Thursday, October 27, 2005
I am not from Orissa. Why should I care?
Although this site has focussed on the injustice done to Orissa, this is a matter of national significance. For India to really shine all corners of it have to shine. There has to be a regional balance. There can not be pockets of corner where people are well off while other pockets where people are deprived. The central governments actions so far in regards to higher education and research has been anything but regionally balanced. As one can see from the following links
http://iiser.blogspot.com/2005/10/unequal-distribution-of-higher.html
http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/utype.php?st=Central%20University
http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/utype.php?st=Institute%20of%20National%20Importance
http://dst.gov.in/autonomous/autonomous_index.htm
some states have too many of the mega high-budgeted institutions while the others have none. Moreover, it seems that the decision making regarding such mega high-budgeted institutions have been done based on politics rather than on regional balance. This is unique with respect to the various Indian ministries. The roads, railways, ports, health programs etc. etc. are all done openly and fairly; while centrally funded IIITs were made based on the home state of the then HRD ministers. Similarly it is not at all clear why the IISERs were decided to be in Pune and Kolkata when both state have IITs, while a better location in East would have been Bhubaneswar and a location in NWest would have been Jaipur. (This is especially intriguing when one considers that the previous government had already announced Bhubaneswar as one of the locations of the National Institute of Sciences.) NeitherOrissa, nor Rajasthan have any central universities nor any IIT, IIM, IIIT etc. Many speculate that the contingent of MPs from West Bengal who are allied withthe UPA government bullied the government to have the earlier announced Bhubaneswar location change to Kolkata.
Is that how we see the India of the future? States with larger contigent of MPs allied with the central government hijacking mega educational investment projects from smaller states, and/or states whose MPs are not allied with the center? Today it is Orissa, tomorrow it would be anothere state. In this global age such bullying and unequality will not stay hidden and will cause great resentment among people of the states that are ignored. As a result there will be regional tension. This must STOP and STOP NOW. The Prime minister and Smt. Gandhi should force the HRD ministry to come clean and make ammends right NOW. Modern India should not and will not tolerate such backhanded deals that will harm the Indian fabric.
Hence, even if you are not from Orissa, as an Indian, with interest of India's growth as a whole in your mind, you should care. You should join this protest and let it be known to the powers to be (PM, HRD M etc.) that you won't tolerate this disruptive and politically motivated decisions. You and we should not let this injustice slip. It has been happening over the years, but no MORE.
http://iiser.blogspot.com/2005/10/unequal-distribution-of-higher.html
http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/utype.php?st=Central%20University
http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/utype.php?st=Institute%20of%20National%20Importance
http://dst.gov.in/autonomous/autonomous_index.htm
some states have too many of the mega high-budgeted institutions while the others have none. Moreover, it seems that the decision making regarding such mega high-budgeted institutions have been done based on politics rather than on regional balance. This is unique with respect to the various Indian ministries. The roads, railways, ports, health programs etc. etc. are all done openly and fairly; while centrally funded IIITs were made based on the home state of the then HRD ministers. Similarly it is not at all clear why the IISERs were decided to be in Pune and Kolkata when both state have IITs, while a better location in East would have been Bhubaneswar and a location in NWest would have been Jaipur. (This is especially intriguing when one considers that the previous government had already announced Bhubaneswar as one of the locations of the National Institute of Sciences.) NeitherOrissa, nor Rajasthan have any central universities nor any IIT, IIM, IIIT etc. Many speculate that the contingent of MPs from West Bengal who are allied withthe UPA government bullied the government to have the earlier announced Bhubaneswar location change to Kolkata.
Is that how we see the India of the future? States with larger contigent of MPs allied with the central government hijacking mega educational investment projects from smaller states, and/or states whose MPs are not allied with the center? Today it is Orissa, tomorrow it would be anothere state. In this global age such bullying and unequality will not stay hidden and will cause great resentment among people of the states that are ignored. As a result there will be regional tension. This must STOP and STOP NOW. The Prime minister and Smt. Gandhi should force the HRD ministry to come clean and make ammends right NOW. Modern India should not and will not tolerate such backhanded deals that will harm the Indian fabric.
Hence, even if you are not from Orissa, as an Indian, with interest of India's growth as a whole in your mind, you should care. You should join this protest and let it be known to the powers to be (PM, HRD M etc.) that you won't tolerate this disruptive and politically motivated decisions. You and we should not let this injustice slip. It has been happening over the years, but no MORE.
# posted by chitta @ 5:51 PM 
