Health Care for all

When we talk of 'health care for all',the fitting term that hits our mind is the Universal Health Care(UHC) model.Universal health care is the provision of comprehensive health care and financial protection universally to everyone.However,universal health care is not a one-size-fits-all concept.That said.it is determined basically by three factors:who is covered,what services are covered and how much of the cost is covered.

India has made rapid strides in economic growth in the last 20 years.However,the health indicators of Indians are still abysmally low.This is evident from the fact that India fares badly in the Human Development Index in which health is an important index-indicator.Moreover India is a home to millions of malnourished children.The Infant mortality rate(IMR) and maternal mortality rate(MMR) are still at uncomfortable levels.Health also constitutes out-of-pocket expenditure for the majority of Indians thus driving them into perpetual poverty.

Therefore,the concept of providing universal health care has been gaining ground recently to improve the overall health indicators.The government is contemplating the move to introduce Universal Health Assurance Mission thus providing basic health care package for all its citizens.The RSBY scheme was introduced in 2008 to provide insurance benefit to the people living below poverty line.

However,there are certain missing links in our health care model which needs to be addressed before rolling out the UHC model.First,we need to shift our attention from hospital-based care to primary care extensively.The people from the villages often approach the tertiary-care hospitals for treatment of their diseases which could have been cured at the Primary Health Centres (PHCs).Consequently.the hospitals fall short of hospital-beds which could otherwise have been used by the needy.Thus,providing basic infrastructure in the form of PHCs along with able manpower at the village level would be a force-multiplier in providing quality health care to the citizens.

Second,there is an urgent need to separate the core-health care systems from the extended health care system.The core-health care system includes primary,secondary and tertiary health care centres while the extended health system entails proper sanitation,pure drinking water,awareness programs and so forth.The extended health care falls outside the purview of health ministry and therefore needs to be tackled in a mission-mode and funded separately from the core health care system.The government should then allocate at least 2.5% of GDP towards provision of core health care,which is currently around 1% of nation's GDP.

Third,universal health care should not only include the poor,but also the middle-class section of society.It would ensure accountability in the public health care system as the middle-class is aware of its rights and entitlements.Moreover,moving away from a target-centric approach would make it a politically sensitive issue in the public domain.Unless,political mobilisation takes place in the area of health sector,the people would not get the fundamental right of health care.

A healthy population is squarely related to a healthy nation.A healthy nation is a prerequisite for an economically prosperous nation as it is the productive people who determines a nation's growth.Thus,health is an important segment of interest which cannot be overlooked.

Why China managed to outstrip India in agriculture?

India and China are primarily agrarian economies.About 25 years ago,India was at par with China in almost all the parameters of agriculture sector.However,today the agriculture growth rate in China hovers around 6-8% while India struggles to maintain a steady growth rate of 4 percent.This is despite the fact that India is favourably placed with respect to China in terms of total percentage of arable land,favourable climate as well as socio-cultural factors.

The reasons why China has prospered far ahead of India in agricultural sector are primarily three fold.First.China has strengthened its infrastructure in agricultural sector-both forward and backward.The Chinese farmers are therefore well secured as the products have a greater shelf-life.They sell their products at remunerative prices.In India,the farmers incur huge losses due to lack of proper infrastructure.Consequently.they had to resort to distress-sale of their products.A fall-out of sustained losses of farmers is that the younger generation is gradually losing interest in farming.

Second,China has superior technological capability in agriculture as it accords primacy to research and development(R&D).China has almost 1500 centres for research and development in agriculture.These profit-making agricultural centres have strong tie-up with the private sector for further investment in agro-initiatives.In contrast,in India,a major chunk of government funding is alloted for the payment of salaries of individuals.A survey states that only three percent of the funding goes directly to research.Consequently,we lack a conducive environment for productive research in the sector.

Third,China has an increasingly liberalised agricultural policy moving away from self-sufficiency to leveraging the competitive advantage with a focus on efficiency as much as equity.The food-processing and horticultural sector has reached new heights as the value-added products garner good revenue from the export-market.India has yet to develop its marketing capabilities and training requirements.

India has to realise its core-competence in the agricultural sector.The good thing about India is that it is naturally endowed with fertile land and favourable climate.Moreover,India has a favourable demographic dividend which further boosts the opportunities in the sector.India cannot afford to remain a silent spectator as the demand for food would steadily rise in the near future.  

Nehru's contributions to India's making

I write this blog,as there is an ideological tug of war between the prominent political parties on Nehru's contributions to India's making.Nehru had very rightly said"The future should be built on the foundations of past and the present."In this context,it is necessary that we cherish the sacrifices made by the tall leaders and draw inspirations from them.

