Address by the President of India to Parliament

(National YMCA Model Lok Sabha)

September 25, 1997

Honourable Members,

It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you to this historic joint sitting of the Parliament (at the beginning of the Budget Session) during the 50^th year of our Independence.

I felicitate the new members and extend to you all my best wishes for the successful completion of the Budgetary and legislative Business that lie ahead. Before I proceed to outline the programme of my Government, I feel it is my duty to recall our achievements during the last five decades of our existence as a Free Independent Democratic Nation.

We have made tremendous progress almost in every field of life. In fact, we have achieved significant results in almost all spheres of our endeavours. We have made tremendous progress in the sphere of education that today we have the third largest Scientific and Technical Manpower in the World. Our Managerial Force is one of the finest, which in fact has significant contributions whenever given an opportunity to serve abroad, particularly in the Multi-National Companies and International Organisations.

Our trained work force is one of the largest in the world. We have large number of Educational and Professional Institutions. Our Research Institutions are in significant numbers. We have a large number of highly educated and trained women in Administration, Scientific Establishments and other Professional Institutions.

We have built up massive metropolises, cities and towns with such a large number population that make many Nations look like small pygmies. We have created a large network of industries, particularly in the core sector. Our chemical industry is perhaps the largest in the World.

We have built massive number of dams, barrages and long networks of canals. We have brought thousands of hectares under irrigation and large areas of virgin land under plough. We have significantly transformed Indian Agriculture by modernisation and high-tech and latest scientific inputs. We have mechanised farming to a great extent with electricity, petrol/diesel and even kerosene operated machines and equipments. We have introduced best quality of modern fertilisers insecticides, pesticides, etc. and brought in the latest genetically altered bio-tech based and saplings. We have successfully ushered in Green and White Revolutions in many parts of the Country.

Let us look at the achievements of our Space scientists, and in the areas of Atomic Energy, Electronics and other Frontier Areas. We have the largest market for electronic goods. Electronic industries have come up in a big way, particularly in the major metropolitan cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, etc.

Look at our Automobiles Industry. Till a few years ago we have been producing only historic archaic cars – two or three models. Today are flooding our cities, towns and even rural areas with almost all the latest models International Auto Industry can offer. That we produce many of the models within the Country is a matter many of pride for us. What is more satisfactory is that many of them are produced in some of the sophisticated plants which have been set up surprisingly within a matter of few weeks.

It is also a matter great pride for us that we command the second largest military machine in the world. Our Army had won laurels almost in every land they had been. They had done yeomen service in keeping Peace in many parts of the World on behalf of the UN.

It is matter of great pride that liberalisation is opening up our market, economy, increasing the purchasing power of the employees in organised sector, modernising our plants, cities and towns. No one, walking through the down town busy main market streets can realises that these were the same streets through which one had passed by only a few months ago. The sophistication, glamour and glitter of the shops, sign boards, bill boards, window display, and even the pavements make us feel that we have suddenly been transported to some foreign lands.

While we justly can take pride in these, My Government is concerned about those whom we don’t see or hear anymore, or perhaps never heard or seen in any of our schools, colleges, play grounds, residential areas, offices and other work places. It is indeed very sad that those of us who had wriggled out of slavery at the midnight hour when our Nation won Freedom 50 years ago, have failed to wake up all those of our Countrymen, brothers and sisters who are still sleeping. Thus, others, who have all along and historically been toiling are today almost invisible in all the areas of our lives – the main stream India. While our roads get choked with largest design of cars, they are wearily trudging along somewhere in some corner of the country, hauling loads and ploughing the lands so that we can have homes, food and other needs of life in the metropolises, cities and other and other towns. This neglect of working class of men and women, who sustain the Nation and its Economy, the Society and its health, welfare and future, has resulted in the frequent failures of our water distribution lines, breakdown of electricity, telephone line and the Perennial choking of the Sewage System almost everywhere.

