Scary of the Changes, Stupid!

G S Oinam *

We all hope, pray, wish, and live for our dreams to come true. Success can, indeed, turn you into a coward, the more you enjoy the trapping of success, the more you fear losing what you have and this is what creates the fear. Hills Area District Council election, implementation of 6th pay commission, empowerment of Panchayati Raj, administrative and departmental reforms, women reservation Bill, Rights to information, Rights to Education and Food Bill etc. which are all inclusion with growth because we can no longer live poor and poorer. Skills developments are also part of ongoing process of inclusive growth.

And so, we argue, why strive for something you are bound to lose? In fact, some of us have a deep unconscious fear of doing well that we work our way up the ladder and then deny ourselves the pleasure of the last step of success. People have tendency to fall apart at the critical stage just when the fulfillment of a dream seems within reach. Things start going wrong suddenly, they either cannot perform as well as earlier, or start having personality based issues or getting nervous or careless at inopportune moments, thus fulfilling their self destructive prophecies.

So what, state government was reluctant to departmental reforms, people are scary of changes, every MLA's heart beat at jumping out rate on ministerial reshuffle and portfolios distribution, literary meaning of District Council/ Autonomous District Council / Double Autonomous Council getting nervous, 6 th pay recommendation. A great master of confidence is missing and all reasoning is seemed missed at the moment.

One may dismiss this as misfortune or bad luck, but experts tend to look at such incidents as self destructive behaviour emanating from a deep rooted fear of success. Sometimes, it is scary when dreams come true. At some level, we are all afraid of changes.

Inclusive growth has become a difficult model in the state; countering one another, growth verses inflation, fiscal consolidation verses public expenses. More difficultly, state has to experience growth amid strikes, curfew, agitation, blockade etc. Arrear crisis of staff employees hang on the process. 13th financial commission which is a part of central tax receipt allocated for Panchayati Raj, Municipality and District Councils can not be touch.

It is a constitutional mandatory. Beside, state has to provide more money to Panchayati Raj from the 3th state finance commission (State tax and non tax revenue). State is pending to open Panchayati window in the State Budget, devolution of fund, functionaries to the panchayats which has been suggested early by the ministry of Panchayati Raj. More money has to be spending on Hills District Councils as District Council come into existence with the opening account of district council election this year.

Pay, arrear crisis is more than enough; one is trying to bulldoze another. This is the land of nexus; nexus between politician and insurgent groups, nexus between employees and politician, nexus between police and politician. There is no democracy in the state.

Yet, we can resolve the arrears crisis. Both sides need good gestured, open mind discussion. Sometimes, 'role of Munnabhai MBBS will work'. Hug them even government can not bear the burden of huge amount of arrears. Experience tells us that we can neither hang onto happiness nor grief; fortune nor misfortune, neither success nor failure. One follows the other and there is nothing we can do to hold onto either.

Literary meaning of Autonomous District Council or District Council has no meaning without development. What are the required criteria for development must be the focal point. For tribal, development means exploitation, B.D. Sharma, India's foremost experts on tribal issues said. God has given the tribal everything" we have three money Landers who look after us throughout the year; the forest, the river and the land. We live off them for four months each".

They have never seen drought or famine. When rainfall is law, the forest produces more to compensate. They are content living in the present. You can not pressure to give them development; they have enough. Just stop their exploitation and provide them health and education. For those, who live in the forest are the owner, you want to turn them into labourers, B.D.Sharma continued.

Manipur and Nagaland are classified under category- 2, i. e. Non-sixth schedule Area. However, Manipur was under BRDF District co-terminus with an autonomous council which has disadvantage in development process. Nagaland has a strong system "District Council" (no word 'autonomous') and strong Village Development Board. Now, Manipur state government has considered empowering of village councils on the model of Nagaland to progress on development and people's participation. Why did state government is so smart? Give them ADC, health, education.etc. Do it, if and only after they demanded conscientiously. People are protesting headless! headless! District Council.

In 1995, Bhuria Commission recommended that for industries in tribal areas, 50% for the ownership must remain with the community, 20% with the land owner and only 30% with the investor. The radical PESA ( Panchayat extension to schedule area) Act,1996 gives the village Authority( Gram Sabha ) the authority to decide the use of natural resources. None of these are being implemented. There in lies the dishonesty. It is an unbroken record of broken promises. If their alternate pattern of development is not pursued, the tribal will perish.

It is true, Chief secretary/planning, a new name in India. Perhaps, state government may not have any experience Secretary/ Commissioner to hold in charge of Planning Department. So, there is no problem to put DGP / Imphal east, Imphal west? The qualification and experience of Deputy Chairman, State Planning Board is not required because the post is political appointment. Director planning has no power even to delegate at Planning Commission meeting. True or false, please clarify?

State problem is the outcome of visionless planning and continuity mistake of 40 years. It will take more time to re correct or even may not able to re-correct. The skills development on soap making, mobile repairing is organized recently. They called it is a good idea. Government spends money for student training for Spa at Noida. But, where the institution was affiliated? It was better to train in the state institution. Enough for another Department dairy, pick up any NGO worker, he will narrate you all true story. Now, the chapter is closed.

New Hope: State Advisory Council with a team of domain experts and civil society activists. The elite body, which acts as a policy watchdogs for the social sector, will be a think tank outside government and planning department like counterpart of National Advisory Council to look into and make interventions to strengthen and sting to entitlement of government schemes, which will be helpful to restore normalcy in the state. One month time is good enough for reforms, reshuffles and changes. Don't wait for the ugly words of ugly common men!