– Subhash Bakshi –
Jharkhand is one of India’s poorest States. I was there recently and saw how the people have lost hope. I was there when Jharkhand was born, on 15 November 2000. People were out on the streets, celebrating a victory that had come after years of struggle.
The political parties had ensured them a bright future, and they had believed in that rhetoric. But their hopes were belied. Prosperity came, but only to the politicians. They betrayed the people and broke all records in amassing wealth through illegal means. The majority of people live in abject poverty. Migration in search of jobs is on the increase. The rich are becoming richer and the poor are being left to fend for themselves as the following statistics reveal:
* 92.7% of Jharkhand’s tribal population live in villages; only 27.52% of them are literate.
* Jharkhand’s official per capita income is Rs 5,200 per month, which, however, does not reflect the real story, for other indices suggest underdevelopment. Jharkhand’s core problem is, it is a State where wealth is concentrated only in a few hands, while the rest of the population is mired in abject poverty. Yet, potentially, Jharkhand is one of the richest States in India courtesy its abundant mineral wealth.
* 30% of Jharkhand’s tribal population are above 30 years of age; 30% are between 15 to 30 years; 40% are below 15 years. It is the age group of 15 to 30 years that is the most disillusioned. They constitute nearly one-third of the total tribal population, and is a powerful group that is, potentially, the State’s richest asset. If harnessed properly, its dynamism could have taken Jharkhand to great heights. But not one of the Governments in Ranchi has ever done anything for this young and productive population. They have let them go waste, as a result of which these youngsters are wreaking untold havoc after joining Maoist outfits like the MCC, the Jharkhand Liberation Tigers and many such splinter groups, besides taking up crime as a means of livelihood.
In Bundu near Ranchi, villagers reveal that they provide meals and shelters to the militants and also protect them from the police whom they perceive to be an instrument of oppression. The hatred for the politician is at its peak. An utter disregard for the welfare of the poor has resulted in this state of affairs. The disparity of income between the rich and the poor is just too great to be ignored. It is shocking that politicians in Jharkhand are now paying protection money to the MCC to save their own hide.
In Indranagar Kushth Colony on the outskirts of Ranchi, I meet Gopal, a leprosy patient who is physically handicapped, and for whom begging is the only means of livelihood. He attributes his suffering and the general state of poverty to the corrupt politicians and their cohorts.
This should disturb every sensitive Indian. Sixty-one years of freedom have widened the gulf between the rich and the poor and created a meaner, more selfish and more tense society. Indian society is disfigured by gross unfairness, which, without constant correction, feeds on itself. For 60 years Indian politicians have fed the masses on non-issues ignoring the real issues. I only hope 100 days target setting by the UPA Govt addresses the real issues facing Jharkhand.
Author, Col (retd) Subhash Bakshi
Mobile: 09810019165