While we are producing double graduates, postgraduates, professionals in the cities, encouraging our women to move forward, it is sad that many professionals & postgraduates remain unemployed even in the cities, particularly those from the marginalised Weaker Sections like the SC&ST Dalits, even though they could be the sole bread winners for their families, if only they could get some job. Well, the other side of the coin is that there are hardly any good schools or full roof over the children in many schools in most of the villages. As a result, the percentage of literacy even after half a century of our Independence is in single digits – shamefully less than 2 & 3% amongst some of the Weaker Sections in the country in a number of Taluks of Districts. How is this even after 50 years? Have we not been in every budget providing all these years Crores of Rupees and Sovereign Support of the Central, State and Local Governments for Promotion and Development of Education in the country?

My Government is rightly concerned about these invisible, unspoken and unheard of sections of society, who today make more than 250 million. Many have asked – why should we bother about them? Many have asked, why is the GOVERNMENT concerned about them? Many still ask, why not leave them where they are? After all they get what deserve! Today many do ask, why not Government look at other poor, elsewhere, and forget these SC&ST Dalits. The answer is – we cannot call ourselves a Nation, a Free Nation that has walked through 50 long years of modern history, that too at the end of the 20^th Century as an Independent Sovereign Nation our Government as being a modern Democracy, and the Country as a Civilised one. We just cannot be a people or a society, if we can leave and forget this significant productive section of the Society, with such a large number of people – 250 million-plus larger than many Nations of the World. In fact, it is in the interest of the Country to educate them and rehabilitate them, so that the Government and the Society could free itself from carrying such a big burden, large weight of dead wood. Their education and development would really help liberate ourselves, and also provide the Nation with a great number of qualified high grade human resource – and make available a big reservoir of modern skilled work force. Their work and future contributions will make the economy really boom, and make us the second largest market of the World – an economic and political giant that hardly anyone could afford to neglect. Well, without toughing them, who are now at the bottom of the hierarchy in every sphere, we cannot really make a dent at poverty and touch the poor in the Country. In fact, the Development of such Weaker Sections of the Society will only prove to be an incentive for the development of the others who are much better placed, even though they are still in some of layers of the Socio-Economic Hierarchy.

All these years in the name Community Development, Social Welfare, Rural Development, Welfare Programmes and Educational & Economic Development, we have only been giving lip sympathies to the Weaker Sections. Really, our hearts had not been with them. We had only been nibbling at the peripheral issues rather than indifferently. We have hardly identified their problems, needs and aspirations. Our roads, electricity and water went through the Rural Areas and into the Villages, but stopped short of their areas (bastis). Our Schools, colleges, dispensaries and hospitals were mostly beyond their reach. Only sewage and storm water freely flowed down to their habitates along with disease, exploitation, poverty, penny, penury and associated miseries, to turn them into slums, vertaul (or virtual) ghettoes – hell on the earth.

Power, money, development, wealth and political patronages hardly bothered to touch their areas. Our bagful of welfare measures, boisterously announcement on every happy occasion, anniversary, and even a little small excuse for massive celebrations, not only made a mockery of the Government and development programme, but also the weaker sections. They are, in fact, a poor apology for the antipathy, ignorance, insincerity and split personalities. The double dealings by the officials from the drawn from the amongst the weaker sections themselves, are unforgivable criminal acts. With woeful shortage of funds could either the thinly spread out, or be made available only to one or two individuals/families in a taluk, we havethus been really making a fool of ourselves as the modern messiahs or agents of Change in a Democratic Socialistic Government that stands commited, and constitutionally bound to bring in modernisation, development and change.

An assessment of the Welfare and Development Programmes vis-à-vis Weaker Sections have brought out shocking realities. Apart from the fact that funds are short, even the little Budgetary Provisions have been found to have been diverted to other heads and programmes –

(a) To pay Government Bills to contractors.

(b) To pay for salaries of the employees.

(c) To develop parks and roads in the cities and towns.

(d) To develop district roads and even State and National Highways that pass by their hamlets.

(e) To build main canals and pipelines across, or by the side of their villages.

(f) To build power lines and high voltages electric networks through their areas.

(g) To build big educational institutions and research institutions, particularly for women in the Urban Areas that benefit only the elite sections of the society.

(h) To build modern communication lines and TV network.

