Illusion has been created in India and abroad that the common man’s living standard in India is lower than in neighbouring countries.
NEW DELHI: The Diwali festival is being celebrated with more pomp this time. The modern economy has changed a lot in India. Change is visible in everything, from metros to remote villages. That is why not only is India being invited to the Group 20 conferences of the thriving developed nations, but it is being given importance as an organiser next year. In combating and overcoming the corona epidemic, the country of Dhanvantari used all medical systems and helped many countries in the world. India is also a leader in fighting terrorism. The chariot of development has not stopped in the face of conflict and inequality. India’s cultural identity is still unique in the world. Its thoughts, its food, its clothes, its traditions, its language, its speech, its idols, its gods, its sacred texts, and its values of life that is its culture. The Diwali festival of this culture is going to connect society in many ways. On the other hand, an illusion has been created by propaganda in the country and abroad that the standard of living of the common man is lower than that of neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Recently, Irish and German NGOs wrote in a report on the World Hunger Index: “India has moved to 107th place this year. In this way, it is in worse condition than the neighbouring countries.” This report also became a political issue. The first question is how reliable and factual the surveys of such organisations are. The basis of the second report on infant mortality rate, adequate nutritious diet, height and weight of children, etc, is also questionable. But the title and discussions give the illusion of people dying of hunger. Even when it comes to human rights violations and atrocities in Kashmir or other regions, organisations from Western countries distort facts with prejudice and anti-India intentions. The reality is that there is no shortage of food in India and food grains are being sent to many countries in the form of exports or aid. Not only this, in the latest report of the world recognised organisation, the “United Nations Development Organization” (UNDP), it has been said that India has become many times better than in the previous years in the situation of poverty in the world. Over 41 crore people have been raised above the poverty line. Poverty has decreased from 55% to around 16%. Only seven out of eight states still need more attention for reforms. Indian festivals and culture give the message of joy and happiness. On Diwali, whether it is a small house or a palace, it is written on the books of accounts and safes with auspicious benefits—”Lakshmiji Sada Sahay”. At the philosophical level, the Indian belief has been that the formless Brahman himself is inactive and that his feminine form, his power, governs this creation. Narayan with Lakshmi, Sita in front of Rama, Radha in front of Krishna, and Parvati with Shiva without their importance is not accepted. In practical terms, normal women are more diligent and responsible than men. They have now become Lakshmi in the true sense by becoming earners. Not only in Europe, America, and Japan, but women in India play an important role in socio-political, economic, and scientific fields. Therefore, in India, it is appropriate to call the daughter-in-law and the daughter “Lakshmi”. There has never been a female president in a prosperous country like America. For the first time recently, a woman of Indian origin has been able to win the Vice President’s election. For the second time in India, a woman has become the President. Droupadi Murmu was born and worked in remote tribal rural areas and rose to the top post. The finance minister is a woman. Even earlier, the posts of Prime Minister and Speaker of Lok Sabha were honoured by women and showed a new path to the world. Not only in India, but it has been proved by international surveys that daughters take care of their parents, and family better. Numerous Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati idols can be found throughout the country, and social workers are making significant contributions to campaigns for social awareness, the environment, literacy, and self-employment. Women run thousands of anganwadis. In fact, India is moving ahead, fighting problems head-on. Therefore, it cannot be said to be in the category of an economically prosperous nation right now. But there has been a lot of improvement and development in the last eight to ten years. Yes, in India, efforts have not been made to put the situation correctly, so as to help in proper understanding and explanation. Some foreign norms, some babugiri-bureaucratic statistics, and political bias and selfishness in it, instead of giving confidence to the people, make people frustrated and angry. The issue of poverty, hunger, and unemployment has been taken as the only way of protesting against power. The funny thing is that the government, NITI Aayog, or other authorised organisations are not able to give accurate figures about the number of people who still earn cash based on daily work. In most developed countries in the world, the details of income earned from two to four hours of work are also recorded somewhere, because the permit to work for them remains in the record. You can see thousands of such people in cities and towns who earn an average of five hundred to a thousand rupees daily by working in some kind of occupation: electrician, plumber, mechanic, house, market, or shop.
But when there are government surveys etc., about the work in the form with no mention in the column of “job or business”, it is recorded that he is unemployed. Crowds appeared at the rail bus stations and it seemed that the situation of unemployment was appalling. Unemployment is a fact. Youth who have completed graduation or more are also unemployed. But when we investigated in some areas, it came to light that there are thousands of youth who are taking this type of examination, who are earning ten to fifteen thousand rupees in a private sector job or earning from their technical ability. In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh or some other backward states, the mentality of ‘government job’, which has been on since the British era, dominates. Many people enjoy earning money from their farm or other business in addition to their job. However, in a democracy, everyone has the freedom to choose their profession. Like in China or other countries, the power system does not decide how many people will get jobs in which field or whether they will have to be educated and trained according to the needs of the country. As a result, not only the government, but also leaders of social organizations, have begun to emphasise skill development, the right to duty, and a reduction in reliance on government jobs. A decision should also be made to increase society’s self-sufficiency and to create a positive image of India. Best wishes.
The author is editorial director of ITV Network India News and Dainik Aaj Samaj.