Thepfulhouvi Solo
The Nobel Prize winner in Economics, American Physicist turned Economist -Joseph Stiglitz was asked whether America is still a land of Opportunity, replied: “USA has become less a land of opportunity than other advanced Industrial countries…; by denying opportunities to people at the bottom, we are actually hurting our whole economy”. If this is how the people at the bottom is treated in opulent Christian country like America, what would the Have-not in other poor countries fare?
The ECONOMIC disparity between the privileged Haves at the top of the Society and the Have-Not at the bottom, is due not much to Capabilities but is due to the Privileged Powerful enjoying for themselves all the OPPORTUNITIES of the land. It is Opportunities denied to the people at the bottom that creates the economic disparity between the Haves and the Have-not.
Consider a small example in Nagaland: the availability of Electric Power to the various sections of the people in the State. This will indicate how OPPORTUNITY is denied to the people at the bottom:
The under-developed Areas of Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire, Meluri, Shamator, Noklak, Aghunato and Sitimi et cetera, require Electricity as much as than other areas of Nagaland but the already erratic power supply in the State reaches them only after months together. Pungro ADC Post did not receive Power Supply for 3 months at a stretch, one Village in the Khiamniungan area did not receive Electricity for 2 years!
The simple ignorant Villagers are so decent, they do not even complain, instead they would cook their food while it is still Daylight, eat their food before Sunset and go Bed early. They would use small smoky burning Pinewood split as Candles in this 21st Century in their homes! They cannot afford Candles brought from far away Assam over arbitrary Tax laden dangerous roads.
These unprivileged Areas require Solar Lights more than those at Kohima or Mokokchung -Villages, but the Government sets up Solar Lights in Kohima and Mokokchung villages with fanfare and wide publicity. Such things constitute denial of OPPORTUNITIES to the Have-nots at the bottom by the Haves at the top.
This is a typical Trade Mark of implementation of d Program and Schemes in Nagaland: it is Contractor-Supplier friendly generated by over doze of ill conceived enthusiasm of Babus from Offices and tables without the knowledge of the Reality on the ground.
Another example: There are some 7 Christian Denominations in Nagaland; and recently the Government gave Aids to some of the Churches, but only to a very precious few selected and privileged Denominations. There are some 20 Baptist Associations in Nagaland, leaving aside the Catholics, the Pentecost’s, the Revivals and others etc. The benign Government gave aid to only one and that too to a privileged one. These are a denial of OPPORTUNITY to the Have-not at the bottom.
The Angami Baptist Church Council is reported to have never sought the aid from the Government nor did they receive the amount reported to have been given them. The Council is strongly against accepting Fund from Government for their Church Missions. It has expressed deepening concern at the growing Economic Disparity between the Haves at the top and the Have-not at the bottom of the Naga Society.
How would the Government dispel the economic disparity in the Society? Not by distributing cash to the people but by the successful implementation of well considered realistic Government Projects and Schemes. Projects and Schemes have a greater chance of Success only when it is well though-out and based on reality factors on the ground.
Success Story of Government Programs creates Confidence, Enthusiasm and Energy in the people. Story of failures generates diffidence, despondence and lack of Energy in the Society. So far, the Programs and Schemes of the State are more often ill conceived, without touch of Reality and not confidence-building in the people. The defunct Sugar Mill yeasted the idea of de-reservation of Rangapahar Forest and the wild fire still rages in Intangki Forests, the vanished Plywood Mill at Tizit, the chronically ill Tuli Paper Mill, the rusted Mechanized Brick Kiln at Chümukedima, the fruit Factory at Longnak and quite a few other failures.
Some Villages like Kohima has Road that remained the same since it was constructed 67 years ago after the WWII but vehicles are being added every year and there are more Vehicles with no road to ply.
On the other hand, there are many families in the villages, where people cannot afford to buy even a ‘Genji’ cotton Vest for every of their sons. Many villager families can ill afford even one Under wears for every of their Children; whereas there are quite some man and woman in Dimapur who can carry on without any worry even after being swindled a fortune by Swindling Companies of Laks and lakhs of their easily gotten money.
A great majority of the Government Servants and siblings of the political Bosses have properties much more than their known sources of income and their capabilities can account; beside creating the gap between the Privileged and the Underprivileged. This discourages confidence and earnestness in the great majority of the Have-not at the bottom the Nobel Prize Economist Joseph Stiglitz says: “by denying opportunities to people at the bottom, we are actually hurting our whole economy”.
It is the Government and Government alone that can remedy these undesirable Gap between the Privileged and the under-Privileged, between the Powerful and the Powerless, between the Have-not at the bottom and the Haves at the top. The Government does not require any Money for this, what they need is only a WILL for Action and a Spirit of Earnestness for which we will all pray for them.