Thus, the money spent or accounted for in their names have not brought any tangible or lasting benefit for them or an iota of change in their lives. On the other hand, they have only impoverished and increased their poverty levels – the relative gap in the life and standards of living of the weaker sections, and other sections of the society has been increasing rapidly. The living areas of the weaker sections are increasingly becoming clustered, congested – still without internal roads, approach roads, safe drinking water, sewage or drainage, electricity, schools primary health centres, parks or any scope for decent and productive entertainment. Nothing is being done to improve and develop their skills and tools, either to increase their productivity, or reduce and lessen their monotony and difficulties at the work places, and or increased their income. One only sees that their dependence on the Government, or their exploiters have increased.

We have all along, either by default or in good faith, assumed that they along with the other poor would develop, as benefit of general planning and development percolate down the line in the society, to reach the bottom layers where we have pushed them over the ages. We have failed to take note of the Indian Tradition that, while we are tolerant of poverty, misery and underdevelopment, we are extremely intolerant of the welfare and development of our neighbours particularly those belonging to the Weaker Sections; and that we have a tendency to hoard wealth and money not only for our own future and rainy days, but also for our descendants to come generations after generations, to ensure their future well being; perhaps as an insurance against the uncertainties and vagaries of life, and also to overcome their general weaknesses and failures in life. The net result has been that while those in powerful posts, and those who manage to land themselves in advantageous positions have been growing richer and richer with all the wealth and modern comforts that we as a Nation could provide through our development programmes, or our distribution mechanism, and what they could manage by way of unexpected distortions of development, or the greed of powerful and corrupt administrators and executives, and by way of what their offices and ill-gotten money could command or buy from any corner of the world – the poor have been growing poorer, impoverished, physically emancipated, marginalised and pushed out of the society into dark alleys of slums, as the unfortunate victims of the underworld mafia of gangsters, blackmailers, smugglers, drug peddlers goondas and other evil elements. These serious side effects of development, and resultant social strife and frictions that increase the already existing traditional deep divide in the society, are of major concern to my Government.

The loss of purchasing power of the weaker sections, their alienation from land and all other means of production and livelihood, the increasing distances of their communities from the visible islands of affluence is a matter of serious concern for all right thinking citizens and civilized social thinkers and political scientists. What the Government is more worried about is not so much about the increasing number of the islands of influence, but the way they are bloating up and expanding cencerously, squeezing the ocean of poverty stricken people in between into physical insignificance. When this bloating balloon of affluence bursts, or is punctured, the masses who are now being crushed and squeezed between the plenty of the few small affluent societies, and the shortages of the masses the rest of the society, a massive volcano would erupt, which would wash out all edifices of injustice and exploitation, and would brook or respect not any authority. My Government, therefore, the rightly decided to place the utmost priority in developing all the poor, starting with the SC&ST Dalits. Since the problem is massive, the Government is open to all suggestions to all develop the Weaker Sections, beginning from the SC&ST Dalits.

My Government is very concerned about the growing violence against the Dalits and Women, particularly the Dalit Women. The growing criminalisation, perversion, and the nature of inhumaness of these crimes is a matter of serious concern. It is very upsetting that as the Country was gearing up to celebrate the fiftieth year of our Independence, a systematically concentrated attempt had been made and all opportunities were made use of to deliberately project him in a poor light, and also suppress his great contributions, not only in the making our Constitution, but also in fecilitating social reconstruction, protecting the claims of the working classes, empowering the women of the whole country, and safeguarding the interests of all the weaker sections.

Perhaps, the continuing atrocities against the Dalits even 50 years after Independence, in spite of the social, economic and legal compulsions on the State to specially protect them, Constitutional Provisions and many Central and State Legislations, at the twilight hours of the 20^th Century indicates that, the Dalits are at the receiving end, not only because of the lingering historing hostilities and prejudices against them based on race colour and ethnic antagonisms, cultural incompatibilities, and caste considerations, but also because of the fact that they are still economically, socially and politically vulnerable. Therefore, my Government proposes to come up with viable realistic Economic Development Programmes for SC&ST Dalits. An assessment of various social/community development and welfare programmes referred earlier has indicated that most of them have not been conceived in a realistic. Wholistic or adequate manner, and that proper linkages and logistics have not been tied up in time. In fact, development often times had left the weaker sections totally helpness and emancipated, cutting them off and denying them the right and access to life sustaining systems of land, water and clean air.

