Soaring prices and their control

By Babu Ram Sharma

All the prices and rates are on high spurt making it impossible for the common people to meet their basic needs of living daily. The Govt has taken some steps to control the prices such as banning export of wheat, coarse rice, pulses, edible oil, sugar etc cuts have been imposed on export and import duties. In the climate of rising prices the incentive to export slackens as the exportable articles (merchantdise) can be easily sold at much profit in the domestic market. The big Business and the Tycoons of Industry e.g Cement and Steel, have been addressed to lower prices. Govt raids on hoards of grains and edible oil have yielded large scale stocks in Delhi Metropolis which have been seized. Such raids should be conducted all over India and the dugs-out will be sufficient to lower prices and Inflation respectively. Hardings of stocks are responsible for creating situations of scarcity and then black marketing and corruption. Hoardings are cause of cheap bank finance without maximum loan limits. Bank loan interest rates should be substantially raised and loan credit limits fixed further loan payment be stopped till the outstanding loan is repaid with interest.
Raises to wage earners in their wages are given in one hand and taken by another by administrative levies and increases in rates. The result evident is in the rich growing richer and the poor, poorer ! Take price fixing and its shamping on goods. That is not without the taint of bribing! Govt has fixed independent agencies for purchasing and arranging supply to various Govt Deptts besides security set-up. These agencies have their suppliers of edibles e.g rice and usables e.g Furniture and furnishing. They earn their commission as good as Departmental Purchase Committees. In addition to the above the Govt five years plans envisaged to build Industries. Agriculture, various plants, projects, technological giants, their infrastructures and economy, thousands of crores of rupees have been shown spent but much of this money has been eaten up by corruption. Similarly there is corruption in works Budgetary outlays of the Govt in every fiscal year. Govt has to borrow money and print paper currency to complete planned and approved projects and works and incur other huge contingent expenditures. Moreover the failure of many public undertakings and losses on their sale/winding up has also upset ''The Apple cart of price rise '' a dismal scenario. Further the Govt lavishness in spending ''Public (Govt) Money'' without property observing economy, regularity spending without or in excess of budget provisions, without sanctions and non observing canons of financial propriety. Excessive provision of police security, non vocation of Govt residences outstanding taxes, rentals, private personal telephone calls, free use of Govt transport for non Govt purposes top heavy establishment and non productive expenditures e.g Entertainments, opening ceremonies, visits to kith and kin and wards studying in foreign countries at Govt expense etc by Govt big wigs also cause inflation. As a result of our continuous deficit in never balanced budgets the pressure on prices is immense which cannot be mitigated without borrowings and more paper currency. That is not real income and so much inflationary. Our production does not match our demand because our country's land area is very small in as much as 2.4 per cent of the world land area and population is heavily much disproportionate so much so that every six person of the world is an Indian. We had billion population in 2001 and since then rising up uncontrolled with consequent spurt in inflation and prices. That is natural when production is much less than our demand of excessively overgrowing un-stabilised population. Production comes from our limited small land area which cannot be increased when that also is misused for other than farming purposes and despite ban ! Controlling and stabilising population by observing ''two child family norm'' is a must. Awareness must be created among the people through media and incentive and disincentive steps taken to persuade the common people to restrict their families in their own and nationnal interests for living a better life without a regime of high price and inflation, un-employment, starvation, housing, clothing and social servives e.g. Medical, education etc.'' Small family, happy home'' and less population, prosperous, strong and less crime country. More and more Govt family planning centris be opened and their monthly result reports test checked. Social welfare deptt Pachayats, cooperatives, politickans etc should imprss upon common people the need for ''Family Planning'' and honesty society. Our ''Green Revolution'' is lying moribund and must be rejuvenated. Our forests, green hills and mountains are being denuded of their Greenry and fauna and flora so essential for natural equivilibriussssm. Their encorachment slopped to avoid pollution of pure air, water and pure mind robbing people by adulteration, boardings black marketing. We have to take drastic measures to help the country prosper.

The state has greet future

Prof. Dr. O. N. Wakhlu

The moment you ask anyone this question in the state of J & K or elsewhere in the country pat comes a flat "NO" as an answer. That is not all. The short answer will be followed by a number of many brief and meaningful sentences viz. I have been talking all the while that nothing will change." You cannot trust anybody"." Sad as it is, we are led by a directionless leadership" everyone is corrupt here, there is no hope'. Kaypees have no unity, Muslims have no unity. "India is responsible for everything"Dogra rule has been the bane of everything'. Kashmiris are ruling the roost at the cost of others"."Paharis do not get a fair deal". We are not getting a fair share of jobs". One can go on and on, and verily in the space of twenty-four hours of any day you collect book full of such negative, cynical and pessimistic sentences in the head, which naturally cause a kind of stupor.

