Unsung electricians

Sir,
Electricity, in this modern society has become an absolute necessity. In a country like India, minor faults and failure in the service of providing electricity in any geographical area is quite common. These faults include, open circuit and short circuit problems, symmetrical and unsymmetrical faults, faults related to damaged wires, poles and transformers. There is a huge number of people, who earn their living by repairing these troubles related to electricity. These people risk their lives every now and then, to make sure that the refrigerators in our houses function incessantly. The work and the risk associated with it is often gone unappreciated by the society. Most of these workers are not even provided with a safety suit to protect them against potential accidents.The result of this is that, nearly 11000 people die every year in India, due to electrocution related accidents.On top of this, these workers are being paid minimum wages, just enough to keep them running. Of course, for a huge population like India, this number is not enough to raise major concerns about the problem. But thinking about the families of the workers who died due to electrocution related accidents might help to consider this issue seriously.
The sight of somebody dying due to electrocution is one of the most horrible sights anybody can witness. Most of these accidents happen in remote or underdeveloped areas, where people are not aware enough to caution restraint. The developed countries of the world, provide these workers with proper electric arc protection suits. If India wants to come forward as a nation which serious about development and progress, then these issues must be solved immediately. With proper safety, workers would be more comfortable and willing to solve electricity problems. Hopefully, these workers would soon be provided with proper electric arc protection suits, and their salary is increased considering the amount of risk that they are exposed to everyday. There are other cases like this as well in the Indian society, where the amount of work and risk is not being rewarded with appropriate capital. These issues are really important to help us bridge the gap between overly privileged and under privileged population. In the process of development, the focus should be on uplifting the suppressed segments of the society. India has to completely embody the fact that, ‘every individual deserves a right to lead a respectful and fulfilling life’. It is through this approach only, that India can dream about standing alongside countries like the United States.
Nipun Basotra
IIMC Jammu