Prime Minister Narendra Modi took Parliament by surprise when he placed Sikkim in the consciousness of the nation by commenting on the state’s commendable success with organic farming. Perhaps for the first time in the history of the Indian Parliament, has a state in India’s far east been held up as an example to the rest of the country to emulate.
The example was a far
Modi was referring to the success of the ‘true green revolution’ that Sikkim has achieved by becoming the first state in the country to attain the status of an‘organic’ state. He went on to say, ‘it is a matter of great pride that the small sparsely populated state of Sikkim has achieved this status’ and wondered why if Sikkim could accomplish this feat , it should be possible for the entire states in the northeast to emerge as one organic food producing region.When the government of Sikkim set up the Sikkim State Organic Board to realise its goal of a ‘pesticide free’ state it shut down all retail outlets for chemical nutrients. It went a step further , the state government stopped lifting its quota of chemical fertilisers from the central government since 2006-2007. Why, some of its officials could just as easily have carried on taking the quota and sold it elsewhere for a quick buck or two. This would certainly have happened in one state we know of … Nagaland. Take the case of wheat. A negligible population in the state consume wheat and the larger bulk of the central quota instead of being returned gets siphoned off to other states.
Conceptualised by Sikkim Chief Minster Pawan Kumar Chamling some 12 years back, the State Organic Mission was launched on Aug 15, 2010. Recognised as one of the 18 biodiversity hotspots in the world, Sikkim has put sustainability at the core of of its development agenda. The first physical step towards conversion of Sikkim agriculture to organic was adoption of bio-village progarmme using EM (effective microorganism) technology. Starting from 2003-04 till 2009-10, 396 villages were adopted as bio-villages by the state.
About 14,000 farmers and 14,000 acres of land in all the four districts of Sikkim were benefited under the programme.
The state further has a policy of allocating 70 percent of its budget to rural development. This because 64 percent of the 600,000 population in Sikkim is dependent on agriculture and related activities.
One can well imagine the sense of pride that the people of the state must be experiencing with this recognition tabled in the Indian Parliament.
This small Himalayan kingdom has made extra ordinary strides even in the tourism sector. The state was declared the best state in the country in implemting Rural Tourism Projects by the Ministry of Rural Tourism. The former UnionMinister for Human Resource Development Dr. Shashi Tharoor, presented the National Tourism Award 2012-2013 earlier this year to Sikkim Tourism Minister Bhim Dhungel in New Delhi.The state has a clear policy on what its goals are for the tourism sector, something that Nagaland sorely lacks,despite no less a potential for becoming a tourist destination.
Rural to urban migration record high in Nagaland
So as the GDP in Sikkim rises up with the progress registered at the grassroot level … in contrast, the development figures are sliding for Nagaland. The biggest indicator being the migration from the rural to the urban areas, amongst the highest in the country.
Nagaland Parliamentary Secretary for Urban Development Zhaleo Rio is on record for wishing to create satellite model townships in every district. The aim he said is to discourage mass migration to the district headquarters which would bring a host of associated problem including housing, He further disclosed that as per the 2011 census Nagaland state registered 69% increase in urban population compared to the national average increase of 31 %.
That the state is clearly not focused on the need of the people is manifest in the huge infrastructure black hole that is staring the people in their face. The roads, the law and order situation, policing, the farce that has been played out with the Nagaland Prohibition Act for quarter of a century ,an education system that is crying out for restructuring all say one thing …”yeh dil maange more”.
So while the Sikkim chief minister is able to suggest to the Prime Minister that perhaps it time for state’ s which perform well to be awarded with a’ bonus’, Nagaland slots itself into the category of states still approaching the centre with a begging bowl.
Such a situation after fifty years of statehood is bizarre for the Gen Next. One of them updating his social media status is said to have written a request to the Prime Minister suggesting that ‘for once Nagaland government should not be given any funds.People should work for development to take place. Development that does not see only the rich getting richer’!
Nagaland ceratinly has a leaf or two that it could take from the Sikkim experience.
That the development model is bankrupt of ideas is clear in the growing number of educated unemployed increasing annually. Much has been said and often enough too about the “educated but unemployable” … but when there are over 13,000 candidates vying for 71 posts for the state’s civil service preliminary examinations there is something terribly wrong in how the youth are being oriented about the concept of a ‘government job’.
While it may ensure security in terms of livelihood it also demands the highest propriety in conduct and moral.
A service that demands discipline that will ensure that the job gets done with justice and fairness and without impartiality and that the work is of quality.
A servant leader is what is perhaps closest to a description for a government servant.
If there is such a large army of youth with such an aptitude and zeal to serve the people it gives hope for the future of the state.
Not to have an alternate to tap this force of youth would be a waste. Surely the numbers who don’t qualify for the prelims or the main exams, can be tapped and channelized to contribute to human resource development.
Perhaps, for those who miss the mark by a whisker or less than a certain percentage … these candidates could be offered or trained in alternate livelihood professions depending on their interest and aptitude such as farming, youth counseling, tourism, journalism etc … even a minor possibility of a few potential candidates falling into such a net cast would address the dilemma of the increasing educated unemployed.
And perhaps then when we see the educated youth gainfully employed can the state start looking towards the changes that it wishes for itself.
