Reservation for the Untouchables !!!

We are a country of paradoxes. As I was studying polity I came across Article 17 of our constitution which speaks of abolishing Untouchability. I realised that practicing untouchability is a punishable offence but the greatest paradox is that practicing caste system is not.While we have abolished untouchability, we have promoted backwardness through reservations for various groups. I fail to understand the difference between the two social stigmas.


Looks like the only difference they make is with their potential vote banks to the power greedy politicians. Unlike untouchability, being in a backward caste has turned out to be of a great advantage. Why can't we abolish even the caste system and have a caste free society?


The irony is that the constitution has become least significant for an ‘Indian’ than for anyone else, after 60 years of India being a republic, because of misinterpretation. 
I am lost pondering over my identity while filling up application forms for various educational institutions and Govt. jobs. Columns like ‘community’ and ‘Gender’ find their places before ‘Nationality’. Is this what the term Equality in Art 14 of the constitution means? 


Today political parties quote, “Our party is a secular party…we give
equal representation to all religious sections of the society.”

Whereas a secular party must quote, “we do not represent any religion,
we have only Indians and we treat all the citizens as Indians and
their problems as ours.” 

Democracy is a utopian idea to an average Indian who does not see himself as a part of policy making in nation building. Sovereignty is lost to the capitalists and mean politicians. 


Today I am seen either as a Marathi or Telugu, as a supporter of Andhra or Telangana. 
I am waiting for the day when I’ll be recognized as an Indian in India.  


Comments are welcome. 

Basics of the basics-part 1

Over the years India has produced many stalwarts in the field of education, medicine and every other field which finds mention in the list of top rated jobs. Unfortunately the basics have been forgotten regarding the basic requirements of a human being. For us to survive on this earth we need drinking water, food, clothes, shelter. In short roti, kapada aur makan. The order of priority is also same.

Approx. 37% of our population (stats by Tendulkar committee 2009) is below poverty line (BPL). 41.2% people are just above poverty line (APL). i.e these APL people live on approx. between Rs 11 to Rs 25/day/person. i.e BPL families live on less than Rs 11/day/person. Arjun sen gupta committee in 2007 reported that 77% of the population spends less than Rs 20/day.

I have not mastered economics but i have a basic idea regarding the needs of a person living in this country amidst the towering prices of the commodities. Having done my own little amateur calculations, I found that     Rs 25/day/person is the approx. value to draw the poverty line for with this amount, an avg. person in India can fulfill all his basic needs (not wants). Thus I find Arjun sen gupta committee's figures more realistic.

Hunger and Illness are body bound rather than status bound. Rich and poor both feel the same hunger and pain.
Govt. has framed various schemes like National rural health mission 2005, Janani suraksha yojana and many more in the health sector and National food security Act 2007, Rashtriya krishi vikas yojana and many in the food sector. But the benefits have reached only a few. The Health insurance scheme seems to be more beneficial to the doctors than the patients.

80% of the ailments in India are due to 5 major factors. Malnutrition, lack of proper sanitation, pollution, stress and lack of clean drinking water. The pvt. sector hospitals concentrate only on profit earning ailments which are not common among the Aam Admi. By privatising the health care, our govt. is shrugging off its responsibility of providing the basic needs to the poor. All it has to do is to provide clean drinking water and proper sanitation.

Countries like Costa Rica, U.K stand as an example for us as to how a govt. can provide basic facilities to its citizens. In Costa Rica working population pays 15% of their salary to the health care. Thus it provides free health care to all its citizens irrespective of their status. Private hospitals in India will not go for prevention activities as they are not profit earning like curative ones.

Food is a very important issue. More on it in the next article.