UTTARAKHANDIES DISPUTE THE EXAGGERATED FIGURES OF GOVERNMENT’S SURVEY ON DEVELOPMENT

A news in some leading papers of Uttarakhand these days have created lots of controversy in the social networking site, especially the face book with majority of the FB users and those concerned about the socio economic condition of Uttarakhand giving their negative views, ridiculing and questioning the official survey carried out by the economic advisory council and Niti Ayog according UTTARAKHAND a status of an extremely prosperous fourth state of the country after KERALA, HIMACHAL AND TAMILNADU thus, even leaving behind the prosperous states of Punjab, Delhi, Karnataka, Haryana and Gujarat.

According to a news published in the Dehradun edition of Amar Ujala, a well read national Hindi Daily having the number one status in entire Uttarakhand, the seventeen year old state has progressed by leaps and bounds from 2005 to 2016 when both the BJP and Congress ruled this state which has been procured after tremendous protracted struggle and laying down of 46 precious lives of Uttrakhand Andolankaries that included women n men including young and old aged.

The survey carried out on behalf of Neeti Ayog and National Economic Council by INSTITUTE OF COMPETITIVENESS says that the Bihar state currently ruled by Nitish Kumar and BJP combined is the most backward state in terms of social development. While Uttarakhand’s development score has been rated as 64.23, the Bihar’s score on the development index is merely 44.89 whereas the neighbouring state UP’s score is 50.96 slightly above Bihar. The other three states Kerala has the score of 68.9 while Himachal Pradesh carries 65.39 percentage.

What is surprising about this survey is, it gives Uttarakhand 67.58 points on providing basic facilities, 44.80 points on giving sustenance/ survival through basic medical treatments, 78.04 points on cleanliness and drinking water facilities, 76.21 on providing shelter,66.42 for fantastic life style and basic( facilities) elements, 78.60 for enhancing basic knowledge and education, 88.99 health welfare and development, 57.16 for quality enhancement etc etc. WOW. Sounds interesting indeed that it puts Uttarakhand even far ahead of the state of Gujarat where the honourable prime minister has ruled as CM for a long stint and the world knows how speedily and credibly the state has progressed in terms of industrial development compared to almost all the states of the country.

We don’t deny that Uttarakhand hasn’t developed but the way statistics on different subjects have been placed with excessive exaggeration makes everybody doubtful about the credibility of the survey. Even a laymen knows that Gujarat today is on the topmost pedestal as far as its over all development is concerned and keeping it far behind on the survey sounds illogical. Moreover, its a well known fact that Uttarakhand is running a fiscal deficit of more than 40 thousand crores with 32 lakh people having migrated to plains in the search of better life options like health, educational and health facilities.

The condition of schools and health centres and hospitals are in disarray and villages becoming devoid of population with special emphasis being laid on sale of liquor to generate 2000 crores annually apart from other sources. In fact Uttarakhand does not have its own, much resources to generate enough budget to develop itself and is largely dependent on the Centre and other international agencies, economically, to cope with the situation temperority with its economic deficit multiplying further to shocking levels.

Uttarakhand is undoubtedly quite better and ahead in terms of intellectuality and knowledge despite dearth of quality education but its credit goes to its students than to the succesive governments. Any state that prospers socio economically will never have such a staggering fiscal deficit increasing every year but will rather generate enough finances n revenue, not only to cover its fiscal deficit but would also strive hard to convert it into a profit oriented state. Moreover a state where new born are taking birth on swinging bridges due to complacense of doctors and bereft of hospitals and equipments and peoole leaving their villages due to paucity of drinking water and schools claiming appreciation on these fronts is not only hypocritical but befooling the people of the state. This amounts to direct deciet to peoples’ trust and faith who had elected a government with resounding majority. Anyways, let’s feel good about this survey and hope our present political dispensation makes this survey a reality than making Uttarakhandies believe it as a survey unbelivable.
I am providing the readers some of the adverse opinions of the people on these survey given on veteran journalist Rajiv Lochan Shah’s post:
Exaggerated figures. Road conditions are bad, no proper sanitation, polluted water in rivers ,standard of education in undergraduateand PG is very poor, no fully equipped and specialised hospitals. Youth running out of hills for employment. Poor selling female child. How come these progress datas figure out?
MR PANDEY
ये दिल्ली/नागपुर में बैठ कर सर्वे हुवा होगा…जैसे शौच मुक्त उत्तरकाशी जिले का
DINESH KANDWAL, photo journalist
The Government of Utrakkhand has a full-fledged department for doing publicity of the good work done by the Government of Utarakhand.
These officials have liaison with different agencies including media to publicise this, so it is their duty to show government in positive light irrespective of what the government is doing or not doing for the people of the State of Uttrakhand. ARUN KUMAR SHAH

The survey appears to be highly superfluous . Things will overwhelmigly improve on all counts prvided strict probhition is clamped down through out the state and also strick check is made on production and sale of supirious and illicit liquor. This indeed will put to a end to the popular saying “Surya ast phaad mast” . Once this sydrom comes to an end the popular perception that “phaad ka paani aur phaad ki jwani kabhi phaad ke kaam nahi aati” will cease to exist This evoirment consequently will open an unique era of all round development in the state and open new overwhelmig avenues of livelihood theeby putting an end to the well kown problem of migration of youths from the hills to plains.

JAGDISH CHANDER

By: SUNIL NEGI, PRESIDENT, UTTARAKHAND JOURNALISTS FORUM