All the general development programmes conceived in the initial days of our Planning have relied generally on market forces, text book economic theories, and universal principles of overall social and economic development. Hence, they assumed, percolation of economic and developmental benefits to the common man at the bottom of the Government in the past had not recgnised was, the great unsatiable greed of many well-off and middle sections of the society that have unlimited capacity to absorb, hoard and hide wealth and developmental benefits effectively, blocking the benefits from reaching lower poorer sections of the society.

Our Banks, even after Nationalisation, have failed the common man. On the other hand, schemes for providing loans have become another opportunity or channel to defraud the Banks and public exchequer, defeat the State and Society, and also exploit the Common Man, particularly those of the Weaker Sections. National Level special Financial Institutions, and State Financial Institutions have failed them. The Sectoral Institutions for the development of agriculture, rural poor, small sector, cottage or village industries have not touched them. In fact, the officials or pretty functionaries and clerks have taken extra care to see that the Weaker Sections like the SC&st Dalits are not touched or benefited in any manner.

The special SC&ST Corporations started by the States have proved to be both corrupt, unimaginative, tied to Land and other Traditional Sectors rusted that they could not deliver the SCs&STs. The National SC&ST Finance Development Corporation has failed to take off, due to the twin problems of their guidelines having been framed by elite fossilised bureaucrats and administrators, and its working having been entrusted into the hands of all those unimaginative conservative corrupt officials and staff drawn from the bureaucracy, administrative ministries, banks and other financial institutions that have failed them all along our existence. To top them all is, the totally antagonistic biased, prejudiced unwilling officials in the Government in the Administrative Ministry, Finance, and the Planning Commission. The NSFDC started with Rs. 75 crores for the 200 million SC&ST, then a mere 3.5 Rupees per SC&ST individual, of which only Rs. 25 crores were provided in the first year, which worked out to a meagre RS. 1.25 for every SC&ST for Financial Assistance and Development through business, industry, trade, commerce and other entrepreneurship. It is no wonder then that, even while some of the failed State SC/ST Financial Development Corporations talked about Rs. 1 to 5 lakhs financial assistance to SC/ST Entrepreneurs to start their business or industry, the National Level SC&ST Finance Development Corporation confined itself to an average loan of Rs. 10,000/- and less to the SCs&STs. That too, only to those who just can afford two meal a day or less. It is this type of an attitude to restrict, confine, regulate, frustrate and derail the Development of SCs&STs, that had killed the Government Institutions, and failed the SCs&STs till today.

The great Academicians, financial wizards, meritorious managers, and economic advisers have all failed to realise that no amount to tall talks promises and incentives can attract an entrepreneur, or turn/transform an average of job seeker and the traditional employee into an entrepreneur, unless the investment/financial assistance is of sufficient magnitude to provide/assure manifold returns than what can a decently employed Government Official or a private employee in the organised sector can hope to earn at the end of the month as pay pocket. Otherwise, we could have never hope to bring educated qualified graduates, professionals and technical personnel hailing from the Weaker Sections into business, production and trading sectors. Unless we can do this, we will only be promising ourselves with ideas and programmes of developing the masses that the Country could wake up to be an economic giant of the 21^st Century. Transforming helpless landless agricultural labourers, physical load carriers and low paid employees, as road side hawkers without any legal protection or social sanction, and resource or base to fall back upon, would only turn them into the hands of local thugs or Municipal/Local Administration.

Our Long and Short Range Programmes such as building infrastructure like roads, hospitals, schools; providing education and health care; or creating jobs have all left out the Weaker Sections, because of their poor quality, lack of social engineering to match them up with the local areas, communities, their needs, aspirations and urgent requirements. As a result, we have Schemes and Programmes which do not match the needs, skills, resources and demands of that area; that which should have been provided decades ago; that which is most suited to some other communities or to a distant area or region, or perhaps may be necessary at a unrealistic top to down planning, aiming at single or a few universal programmes and Schemes for all the Societies, which are in different States of Development, different Stages of economic, social or cultural growth, or in different levels of political and intellectual awakenings in different parts of the country, can not deliver today the poor all over the country. Hence, there is a need to :-

(a) Document Development Programmes, and needs of the Weaker Sections in different areas and localities.