Be it Gandhi,Nehru,Sardar patel,C.Rajagopachari or Maulana Azad,they together led the nation towards the glory of independence.The attainment of freedom was not a contribution of a particular political party,per se,but a national movement which accomodated a singular ideology-the idea of a nation.Their roles doesn't remain confined to making India independent of foreign rule.Rather,they guided India to future glory by laying down the broad principles on which the idea of India should be based-democratic constitution,secularism,socialism and justice.

The contributions of Nehru,was in no way,less spectacular.First,he played a vital role in strengthening the democratic institutions of the country,particularly parliament.He was a votary of judicial independence and freedom of the press.He had immense respect for the opposition leaders and also invited them to join his cabinet for the sake of prosperity of the nation.It is thus evident that he was tolerant of dissent and favored constructive criticism.

Second,he was a maker of modern India.He faced the challenging situations of bringing India out of poverty and hunger.Moreover,India had yet to come in terms with the partition and subsequent communal violence that shook its rich civilisation.He carried out the task of taking India to new heights of industrialisation by establishing industries and dams,which he rightly called the "temples of modern India".He too believed that science was a tool to rid India of poverty and illiteracy.It is in his era that new scientific institutions in the area of education,space and atomic energy came up.

Nehru dreamed of an India that was free of caste-prejudices,communalism and injustice.Underlying this,was the value-system based on Gandhi's principles-ahimsa,communal harmony,the importance of each individual and the emancipation of the oppressed sections of the society.Overall,Nehru was a visionary who devoted his life selflessly to the cause of the nation.It would be grossly unfair to belittle his contributions and achievements.

Famous quotes 2

I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed.I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible.But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any....-Mahatma Gandhi

But it is not just these material accomplishments that enhance our soft power.Even more important are the values and principles for which India stands-above all our precious pluralism.The singular thing about India is that you can only speak of it in plural;its pluralism emerges from its geography,is reflected in history and is confirmed by its ethnography(sense of nationhood)-Dr.Shashi Tharoor

India is a country held together by strong but invisible threads-Nehru

That a sense of profit should be based on capacity building for society,and that profits which deplete the resources available to others and to future generations are not really profits at all but losses to society-Dr.Shashi Tharoor in a speech  at IIM world conference in Goa on "looking beyond profit".

All birds find shelter during a rain.But eagle avoids rain by flying above the clouds.Problems are common but attitude makes the difference.-Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam.

Science may have found a cure for most evils.But it has found no remedy for the worst of them all-the apathy of human beings.-Hellen keller

This is my simple religion.There is no need for temples;no need for complicated philosophy.Our own brain,our own heart is our temple;the philosophy is kindness.-The XIV Dalai Lama

Considering other man's point of view is decency-George Orwell

Power is of two kinds.One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love-Mahatma Gandhi

Armed Forces Special Powers Act-Is it necessary?

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act,also known as AFSPA was enacted in 1958 conferring special powers on the Indian armed forces manning the internally disturbed regions of India.The act was based on Armed Forces (Special Powers) ordinance of 1942 originally conceived to quell the Quit India movement in pre-independent India.In recent times,the legitimacy of AFSPA has been questioned thus making it very controversial.

The AFSPA was enacted against the backdrop of Naga rebellion that took place in late 1950s.Even today,the act is being implemented in several areas of north-eastern regions and parts of Jammu and Kashmir.The contentious issue pertains to a clause which states that a commissioned or a non-commissioned officer may fire upon a person to the act of causing death in the name of self-defence.This provision is sometimes misused by the armed personnel thus amounting to gross violation of human rights.The gang-rape of Manipuri women by the army and the condemnation of such heinous crime across the nation is a case in point.This incident was followed by a fast-until-death by Irom Sharmila who continues to be force-fed till date.

However,the proponents of the act contend that giving special powers to armed forces is necessary for counter-insurgency operations.The army leadership continues to vociferously oppose any sort of dilution to the act.The civilian government too seems reluctant to modify or repeal some of its provisions.The act,indeed makes a mockery of democratic control over the military.The Jeevan reddy commission also called for the repeal of the act,which the government chose to ignore.

Overall,the act cannot be continued in its present form in view of its rampant misuse.Although its outright repeal might not materialise too soon,but certain provisions of the act could be amended.The armed personnels who are found guilty of committing grave crimes ought to be prosecuted and punished so as to uphold the rule of law.It is ironical that we use such draconian law against our own citizens.

