Panacea for the Confronting Issues

“ In a free society ,government reflects the soul of its people. If people want change at the top, they will have to live in different ways.Our major social problems are not the cause of our decadence.They are a reflection of it.” : Cal Thomas

Nagaland Government presented a deficit budget of Rs.1419.35 cr!Pathetic road condition of Nagaland! Nagaland State Government employees suffering due to delayed salaries! Registered educated unemployed in Nagaland crossed over 70,000! And yes “ Naga political issue” all these problems cover the major headlines of our local dailies. Our fiscal deficit is not a result of wars,recessions or tax cuts .It is a known fact that these are simply the consequence of political corruption and financial mismanagement. Completely eliminating the fiscal deficit is a near impossibility.However,something has to be done! As recommended by the Governor of Nagaland,P.B.Acharya ,Lokayukta Act should be enacted in the state to check any kind of irregularities. The Government can increase taxes from wealthy Nagas starting from our wealthy politicians .United States followed the same policy of Passing Deficit Reduction Act which proved miraculous result. Nagaland annually spend Rs.231 crore on importing of livestock alone.Why not generate revenue by exporting those commodities which are suitable for our soil ,like Naga king Chilli? Tourism also contribute to strengthening of our economy. It is even more sad to know thar our state is known by the name of potholes. If Nagaland requires 350 crores each year to maintain the existing road but is receiving only Rs.40 crore per year,at least 40 crores can improve the condition of our road to some extent. We all want to drive or walk in good roads but we can’t sacrifice a part of our land for the betterment of society. This all owes to the selfish nature of human beings. Regarding non payment of salaries, we are well aware of the the root cause and the result it has on the lives of the people and economy .It has a disastrous impact on the lives of children of those non-payed government employees as well.60-70 percent of states budget is said to go towards employees rumenartion.It is in the interest of general welfare that the process of getting salary only after some prote NOT become a trend. Top public officials should release the salary at the appropriate time instead of waiting for the public to protest and create commotions. By withholding the salary,they are losing the trust of the general public on them. The number of educated unemployed are increasing at an alarming rate.This is direct result of people’s mindset .The traditional curriculum is mainly concentrated towards writing competitive exams.Every human individuals simply are not born to be govt.servant,but much bigger and better than that! Nagas have great taste in music and entrepreneurship.The innate talent they possess be nurtured and guided in the right direction.Then only Nagas can grow and develop. Talking about the Naga political issue,We Nagas were always independent! We were never a part of India.As from the perspective of Indian government,Nagaland is just only one of the many states that strive to disintegrate from Indian Union.India with 1.3 million active personnel,ranks the third largest military force in the world .Therefore,fighting them physically is a near impossiblity.This problem can be tackled only with the help of sheered diplomacy.However,Nagaland, becoming economically independent is a pre- requisite. A retired geology professor ,Naresh Ghose ,from Patna university reported that Nagaland has gold reserves.The natural resources and minerals in our land should be dugged out and exploited to make our economy prosper. We complain our politicians are corrupted .Taking a closer look at their life testimonies,all of them have in one way or the other struggled to hold the position as they are occupying now. They amassed wealth- some by right means and other by wrong means- because it is the mindset of the people that resolves to vote for those leaders who shower them more money at the time of election. A policy be formulated wherein only those leaders who don’t even distribute a single penny be allowed to contest election.Then only corruption can be tackled to some extent. The bottom line is “ we, the common people, are responsible for the problems we are facing today.”The proverb,” As you sow; so shall you reap”is applicable in our context .Instead of grumbling and complaining ,let’s devise a way; a solution and an answer because we human beings are capable of overcoming any difficulties only to stand taller and stronger! May God continue to bless our Nagaland!

Imkongnukla Ao B.A.lll Patkai Christian College