India No More Cares For The Poor ?

The term ‘Development’ in our country has affected depressingly to the citizens, especially the deprived folk, which we generally term as ‘Poor’. There has been scores of incidents, which will would be forever remembered, where the rural India had to pay up badly for the so-called ‘economic growth’. Millions of people have been killed, thrown out of their house & villages, many even thrown out of their community for sake of constructing Industries, SEZs etc. I reckon how the corrupt politicians, contractors and the dalals have badly ruined the humanity, in the name of Industrialization in India.

Illegal land grabbing to set up a TATA Nano plant ?

In past, there have been many incidents, which have left stains on the peaceful fabric of humanity. For example, the fieriest and still fresh in my mind is the Singur issue. Hundreds of poor people revolted against the West Bengal government against their illegal land grabbing to set up a TATA Nano plant. Why did the community had to revolt? What only the poor villagers demanded was – their land? The idea was to quench the thirst of those people who might never know what takes for poor villagers to run their livelihood.

The problem of the evicting farmers & illegal land grabbing exists not only in West Bengal but all over India today. The cause is not promotion of industry as opposed to agriculture but a false economic idea imported from the U.S. These ideas not only disregard a planned and balanced economic development but also promote a capitalistic development of the reformed economy that automatically invites evictions and exploitation's of the poor. The best example of this is China, where there are many success stories of Globalization which could be an example for many countries.

Is their a term called ‘Development’ for the poor ?

In fact experts and social figures in India talk of Globalization. But, will Globalization increase welfare? Will Globalization bring development to millions of people in rural India who are still devoid of the ‘Basic Needs’? I think the government and the bureaucrats must need to consider about their ‘Basic Needs’ first, before even aspiring any SEZs and Industrial projects in various villages of our country. Our rural India which is now afraid of these projects, in contrary, has flourished the Chinese people.

Now, on the other hand if we talk of the deprived community in urban India, for example, the slums, the scenario is still not different. ‘Dharavi’ is the biggest slum in Asia. What’s happened to it? The slum is expanding day by day, and the development is NIL. Every year, the candidates from various political parties arrive here, in sake of votes. They promise the citizens of development & welfare. What happens after they get elected? ‘Dharavi’ still remains as it is. In fact, it is growing every single day. We can’t just blame the corrupt politicians. There is also an unseen nexus between the government officials, real-estate developers and even many NGO who only work for their vested interests. Who has the real answers? Sadly, no one.

‘Dharavi’ – the biggest slum in Asia. Are we proud about it ?

I am sure the youth of this generation would agree with me that, the term ‘Development’ in our country has diminished for the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats who mere wander hungry only for votes and power. ‘Villages’ or ‘Slums’, if someone has to suffer, it’s the poor. Each of them at every night sleeps in a hope of betterment. But alas every day remains alike. I know nothing would change in near future. I understand, a set of people cannot bring any change, but a crusade like Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption could bring a sigh of relief. 

HAIL Development !

Why Are We Still Impotent In Eradicating Child Labour From India ?

Child labor in India is a human right issue for the whole world. It is a serious and extensive problem, with many children under the age of fourteen working in carpet making factories, glass blowing units and making fireworks with bare little hands. According to the statistics given by Indian government there are 20 million child laborers in the country, while other agencies claim that it is 50 million.

The Indian Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that some 215 million children are trapped in child labour. Many of these children work long hours, often in dangerous conditions. Child labour is closely associated with poverty and denies children their right to education. Many poor families are unable to afford school fees or other school costs. The family may depend on the contribution that a working child makes to the household’s income, and place more importance on work than on education. When a family has to make a choice between sending either a boy or girl to school, it is often the girl who loses out.

The theme of the World Day for 2011 is “Children in hazardous work”. More than half of child labourers worldwide–an estimated 115 million–are involved in forms of employment that are likely to harm their health, safety or morals. This problem affects a wide variety of jobs and industries and is widespread in both developed and developing nations. The international community has identified hazardous work as among the worst forms of child labour it has targeted for eradication by 2016. The World Day Against Child Labour is intended to focus global attention on this practice and call for urgent action to combat it.

In Northern India the exploitation of little children for labor is an accepted practice and perceived by the local population as a necessity to alleviate poverty. Carpet weaving industries pay very low wages to child laborers and make them work for long hours in unhygienic conditions. Children working in such units are mainly migrant workers from Northern India, who are shunted here by their families to earn some money and send it to them. Their families dependence on their income, forces them to endure the onerous work conditions in the carpet factories.