Financial Inclusion

Financial inclusion has become a household word in a developing country like India where good governance holds the key to economic growth and prosperity.By financial inclusion,we mean providing affordable and accessible financial services to every citizen of the country.

Financial inclusion can be thought of in two ways-one is having legitimate bank accounts and the other is formal access to credit system and other financial services.A major chunk of the population do not have their bank accounts.The situation is particularly worse in rural areas,where even the wealthy and propertied people are reluctant to open their bank accounts.The primary reason is due to the cumbersome procedures involved in opening accounts.It is against this backdrop that the RBI has recently relaxed Know your Customer (KYC) norms by allowing self-certified documents and simple norms as eligibility criteria.Recently,the government has launched Jan-Dhan-Yojana to improve financial inclusion.Also,the government announced its intention to revive the Aadhar-enabled payment system to disburse subsidies and enable cash transfer.

However,merely opening bank accounts doesn't adequately serve the desired purpose of financial inclusion.That said,people ought to be motivated enough to utilise the money for their specific purposes.The dormant bank accounts cause loss to the banking system and hence the tax-payers' money.It is due to this reason that the Business correspondent(BC) model adopted by the banks have become partially unviable.Banks are forced to undergo losses if people fail to transact money through their accounts.

Second,there is a limited reach of credit system particularly in villages.The villages,in general and people,in particular cannot be empowered unless the is a smooth credit flow through banking channels.Many self-help-groups(SHGs) in villages are unable to realise their potential due to credit inaccessibility.Moreover,the poor farmers often knock at the doors of money-lenders,who charge them with usurious interest rates.Consequently,they fall into the vicious debt-cycle and perpetual poverty.

Therefore,there is a need of holistic approach to improve financial inclusion,Strengthening infrastructure and capacity building holds the key to financial inclusion.Banks should be opened up not only in urban areas but also in rural hamlets,where there is a felt need for more banks and related branches.However,relying excessively on bank-centric approach is not desirable.Rather,a proper strategy based on inovation,creativity and consumer protection is utmost necessary.The banks should create innovative solutions for attracting customers once they create their accouts.The people ought to be convinced that they can derive big value even from small amounts.One way of doing this is to show the target audience that bank account is actually a life-style enabler,a convenient and safe means to send money to family or make a variety of purchases.

Once banks succeed in hooking consumers with this value-proposition,they must sustain their interest by introducing a simple user application,ubiquitous access over mobile and other touch points,and adopting a banking mechanism which is not only secure but also reassuring to the customer.Technology is therefore an important aspect to improve financial inclusion.Moreover.to reduce cost,banks can adopt certain mechanisms by which frequent low volume transactions reduce the overall per unit operating cost.An optimal mix of these strategies would undoubtedly offer innovative means of expansion in unbanked areas.    

Famous Quotes 1

Bestolozzy,a Greek teacher said Give me a child for seven years.Afterwards,let the God or the devil take the child.They cannot change the child.

This is a message mentioned very clearly by Ilango Adigal in Silapatthikaram,one of the famous Tamil epics written about 2000 years ago If people who are in a position of power and responsibility go against righteousness,righteousness itself will be transformed into a destroyer.Whoever deviates from righteousness,whether an individual or state,is responsible for their own actions.Where there is righteousness in the heart,there is beauty in character.

If America is a melting pot,then to me,India is a thali,a clollection of sumptous dishes in different bowls.Each tastes different,and doesn't necessarily mix with the next,but they belong together on the same plate,and they complement each other in making the meal a satisfying repast.-Dr.Shashi Tharoor.

We want that education by which character is formed,strength of mind is increased,intellect is expanded and by which one is able to stand on his own feet.-Swami Vivekananda

The law provides but the bare bones for justice,and it is people who give it soul and substance.

With stones,you can either build walls to divide people or build bridges to unite them.-A prominent Turkish author

The father and mother give me this body but the guru gives me rebirth in the soul.-Swami Vivekananda

Our heritage and ideals,our code and standards-the things we live by and teach our children-are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings-Walt Disney on free expression.

The true purpose of education is to train the mind to think. For that reason, it is priceless-Albert einstein

India-a manufacturing hub

The manufacturing sector is the key to a nation's economic progress.In India,manufacturing constitutes 16 percent of its GDP,which is low for a nation aspiring to be an economic superpower. Growth in manufacturing is essential as it creates labour-intensive jobs.The growth story in China is largely shaped by manufacturing contributing about 30 percent of its GDP.

