"Through our sunless lanes creeps Poverty with her hungry eyes, and Sin with his sodden face follows close behind her. Misery wakes us in the morning and Shame sits with us at night."
My recent discussion with a few Indians here in London made me write this. The discussion which started in its form and ended as an argument, was about Bihar, the state from where I belong.As vague as an argument,was the awareness about my state, my friends argued that Bihar is the poorest state with the least literacy rate and zero development.
I conceded in knowledge as well as in fact to many statements that they made. But I did try to argue right from questioning the source of their information to its veracity.I definitely cannot argue that Bihar is not poor. I definitely cannot submit that Bihar is the poorest. I have lived for 26 years in Bihar, I got education which made me reach to one of the finest law schools .
The college from where a world leader emerged in form of Mahatma. The leader who inspired me in building up my own philosophy in life, to be the change I want to see in the world. I wonder what will bring change in Bihar, allocating and exploiting the resources? Yes! Ending crime? Yes! Education? Yes!
However, I believe that these are the effect of change as much as a tool for one. The change has to come from inside. The change has to come from the attitude. The change will come when people will stop discussing and start acting. The change will come when the discussion is not merely about Bihar being poor but also questioning why is Bihar poor.
“It would be nice if the poor were to get even half of the money that is spent in studying them.”
I am always questioned by my friends from other state why people leave Bihar in search of jobs and work elsewhere? Well, because we have no jobs? (Probably we have a better one outside).Why there has been no industrialisation in Bihar, no education or no social growth.Is Bihar solely responsible for what it is today? What are the contributory factors? Is it solely because of corruption in Bihar and lack of will by the people, to educate their children, to elect a better leader? I do not contest any of these.
However I have a few points to make. State revenue comes from collection of tax. Tax comes from income. What is the primary source of income in Bihar? Do we have a high income group in Bihar? Certainly Bihar has failed to generate enough revenue. But is the fiscal policy of the state solely responsible for it or the central fiscal policy is also an obstacle in generating revenue for the state?
I remember when US president was to come to Delhi, the whole city went for a “facial”, it was similar when the big leaders were to come to my colony and the whole colony was cleaned. Why don’t the big national leaders come for frequent visit to Bihar and its rural area, so that even my “home” is given a “facial” (pause and think -have national parties esp congress and BJP lost their significance in Bihar, with the new collision parties rising as main players?.. has this anything to do with lack of interest in the development in our state by congress lead coalition at the centre?)
The issue of failure of state machinery and the acute poverty has to be dealt with integrity to the cause and not for the sake of mockery.We are the ignored children. The Centre has lacked in taking concrete measures for development of Bihar. (Even if it is argued that the state government was corrupt, why did centre not take concrete measures to control it? Why were measures not taken to improve agriculture and trade in Bihar?) The Centre should design certain policy for development of Bihar to give impetus to the traders and Investors. Banks have to be given impetus for providing loans to the people for promoting small scale business on the similar or may be less stringent conditions as seen in other states. The government has to “guarantee” for the same. Imagine if there is a policy where by the doctors, engineers, architects and lawyers have to work in their domiciliary state for a few months or may be years, after the completion of the course, where students are encouraged to research on the local issues and provide for a possible solution (or given scholarship to study subject to a few years service to the state after completion). When not just special funds are located but also schemes are designed for development of Bihar(and enforcement mechanism is equally effective), under the supervision of the Centre. (I am sure the democratic thinkers will raise their discontent with unwanted but much warranted supervision by the centre.)I do not put the blame on centre, but I want people to look beyond the obvious,to identify the cause of poverty. For unless we know the cause of of this issue, we cannot deal with it. In my submission, I believe that failure of state administration has indeed resulted in the poverty of the state and the lack of the policy and supervision by the centre has let this issue remain for long, only to make the situation worse.
The change will come only when the joint effort comes from both centre as well as state (as much as from the citizens of the state) who take up to the mission of bringing change and eradicating poverty.
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