(b) Match their skills with the available resources, and market needs and social requirements.

(c) Finance, develop and manage their entrepreneurial capabilities suiting to their skills at a pace which they can absorb and withstand.

(d) Force them to create, manage their needs and affairs, particularly their own housing, waste disposal, and social hygiene.

(e) Co-opt them to produce their own day-to-day simple needs like vegetables, milk, poultry, fish, etc.

(f) Induce them to manage their own schools, colleges, professional institutions, training institutes and coaching centres, for better performance, and to impart skills development amongst their children and future generations.

(g) Help them to improve and upgrade their own skills, tools & equipments for a better productivity.

(h) Encourage innovations and discoveries to suit their jobs, trades, resources and areas.

(i) Strengthen their hold in productive spheres and steadily diversify the younger generations into new and modern areas.

(j) Introduce Community Development Programmes for which they have the aptitude, or there is a felt need and demand.

(k) Develop their Assets for their own economic advantages to create marketable surplus for investment and self generation.

(l) Enlighten and Empower them, not to dispose or trade off their physical assets for liquid cash, however, tempting may be the price or other offers and inducements from the builders lobby etc.

My Govt. is concerned about the growing number of poor, and their problems and miseries. What is more disturbing is the increasing disparities between the poor and rich, between the labouring class who create assets and other infrastructure for us and the Nation, and those working in the organised sector. For example, we had any number of imported limousines on the roads. They were often beautiful eyesores for the poor and other common people. Now we have every model of indigenously Manufactured or Assembled Foreign (IMAF) cars choking our roads, and polluting all of us, if one may at least say this. But at the same time, we don’t have good decent Public Transport System any where in the Country. Our Road Transport is in a mess. Neither our buses are good, nor are the good ones imported or are there any IMAF Buses. Our Railways have been failing us, and are going to fail us further. Most of us hardly ever travel by train any more, anless compelled by force of circumstances, or only when there is no other alternative. This, in spite of all the Superfast Rajdhanies, shatabdies and the Inter-City Expresses. Hardly do we like to introduce any Passenser Trains to connect our rural areas with the towns, cities and other centres of activities. This, when our Nation lives in the Villages and other Rural Areas. And our National Tryst and the ideals behind all that Struggle for Freedom was to build a Nation which could wipe the tears of the poorest, loneliest and the lost, and build a Nation where none died for lack of food, shelter or clothing and schools for every child. But in reality, the poorest have grown more poorer, the loneliest have completely been forgotten, the lost have been lost forever in this ancient land of ours. This is the lot of the Weaker Sections in the Country today. Of them all, the lot of the SC&ST Dalits is very very miserable.

Here, I would like to make a general appeal to all of you.

Don’t ever look down at the SC&ST Dalits, with condescending denigration. However repulsive or revolting their present conditions and miseries may be, I can only assure you that amongst the rest of the world – the so called educated, developed, well off, or the rather rich elite sections, there are much more stink and dirt which they hide, and or the World does not even bother. On the other hand, the Nation’s Wealth; time for education, works, games, recreation, leisure and other pursuits of great values and importance; health hygiene, social well-being depends on these poor visible and lot more invisible SC&ST Dalits. But for them, our whole economy, life style, standards of living, public health and health and social hygiene would collapse in no time; and all our food, water, sewage, transport and other communication and essential systems would simply fail.