The central government has rightly put in place 'Make in India' initiative sending out strong signals to the domestic and foreign investors.However,several bottlenecks should be addressed upon so as to convert the slogan into a viable model.First,manufacturing is a holistic concept.That said,we need to bridge connectivities associated with manufacturing.Critical infrastructure has to be laid down by building roads,ports and ensuring uninterrupted power supply.This is the prime responsibility of the central government so as to attract the private investors.

Second,growth in manufacturing would remain a distant dream unless it is supported by skill development and consequent labour reforms.India is endowed with a favourable demographic dividend that needs to be rightly channelised.The necessary steps include establishing skill development centres,vocational training at the secondary and higher education level and encouraging innovative solutions.the labour reforms should be carried out in a manner which proves to be a win-win situation for both the employers and the employees.

Third,manufacturing and innovation goes hand in hand.The World Bank survey shows that the biggest difference between wealthy countries and BRICS was the intangible capital.The intangible capital comprises of innovation,Research and Development(R&D),goodwill and intellectual property assets.India has been ranked an abysmal 76th in Global Innovation Index report.Strenghening IPR laws and increasing funding in the areas of research-based higher education and innovation are the long-overdue initiatives.

The good news is the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index has placed India a top-notch country in terms of availability of engineers and scientists.Moreover,India is a cheap supplier of young labour force including women.Should there be a determined leadership and necessary investments,India has the potential to be a front-runner in manufacturing. 

A clean India

There is no denying the fact that cleanliness is next to godliness.A clean India doesn't merely mean keeping ourselves clean at individual level,but also ensuring that our surroundings remain clean too.Mahatma Gandhi had also stressed the importance of cleanliness and its overall impact on the society through his detailed comments on Young India and Navajivan.Unfortunately,after independence,we failed to take rigid steps towards realising his dream.

The significance of cleanliness can be gauged by the fact that an unhygienic environment is a breeding ground for a multitude of diseases.The World Health Organisation(WHO) report estimates that nearly 60 percent of the Indian population defecate in the open.Open defecation is squarely related to malnutrition,stunted and wasted growth among the children.India is ranked even below Bangladesh and Nepal in terms of malnourishment among children.Further,various communicable diseases are the result of unclean surroundings.

Taking cognisance of the enormous benefits of a clean India,the government has initiated the 'Clean India campaign' or 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.The mission is a multifaceted effort of buiding toilets for all,physical cleanliness and ensuring provision of clean drinking water.However,the real challenge is to convert this much touted slogan into a viable program.This is possible only through creative leadership and innovative solutions.Moreover,a massive awareness campaign to spread the message and benefits of cleanliness is the need of the hour.The civic administration should also set an example by diligent supervision of contracts awarded by the municipal bodies.It is often found that the contractors are least bothered to remove the construction waste from the worksites.

At present,the focus of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan seems to be on exhorting individuals not to litter.The programme needs to retain the momentum of a movement rather than a litter-cleaning project.About 150 years ago,Britain started its cleanliness programme as a people-centric movement which turned out to be a successful mission and also influenced the Americans and other European nations.

Purna Swachhta requires three things to be addressed.The first is wet waste or sewage,both domestic and industrial,for which adequate sewerage systems and sewage-treatment plants should be constructed.In Delhi,only 30 percent of the sewage is treated.The rest is discharged into the Yamuna river causing adverse affects on its quality and biological life.The second is solid-waste,especially municipal waste,which needs to be dealt with through land-fills,incineration and so on.The third is to bridge the link between cleanliness and public health concerns.This can be done through massive awareness programmes along with ensuring proper drinking water and subsidising the construction of toilets.

Let us all join hands together to fulfill the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi in the form of CLEAN AND GREEN INDIA.

Black money-a conundrum

There is hue and cry over the return of black money stashed abroad since the new government came into power.The huge poll promises to bring back every penny of black money has rekindled hopes in the minds of common man.While undoubtedly illicit money abroad is a serious cause of concern,black money circulating in domestic economy is an alarming situation.That said,almost 90 percent of black money is generated domestically.Moreover,not every foreign account is an illegal account.For instance,Indian students studying abroad also maintain their bank accounts that are absolutely genuine.

Therefore, most importantly,it is imperative to stem the generation of black money domestically.The tax laws could be made simpler so as to improve tax compliance.E-governance in the public service delivery mechanism is the key to effective governance.The subsidies ought to be transferred through bank accounts which will curb leakage.The major sectors generating black money are real-estate,higher education and mining.A sectoral approach to promote transparency is the need of the hour.India is one of the major IT powers in the world.A strong political will and innovative transparent governance is necessary.

As regards the black money stashed overseas,a diligent monitoring mechanism in coordination with foreign countries and stronger prosecution measures are the imperatives.