God bless u and keep smiling.

Is Population a BOOM or a DOOM

India’ Population crossed a Billion a decade back. Since India’s Independence our population has grown steadily in Geometric progression fm 345 Million to cross over a Billion in 1999 a three folds jump. Indian’s constitutes almost 1/5th of the Global Population, just 2nd to China and with the current birth rate we will surpass them by 2025.

While India has grown in leaps n bounds in almost all the spheres since 1947, we keep patting our back for all the laurels we have achieved. Now with the kind of population explosion, the time has come for us to Check in our Population. This is something nobody wants to discuss. Today none of the Political Parties, Past or Present, Media or NGO’s are ready to debate. It is not that the Govt is naïve or not VISIONARY; it is just that the Govt wants to shy away fm this topic. It is this huge illiterate population on which the Politician thrive upon and use them as a vehicle for a assured vote bank to stay in power. At every General and Assembly election the prospective candidates keep making false promises to the ppl for them to b voted back to power. This has been a vicious circle for so many years and Generation Next will have to pay a heavy price for our ignorance.
The Govt earlier slogan of Hum Do Humar Do does not hold good in today’s already overstretched and overburden infrastructure and resources.

Population is indeed a BOOM.

Look around as u travel back fm ur office/home. The Infrastructure and our fellow citizens, though a lot is still desired. It is nice to see India progressing. Living in a city I used to wonder IF India was/is indeed really a poor country with the kind of wealth u c.
FMCG/Telecom/General Industry/FII are all having a very good run n smile as their sales have picked up with the growing population. Today India is a destination for all major MNC’s, that is becoz of the very sheer size of our population and our consumption. While the growth in the population has fuelled in growth in many industries and sectors, it has created more jobs which effectively increases our living standards/index and overall contributes to the growth of the country. India’s best brain are around the world in almost all disciplines, be it Space, Finance or Art. We are building other nations and contributing to their economy.

The dark side of BOOM, I won’t say DOOM, but could be a DOOM.

India has limited natural resources, be it the Land, Water N Oil. We still heavily depend on Agriculture and the Monsoon. With the uneven distribution of Industries & Wealth.
The people fm the villages migrate to the cities in search of work. There is a heavy influx of migrated population coming up to the city in search of work. Stats prove that India’s rural population has grown tremendously in the last 5 decades. With no work/occupation. The population in rural India keeps multiplying as they have NOTHING TO DO.
The myth that of “More Hands more Money/Work to sustain” just does not hold good anymore. This ceases as soon as our Agriculture land turns into another SEZ or is earmarked to setup a plant/industry.
The exploitation of our mineral resources is threatening our forests, nature reserves, and general ecology. Seventy percent of our energy resources need to be imported putting constant pressure on us to export more or face currency devaluation. Over use of resources is contributing to natural disasters occurring more frequently and with greater devastation. Life is a big struggle just to put together the bare essentials for survival, and shortages of resources works most against the poor and underprivileged. Even as sections of India's middle-class struggle with scarcities - it is the poor and vulnerable sections of society who suffer most. With the steady growth in the population there will be more strain on these very resources on which we capitalized so long. It is time we learn to sustain and retain.

Looking into the above perspective, I wonder what solution/policy India needs to adapt:

The govt should comes with bold legislation for a One Child Policy and should reward Couples/Bachelor/Spinsters who adopt a child.

There has to be a mass education program emphasizing the affects of over population in the rural areas and how we should control it. Rope in NGO’s and various other bodies to get across the message.

There seems to be no Govt policy on this issue..
NO AMOUNT OF GROWTH CAN KEEP IN PACE WITH POPULATION GROWTH. @ We will not be able to sustain another quarter century.

Development in Medicine have largely contributed to the lower mortality rate,
We need to wake up and at least start a debate, o/wise NO matter what amount of our growth of 8% or 9% GDP will be null and void if we have equally more number of mouths to feed and take care.

Let me end with the quote fm Sir Richard Attenborough:
“Instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, may be we should control the population to ensure the survival of our environment.

Thanks of reading, please post in ur comments or email ur valuable feedback to hkumanath@gmail.com .

Take care, God bless u and keep smiling.