Who Deserves Subsidy?

The BJD MP Baijayant 'Jay' Panda did what BJP MPs should have done. It appears as a double standard of PM Modi that he appeal to the Nation to give up their LPG gas subsidy but his own MPs enjoy food subsidy in the Parliament canteen like "the Mutton Biriyani" at just Rs 20. A total of Rs 60 Crore is given to the Parliament canteen which Jay Panda proposes to be withdrawn which is a very responsible move by him in spite of sitting in the opposition.

The question is not whether MPs deserve a subsidized meal or not. They are using various other subsidies besides the food in the Parliament. The question is how can the government appeal to the people to say no to their LPG subsidy when their MPs uses such bizarre and unnecessary subsidy and privileges? The British have left but their relics of colonial-mindset still remain in the country. The read beacons for the "Netas" and "Babus" make them feel like they are kings and that is why they forget that actually they are supposed to be public servants.

There have been many debates held on TV as well as in the Parliament whether a middle class needs LPG subsidy or not. And, of course, no serious conclusion came out of it as we know our politician's habit of making mountain out of a molehill. In the present scenario, if the government take a decision to redirect the subsidy of the middle class to a much weaker section of people, all the opposition party come together to accuse the government of depriving the needy despite the fact that government is actually willing to help the needy. This clash of ideology is a trademark of Indian Polity.

So far the #GiveItUp campaign of the government can be labelled as a "successful campaign" because of the fact that during the past year more than a million Indians have voluntarily surrendered their subsidised cooking gas. But it will be like cheating to the middle class if MPs continue to take the VVIP privileges but appealing others to give up their subsidy. The LPG gas subsidy may or may not be deserving for the middle class but the VVIP Privileges and subsidised food in the Parliament certainly not deserving of the MPs.

Comments

The Indian Society And The Struggle Of Our Sports Fraternity

India, the world’s second-most populous nation, fails to show its dominance in sports. In fact, India's performance remains terrible except in few games. So, what's holding India back when it comes to competing in world sporting events like the Olympics? First, it's the conservative Indian mindset of the Indian society. You might be aware of the saying in India “ Padhoge likhoge banoge Nawab, kheloge kudoge banoge kharab ” which translates to “You can be a king if you study, can be spoilt if you play games.” Social life of a person who took the plunge of making a career in sports in India can be challenging and demotivating. An Indian parents or teachers, being part of the society, don't consider sports as a career. They have the biggest influence in a child's future ambitions. They may scold the child that “playing a sport will get you nowhere in life, but to make a life you need to be good in academics”. In other words, young Indians are discouraged from playing s...

A Voter's tale in Bihar Assembly Election

It was the first time when a young boy Mukesh Pandey from Bihar voted for the 2015 Bihar assembly election. He was very excited to exercise his right to vote so, in the beginning, he decided to listen to every politician and go through the manifesto of the different political parties. After weeks of doing so, he got frustrated and said: "What the hell our politicians are doing! They've no new things to say. Instead of talking how they're going to develop Bihar, they are accusing each other of making Bihar an underdeveloped state. Their campaign is nothing but wastage of public money. Those who invest more will loot more after coming to power. Such campaign can't be possible with hard earned money and is happening with black money. Black people (not racial one) makes black money by different black means like extortion, mafia, kidnapping, etc. So there is no chance of honest people fighting the election. The thing that surprised me most is the behaviour of our (Hon...

The Brand Amma - Social Work or Self Promotion

J Jayalalithaa, the actress turned Chief minister of Tamil Nadu was given the nickname " Amma " by her followers comparing to or assuming her Amma (Mother). But, she developed this nickname to be the biggest brand in Tamil Nadu, the “Amma brand”. Despite having no market value of this brand, it has a very significant value for the people of Tamil Nadu, especially the poor and the have-nots. For them, she is the goddess who is not only filling their hungry stomach but also providing them almost all basic items necessary for living a decent life (including some luxurious items too). After becoming CM, the major work Jayalalithaa's government has done is providing subsidy and freebies to the people. For instance, subsidized cheap food at canteen, packaged water, pharmacy bill, cement, free rice, free mixer grinder, spectacles, mobiles, laptops, bicycles, etc. all under brand "Amma" and at the price no other shopkeepers, manufacturers or the e-commerce compan...

Forgiveness - Your Way Towards Peace

Forgiveness is a divine power, something that ordinary humans are not entitled to have. And, those who have this quality are more than 'a human'. One, who is free from materialistic desire and, most importantly, the ego, is blessed with such divine power. Whether it is of physical or mental strength, weak cannot forgive others. Forgiveness is always an attribute of strong people. It is a trait of a mature person having deep inner control over his mind. This strength cannot be bought, it has to be earned. But, how would you earn that? I think spirituality may be the answer. There are multiple benefits of forgiveness. It directly influences our thinking process. It sets you free from the negativity building around and boosts positive personality. It saves energy which can be redirected to do productive things. It is also the key to longevity and good health. But, how will you forgive someone who is not even sorry for their action? How will you respond to evil with kindn...

The One And Only Viru

Virender Sehwag came as a nightmare for any bowlers, regardless of his pace, spin or looks. The madness of the bowler after taking his wicket could be easily seen on the field. It was a kind of mixed reaction of happiness and spewing out the frustration built by Sehwag. But the dignity of this champion, I presume, is not preserved in the way he retired. The BCCI should have given him a match in which his retirement should be officially announced. We can say that he has taken a right decision because a player of such class can't play Ranji and IPL all his life, well nobody can play even international cricket all his life. He as a youngster played and entertained us to the fullest. Sehwag had represented India in 104 test matches and 251 in ODI with the top score of 319 and 219 respectively. He holds multiple records including the highest score made by an Indian in test cricket, 319 against South Africa, which was also the fastest triple century in the history of International ...

Protecting Daughters from Gender Discrimination and Dowry System

What is dowry? Casually, some of us find this as a traditional custom of bribing the groom and their family by bride's parents to get rid of their daughter. Or some of us may consider this as buying of groom by bride's parents through a bidding process. We as a part of Indian society are infamous for dowry and its related offences. When a daughter is born, most of the Indian families don't find that joy a son could have given them. Some of them get depressed after finding out the gender of newborn baby. Having a daughter is a burden to them, mostly, because of the social phenomena like dowry. We make noise and protest against corruption. But we never go through its roots and make substantive changes to uproot it. What is the reason for the corrupt officials to take such risks? The dowry is not the "only" but a good and considerable reason to hoard money through corrupt practices. No media has more reach to our society than Bollywood movies. In the plethora of...

Education Emergency — Why Schools Should Open Its Doors

One sector which is silently hit by the Covid-19 pandemic the most is the education. As a precautionary measure, schools were the first to be shut even before a formal announcement of lockdown. After all, education doesn't come under the umbrella of essential services. According to the data from UNICEF, schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost an entire year, and more than 888 million children worldwide continue to face disruptions to their education due to full and partial school closures. In India, only one in four children have access to digital devices and internet connectivity. There is a large rural-urban and gender divide which is why not everyone is able to benefit the digital revolution. Such vulnerable children unable to access remote learning might never be able to get back to learning even after the pandemic fades away, and could be easily exploited as child labor. Shifting Classes Online To those who...

The Sunshine Within You

Search This Blog