I would not like to anyone to go woth the feeling of the need to develop paternalistic attitudes or a tolerant outlook towards them, their miseries and conditions, so as to accept them as they are, and sustain them where they are, with a lot of liberal outlook, or create some small systems to deliver some little benefits to keep them a little happy, satisfied or complacent. I would like everyone of you – both on the Treasury Benches, and those from the Opposition to find good solutions. In fact, the onus and responsibility on the opposition is more than on the Ruling Party. Only a sincerely Collective Wisdom and Honest Actions – on the part of the Ruling Coalitions and the Opposition Parties, with each playing their role properly – can produce the desired results of ensuring that the SC&ST Dalits are liberated from their Socio-Economic Bondages, so that we would see the Country progressing, the Society stable, and the people prospering. I expect the opposition to form at the earliest, a Shadow Cabinet – not just with the expectation of puling down the Govt. and step into their shoes, but to be vigilant enough to watch each and every step of the Govt., criticise; find gaps loopholes and shortcomings in the Government’s Schemes; and also arrest the Govt’s failures, check in time the mismanagements in both the Programmes and the flow of funds and distortions both deliberate or otherwise, if any. On the other hand, they have to come out with alternate Plans, Programmes, Schemes Budgets and Resources of which the proportionate, i.e., 16.8% and 8.5% of the funds should be allotted for the SC&ST Dalits Welfare and Development.

The issue of allocation of funds for the Development of SC&ST Dalits in proportion to their population in the Indian Society has been discussed and also agreed upon, on a number of occasions in the Past. But, till date, even 50 years after Independence, this has not materialised, because of political indifference, and lack of Administrative Will. My Govt. hopes to implement this during their tenure of office. Appropriate actions will be taken soon, during the current session of the Parliament itself to ensure this.

Great Men have come and most of the Great Men have gone. Gone with the wind, much before them were, almost all the noblest and great words of wisdom they had spoken most of which were in reality mere words. For, they did not mean most of that they had spoken. Many others, they could not implement honestly and sincerely. And for the rest, they perhaps could not find enough time, or right men to manage them, or find adequate resources to implement them. Speeches made in the past, many of them heard even in this august house, had gone into those ranks. Many of them now ring hollow and vainly in our ears, leaving us failed themselves and in their resolve, and failed us for having reposed faith and confidence in them and their weak capabilities. I don’t want this assembly and its precious time to be wasted in such tall colourful hollow talks. I would therefore earnestly request, rather implore you all to think seriously, and attach some sincerity and respect for the valuable times of others, and the hopes and aspirations of the Weaker Sections who are looking up at you and all of us here with great faith and expectations, before you argue or speak out. I want you to come out with really valuable suggestions, concrete ideas, constructive criticisms and useful debates. I want to see the pooling together of minds, rich experiences, precious knowledge, the rare creative vision that may be hiding in many of you, and the fullest contributions of your valuable time, to find ways and means to strike at the at the right and most appropriate solutions for solving the massive oppressive problems of the 250 million solving plus SC&ST Dalits, that the future generations would look at you, your work and contributions with real awe and wonder, and say that you were all real Statesman with vision, dedication, and commitment for the whole Indian Society and for the future generations, and were men of purpose.

Daunting though the problems of the voiceless, helpless, powerless, assetless, really leaderless, and in many ways directionless large numbers of the SC&ST Dalits may appear at the first assessment, you must recognise the fact that these were not intrinsic problems of great unknown natural challenges, or as some may say god’s creations. Your dilemma will become simpler when you recognise that their Problems and Miseries were the Creations of man, the vile man, his greed, and the failures and complexities of the systems founded to check the greed and evil designs of the Problem People.

Here in must share with you the dangers of leaning heavily on the bureaucracy has silently but successfully bribed, silenced and softened you all with many of the perks and privileges that they have been taking at the cost of the exchequer. These had really mellowed down most of you, and co-opted, if entrapped you with in the system, which had gone far away from the common man, whom it was meant to serve. The privileges and comforts being steadily and increasingly extended to you have in many ways had the effect of purchasing you on behalf of the establishment. The fault is not in you, but in those great leaders who were much before us. The first step in the wrong direction leading to this process of co-option was taken long long ago, silently and innocuously, way back, almost in the early days had blinded many of us from recognising and identifying the wrong directions in which we have been lead. Members of successive Parliaments have been steadily bought over days by the bureaucrats and their agents, working and acting on behalf of the establishment, for the benefits of the decadent system that is anti-people, only to preserve the status quo, and resist, avoid, differ, frustrate and defeat all changes. Having done this, and ensured the support or the silence of most of you peoples representatives, the bureaucrats have gone ahead in creating islands of excellence and exclusive privileges for themselves, their families, and at the times for their friends and clans. Many of those are of Permanent and self-sustaining nature. Groups and Institutions like IAS, IFS, IPS, Ministries and Departments such as Atomic Energy, Space, Electronic, Ocean Development, Defence which are all meant only for the pedigree elite classes, pride themselves shamelessly in keeping out the common man, are insensitive to their problems and indifferent to the needs and aspirations of the Weaker Sections. It is unfortunate that still we are in turning a blind eye to their looting and robbery.