Invariably, the refrain is that we blame others for the kind of deficiency we perceive. They also argue for or against a stated viewpoint, which is a trait exhibited more by those who are literate/educated. The debates are however, invariably fruitless. In the rural areas the cynicism is attributable less to political reasons but more to the economic disparity or due to the immediate fall out of economic development. The rural folk blame the government or rather poor governance resulting, for example, in their loss of land without compensation, or usurpation of land by unscrupulous agents. They complain of cheating by revenue officials, or rightly blame people with arms who spread fear and terror. The refrain is the same as in the urban areas but the problems are more concrete in the form of poor roads, lack of economic equity, no schools for children, schools for girls without toilets and so on.

I have often wondered why the attitudes and responses are the way I have described above. The answers are not easy to come by. One would normally tend to think that the negative attitude is due to some deeper kind of psychic or economic deprivation but most often that is not the immediate cause. This kind of prevailing mind-set is common amongst people to the extent that the attitude is truly secular, casteless, and even socialistic, and quite similar across the rural-urban divide. A little reflection will show that the trait is universal. We show a morbid lack of gratitude for whatever we have. There is a tendency to perpetually grumble and blame others. People generally do not see things being done right but see more things going wrong. For most of us the glass is always half empty rather than half full.

The political pundits and commentators of various hues add more to the pessimist fire which is further fanned by others by their far fetched analysis, prediction of frightening scenarios, or even by the scary reports borrowed from foreign intelligence sources which are available for free for this sinister purpose. Such luminaries are more often creators of numerous problem scenarios where non exist but also give disruptive solutions which cause more unrest and cynicism. They also like to play to the galleries by projecting the viewpoint of the nosiest crowds while they deliberately choose to ignore those of many others. In any case they do not want to see a convergence of truth and reality for a peaceful and prosperous condition of harmony

Notwithstanding the above scenario of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh I do like to put down in black and white, as I had done way back in June, 1990 that the state has a bright and prosperous future in the offing sooner than most people like to think or believe. The reasons for that conclusion are not far to seek. The revolution of the last twenty years has transformed us all beyond our own and others recognition. Therefore we cannot easily and objectively assess our own selves. A little reflection will however, show us the changes. Men started with correcting women, instead the latter got more free and empowered for the good of all of us including the future generations More females took to education with a vengeance and did rather well while men and youth took up other modern skills. People of every nook and corner of JKL, of any faith, of every ethnic stock searched deep within them to recognize their strengths opportunities and weaknesses. This has helped people to reshape their lives afresh in a new modern mold. People are more politically aware in a healthier way, there being more political dialogue and other activity. Sometimes it tends to be too noisy and haphazard, even violent but none-the-less with a positive outcome. People have written much more over the years in all languages, which is well recognized. There has been a sudden spurt of print and electronic media. There is a new cultural resurgence amongst the people and the mood is upbeat and positive. There are problems galore awaiting solution but people are willing to make a difference by their efforts. They are also vociferous in demanding better services and good governance. There are twenty fold more cars on the roads, which are however, of a previous era. Massive efforts are on to improve the situation.

What has not changed much is the attitude of people. We are blaming and are critical of others. Equally we are deficient in true modest self-respect. On the other hand there are quite a few who possess a new spirit of entrepreneurship and self help. That is showing a new way forward to the youth for engaging in productive work and a good occupation. Education is spreading and youth are keenly looking forward to new opportunities in the rapidly expanding general and technical and vocational education. What is the greatest need, however, is to imbibe amongst the populace the values of integrity, selflessness, love of our state, and above all abundance of gratitude for whatever wonderful assets we have for our renewal, change and growth.

Yes indeed, the state of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh has a great future and it is in our hands. We must not only deeply and sincerely crave for peace but also do everything in our power to rapidly bring it about. Peace is what people of JKL are pining for. We are confused though, because we do not know what will trigger peace finally when and how. We can hazard many guesses on that score but that will be of no use. One thing is certain, the current indications point to achieving of the goal. Much blood has flown down the rivers in our state and in our neighborhood and the process leading to peace is now irreversible. LJK has a great future in the decades to come. Let us move hand in hand together to bring peace about unitedly. Our ultimate objective is to have peace, progress and prosperity for the state ensuring good work and productive occupation for all able bodied people and social security for the education and health of children and care for the old and sick .Let us wish it and we have it. Let us begin the change right now. Expand our consciousness and think peace and abundance in everything. May God help us in our laudable endeavors.