The situation of child laborers in India is desperate. Children work for eight hours at a stretch with only a small break for meals. The meals are also frugal and the children are ill nourished. Most of the migrant children who cannot go home, sleep at their work place, which is very bad for their health and development. Seventy five percent of Indian population still resides in rural areas and are very poor. Children in rural families who are ailing with poverty perceive their children as an income generating resource to supplement the family income. Parents sacrifice their children’s education to the growing needs of their younger siblings in such families and view them as wage earners for the entire clan.

The Indian government has tried to take some steps to alleviate the problem of child labor in recent years by invoking a law that makes the employment of children below 14 illegal, except in family owned enterprises. However this law is rarely adhered to due to practical difficulties. Factories usually find loopholes and circumvent the law by declaring that the child laborer is a distant family member. Also in villages there is no law implementing mechanism, and any punitive actions for commercial enterprises violating these laws is almost non existent.

Child labor is a conspicuous problem in India. Its prevalence is evident in the child work participation rate, which is more than that of other developing countries. Poverty is the reason for child labor in India. The meager income of child laborers is also absorbed by their families. The paucity of organized banking in the rural areas creates a void in taking facilities, forcing poor families to push their children in harsh labor, the harshest being bonded labor.

Bonded labor traps the growing child in a hostage like condition for years. The importance of formal education is also not realized, as the child can be absorbed in economically beneficial activities at a young age. Moreover there is no access to proper education in the remote areas of rural India for most people, which leaves the children with no choice.

The venerable Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore has said time and again, that every country is absolutely bound by its duty to provide free primary education to its children. It is important to remember that industrialization can afford to wait but youth cannot be captured for long. It is imperative that the basic tenet made in article 24 of the Indian constitution – prohibiting the employment of any child below fourteen years of age, in a factory, mine or any other hazardous employment be stopped – be adhered to. There should be no ambiguity in ensuring the right of every child to free basic education and the promise of the constitution should be fully implemented in the here and now.

The future of a community is in the well being of its children. The above fact is beautifully expressed by Wordsworth in his famous lines “child is father of the man”. So it becomes imperative for the health of a nation to protect its children from premature labor which is hazardous to their mental, physical, educational and spiritual development needs. It is urgently required to save children from the murderous clutches of social injustice and educational deprivation, and ensure that they are given opportunities for healthy, normal and happy growth.

The future of our community is in the well-being of its children. Why are we still impotent in eradicating the menace called ‘Child Labour’ from our country ?

Biased Indian Media – Shocking But True !

Have you ever thought, who owns the media in India ? No ?! Okay, let us see the ownership of different media agencies :

NDTV: A very popular TV news media is funded by Gospels of Charity in Spain Supports Communism. Recently it has developed a soft corner towards Pakistan because Pakistan President has allowed only this channel to be aired in Pakistan . Indian CEO Prannoy Roy is co-brother of Prakash Karat, General Secretary of the Communist party of India . His wife and Brinda Karat are sisters.IndiaToday: Which used to be the only national weekly which supported BJP is now bought by NDTV!! Since then the tone has changed drastically and turned into Hindu bashing.

CNN-IBN: This is 100 percent funded by Southern Baptist Church with its branches in all over the world with HQ in US.. The Church annually allocates $800 million for promotion of its channel. Its Indian head is Rajdeep Sardesai and his wife Sagarika Ghosh.

Times Group: Times Of India, Mid-Day, Nav-Bharth Times, Stardust, Femina, Vijay Times, Vijaya Karnataka, Times now (24- hour news channel) and many more...Times Group is owned by Bennet & Coleman. 'World Christian Council' does 80 percent of the Funding, and an Englishman and an Italian equally share balance 20 percent. The Italian Robertio Mindo is a close relative of Sonia Gandhi.

Star TV: It is run by an Australian, who is supported by St. Peters Pontifical Church Melbourne.

Hindustan Times: Owned by Birla Group, but hands have changed since Shobana Bhartiya took over. Presently it is working in Collaboration with Times Group.

The Hindu: English daily, started over 125 years has been recently taken over by Joshua Society, Berne , Switzerland .. N. Ram's wife is a Swiss national.

Indian Express: Divided into two groups. The Indian Express and new Indian Express (southern edition) ACTS Christian Ministries have major stake in the Indian Express and latter is still with the Indian counterpart.

Eeenadu: Still to date controlled by an Indian named Ramoji Rao. Ramoji Rao is connected with film industry and owns a huge studio in Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Jyothi: The Muslim party of Hyderabad known as MIM along with a Congress Minister has purchased this Telugu daily very recently.

The Statesman: It is controlled by Communist Party of India.

Kairali TV: It is controlled by Communist party of India (Marxist).

Mathrubhoomi: Leaders of Muslim League and Communist leaders have major investment.

Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle: It is owned by a Saudi Arabian Company with its chief Editor M.J. Akbar.

So, what do you think ? Is Indian media biased ?