Most of you, representing the scantly dressed half naked hungry tilling masses working in the hot sun rain and even bitter cold and freezing wind, travel and sleep in Air Conditioned Comforts, fly by Air, or hurdle headlong through AC First Class of Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Inter-City and other Superfast Trains. Rarely ever do we travel with the common man in buses, by second class, or walk along with the people. We have grown distance between us and the common man to have a first hand knowledge of their present and continuing problems. Thus, we have invariably lost touch with the common man, the masses including the people who have voted for us, and sent us to the Parliament as their representatives, as the representatives of sovereign people. Hardly do we understand, know or recognise today our own people back home in our constituencies, those whom we represent. Hence there is no wonder, most of us do not anymore know or realise, or recognise the problems, needs and deprivations of the people. This does not mean that we are hollow or ignorant, or that we are no more part of our people, and have become a part and parcel of the exploitative oppressive classes who try to keep the people suppressed. We are always briefed by those who surround us, who allow us to meet, hear and know what we should know, keeping everybody and everything else they don’t want us to meet or know, out and away from us. We are made wiser by the schemes and programmes what our high, intelligent, well educated, much experienced administrators and great planners want us to do, brief us from time to time. It is no wonder that we have all practically moved away from the people, realitites, truth and the needs of the hour. Briefed and coaxed by our Govt. machines, we force down the throat of the people, Programmes and Schemes drawn in our Secretariats and Yojna Bhavans. The result is there for all of us and the whole world to see. We have built beautiful, palatial or small comfortable modern or ethnic homes with all the latest comforts for ourselves, in the cities and also nearly countryside, while our villages present a more deserted picture of poverty and misery with out water, power, schools, hospitals, and proper houses. It is the greatness of our culture, and goodness of the people, that they have not lynched us, and still do tolerate us, even though have long back lost all hopes in the system and the Govt, and in fact faith in us. It is only the irony of their helpless state and miseries that some of them still do come behind us even though they know almost for sure that they may not get anything from us. And we also feel great about it, and go about as great leaders. Therefore, my Govt. has proposed to take up an ambitious programme to empower the SC&ST Dalits through Education and Professional Trainings. The Govt. will soon formulate appropriate Schemes to Promote Excellence in Education amongst the SC&ST Dalits, and for their Professional and Managerial Trainings. Plans would soon be worked out to help the SC&ST to create/promote/establish and manage on their own – Endowments for awarding Scholarships to SC&ST Children to felicitate their higher Education, particularly in new areas and disciplines which are still not popular in the Society, and do not attract their Children in sufficient numbers for entry into service.

Educational Institutions, Professional Colleges, Management and Specialised Centres of Learning, Advance Training Institutions.

Local Training and Crafts Institutions for their Children, especially for the drop outs.

Local Centres for Creative Training of their young Children.

Institutes for English Learning and Grammar Schools, Centres to Encourage public speaking, Centres for study of Dalit Problems.

Dalit Development Centres, Information Centres, Employment Exchange.

In short my Govt. would create an atmosphere and situation where the SC&ST Dalits themselves manage most of their Problems and Develop their own Communities. The first step in this regard was taken by the great Baba Saheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar – Mesiah of the SC&ST Dalits, Working Classes, Women and other Weaker Sections of the Society, when he started the peoples education society. In fact, this step of his had laid the foundation for promoting education in the entire Marathwada Region of Maharashtra. When my Govt. follows his foot steps, other will find themselves totally helpless in rejecting – the SC&ST Dalit Boys and Girls at the time of Recruitments and other Selections, or the SC&ST Dalit Officials and Scientists at the time of their Postings, giving them good Assignments, sanctioning them Projects, and sending them for Training both inside and abroad.

Jai Hind

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