Today is India's 65th Republic Day...a day marked with festivities, gaiety, ceremonies and honoring outstanding achievement, valor and sacrifices.
But tomorrow... everything would once again get back to routine and next year, this very day,the same cycle of events will continue.
Then what's different here? But as for me...there is one thing that would never change and that is the vision I cherish and dream that I hold dear for my beloved country, India.
But tomorrow... everything would once again get back to routine and next year, this very day,the same cycle of events will continue.
Then what's different here? But as for me...there is one thing that would never change and that is the vision I cherish and dream that I hold dear for my beloved country, India.
This Republic Day, I would like to share with you all the 26 things that I envisage for my country...
(They are not in a particular order, but I went with the flow and kept writing what I truly felt and believed as the ideas poured from my heart when I went about writing this post.)
1. No VIP culture in the country whether for politicians or bureaucrats- everyone is an aam aadmi, hence no red beacons nor special privileges to be granted to any of them. After all they are public servants but they put themselves above us - so no more of that!
2. More courts should be set up and the justice system should be swift - Within six months the case should be decided and verdict should be out and the guilty punished. Hence, the investigating officer must be held accountable if they fail to present a good case for prosecution. The justice system should not be a refuge for scoundrels!
3. For unthinkable crimes and atrocities committed on mankind like rape, murder etc - capital punishment should be awarded with hangings made in public so that people fear the law just as it happens in the Middle-East where Indians reside...it is worth knowing why they prefer living there rather than their own country besides for work of course.
4. No more quota and reservation system in education and jobs - Our founding fathers fought for the ideal that all men and women are equal so why should we be divided on castes and gender!
5. Right to Education - Education should be made compulsory right from primary up to college level; those who are not educated will not get employment that should be the case. This move will also help in channelizing the energies of the youth towards creating a better and brighter India instead of youth falling prey to social evils.
6. Quality of Education needs to be improved manifold. It is an irony that India is nowhere close to our Western counterparts when it comes to imparting education. And if this was not true, then why would people spend lakhs to study abroad.
7. Right to Job must be enshrined in our constitution after all it is not the fault of the people that despite having an education yet they do not have a job to earn an honest livelihood.
8. No more brain-drain - In fact we must invest in projects and infrastructures that would harness the skills and talents of the youth towards building a more vibrant India rather than exporting them to the West.
9. Food, clothing and shelter - These should be the constitutional rights of every citizen. No man should sleep hungry, without clothes and without a roof on his head. Shelters,Community food sheds and distribution of clothes should be done and provision should be made for it in our budget.
10. Manual Scavenging should be banned. For a country that aspires to be a world super-power, this is just not done. Housing and town planning commissions should ensure that people have access to basic sanitation and not be made into a demeaning profession in the name of employment.
11. Urban and Rural housing should ensure that eco-friendly measures are adopted by way of solar,windmill,tidal and water-harvesting that must be included in town planning to make all residing areas self-sufficient and have their own ecology.
12.There should be just one yearly tax which should be compulsory for all. No more taxes on gifts, property, capital, entertainment and miscellaneous others that burden the public exchequer.
13. Like it happened in the days gone by, bidding for local projects like schools,public amenities etc in specific areas should be made in public to ensure transparency and zero tolerance towards corruption.
14. Our economy should be so robust and strong that 1 Rupee should equal 1 Dollar ,1 Pound, 1 Euro etc. Likewise tough decisions at policy level must be taken to ensure that we accomplish this feat.
15. Our currency should go paperless, thus all transactions will be conducted online whether for payment or purchasing. This step will not just make India a nation of Green currency but would also put an end to fake currency.
16. Public Forums/Sabhas should be organized in every mohalla and cities which will be presented as a charter to the local governing body that would list out grievances, suggestions and reforms.
17. Voting should be made compulsory in order to avail all the facilities and schemes of the government as well as having your say in Public Forums/Sabhas
18. Old age pension and free health-care should be granted by the state to all who have crossed the age of 60. '' From Womb To Tomb'' - that should be India's health policy!
19. Adopt a two child policy - This is important for a country as India because in our pursuit for a male heir we cross all limits which has resulted in population explosion. At the same time, life imprisonment must be awarded for crimes such a female infanticide and foeticide. This measure is important to keep a balance in the male:female sex ratio.
20. India should no longer be divided and governed on the basis of religion, cast and creed. In fact, humanity should be the greatest religion of all.
21. Those who wish to contest elections must have a clean slate i.e. no criminal cases or records whatsoever. In addition they must be a post-graduate in their field of specialization. After all we cannot have illiterate and uneducated people governing a country of educated citizens. It is like insulting the intelligence of the people.
22. Politicians must retire by the age of 60 and there must be no exception to that.The minimum age for serving the country must be 25 years because that's when I believe that a person gathers the education, some experience and acumen.
23. We should have a two party system like it is in the West. Smaller parties can merge with the parent party that meet their ideologies. This move would ensure that there is a clear mandate to govern and not a fragmented coalition form of government.
24. Just as we have a milk cooperative, likewise a national Agro-cooperative for food grains, fruits and vegetables where farmers can sell their produce directly instead of getting cheated my middle-men. This will ensure that there is stability in food prices and minimal price fluctuation unlike the recent events we have witnessed when it came to rising prices of essential daily food items.
25. Small scale industries and skill based jobs should be encouraged and given impetus in villages so that people do not have to migrate to cities in search for jobs. Here, there's definitely a need for a good policy framework with a long-term plan and objective in mind.
26. Finally, we should endeavor to strive for the ideals our founding fore-fathers fought for which was freedom. Hence, it is important that we upgrade our defense and intelligence systems to keep at bay all territorial aggression.
Jai Hind! Vande Mataram! Happy Republic Day!
I had shared my views above on Me Tablet From HCL's Facebook Fan page as a part of their promotional activity for the Republic Day topic -'26 Changes I Wish To See'.
I decided to share the same with my readers as well in this blog post.
Regards,
Sonaal
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