Editor,
The ST of March 7, 2023 carried some interesting stories. Of interest are three issues namely the public complaint on shoddy implementation of JJM schemes in Garo Hills; closure of polluting coke units in Jaintia Hills and the article by Aiborlang Nongsiej on how we deface our own city. What all three issues boil down to is the lack of empathy between Govt and the public on issues that are of public interest. The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly is in Session and it is hoped that some public spirited member of the House will have the guts to raise the issue on the floor of the house and members the fortitude to discuss on how Meghalaya plans to improve delivery of Departmental services to the satisfaction of the public. A major flaw is the absence of pubic sense of ownership over all development activities. In other words the absence of stakeholders in governance and is the ideal breeding ground for corruption since there is no social appetite to check the guilty. To illustrate my point bear with me as I attempt to highlight this aspect through a real story.
It all began when the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCRMP) or the IFAD project as it is fondly known was introduced. To manage community resources, empowerment of all community members (read village community) was identified as the first and foremost priority. This was achieved through the adoption of two stratagems ie The formation of the Natural Resource Management Group (NaRM-G) and Women’s affinity based SHGs. NaRMG was composed of two members from each household ( one man and one woman) a platform for the community to identify, debate and discuss its developmental needs. Women SHGs on the other hand were encouraged the practice of micro savings and financing, lending amongst members and addressing gender related issues as a collective women’s problem instead of an individual, private household matter. (Three things immediately started happening in the village. Wife beating dropped to an all time low; Public attention on the school performance sharply increased and poor women started having money they could really call their own). Self confidence of women SHG members rose; women leaders started emerging and gender related issues started featuring as agenda items in NaRMG meetings.
In one particular village the NaRMG identified drinking water as its priority development need. A water source was identified and a gravity based drinking water scheme was chalked out for Project funding. Various members of the NaRMG were given various tasks (such as cleaning the brush; digging the channel for the pipes, providing labour etc). The Headman and the Dorbar Secretary were tasked with purchasing the best Tata brand pipes from Shillong. Somehow along the way temptation got the better of the duo and they returned with vastly inferior pipes. Everyone in the community immediately realised what had happened but the Rangbah Shnong happened to be a Tymen Basan and the Secretary the licensed PDS distributor. Tradition prevailed and no man dared say a word. The empowered members of the women’s SHG however were made of sterner stuff and not so easily intimidated. They blew the whistle on the fraud; a general meeting of the village was called; the Headman and Secretary made to confess and as punishment were stripped of the post they held with an added punishment that they and their families were debarred from all future IFAD aided benefits. Colleagues, when I narrate the story usually ask “So was an FIR lodged?” That exactly is not the point! A social audit of sorts had taken place because people were no longer prepared to be cheated; stakeholders were prepared to challenge the guilty; People took ownership over management of their resources; they lost the fear of raising the alarm when they felt they were being cheated! Empowered village women became whistle blowers when they accepted development as their own and not as another Sarkari ka mal imposed from above.
Three important community aspects emerged that we need to strategise . First Meghalaya needs to break this stupid belief that tradition bars women from decision making processes within the community. Women above 18 should be part and parcel of the Dorbar and a Law by the Legislature is needed to uphold this. Our District Councils have sat on the issue for the last 70 years and failed to do anything. Second, because of 70 years of being treated as inferiors in Dorbar meetings our women need a strategy that can fast track women’s self confidence and empowerment. The NERCRMP strategy was through micro finance of affinity based village women. This proven technique can be followed. Thirdly and most important, a law passed by the Legislature on the composition, powers and process of financing these grassroot institutions on similar lines for Panchayats needs to come in as fast as possible. Petty political jurisdiction between ADCs and State Govt has to end in the interest of the people and the state.
Yours etc.,
Toki Blah,
Via email
Plight of Indian medical students
Editor,
The plight of Indian students who pursue medical education in Ukraine puts the spotlight on the inadequacies of medical education in India. The crisis they face has sparked off an intense debate on why medical education in foreign countries is so popular and what India can do to make students in India join medical courses in Indian universities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently urged corporate India to put in efforts so that Indian students don’t have to go to foreign countries for medical education. Unless affordable medical education is provided in India, the exodus of students to foreign countries is likely to continue in the future. Likewise, the number of medical seats in Indian universities needs to be increased to stop the flow of students to foreign countries.
Although there are only around 90,000 medical seats in private and government medical colleges in India, 1.6 million applied for the NEET to qualify for the under-graduate courses in 2021. Apart from the big gap in demand and supply, the differences in fees structure in government and private colleges is a serious impediment to medical education in India. It is unjustified that it costs between Rs.80 lakh and Rs.1 crore to study medicine in private colleges. In contrast, medical colleges in Russia, Ukraine, China and Belarus offer these courses at Rs.20-45 lakh. As a result, around 25,000 Indian students go to foreign countries every year to study medicine.
Considering the present crisis that Indian students face in Ukraine, the government needs to take measures to make medical education in India hassle free and student friendly. The number of seats for MBBS must be increased. Also, medical education must be provided at reasonable cost. If the requirements for starting medical colleges are made simple, it will attract private management. Similarly, those who pass out of medical colleges must have globally recognised medical degrees.
Yours etc.,
Venu GS,
Kollam