PROGRESS: NOT FOR PROGRESS’ SAKE BUT FOR PEOPLE’S SAKE.

We have heard of the saying ‘art for art’s sake.’ If you are not interested in art it doesn’t mean anything. But when you say development is for development’s sake, there is something wrong with the system that makes the statement.

Theoretically all development is for the benefit of the people in general. But if the very same development is harmful to the people how can we justify it? And if this happens in an extensive scale who is loser: the ordinary man without means, without influence.
Now the saying ‘development for development’s sake’ is getting to be true after all and none denies it.

The great M.K.Gandhi once said,
“There is enough for everybody’s need
And not for everybody’s greed.”

Precisely the latter is happening all over the world. But we can understand this greed that drives the industrialists and the colluding politicians to line their pockets at the expense of the Environment that sustains us and health of the ordinary hobo. Any capitalist economy is full of such things. But what about a Marxian economy? There nothing is done for personal greed but everything is done for the well being of the people. At least that is what we think?

Then what the devil is happening in China? Everything is centralized and all power is vested in the hands of a few. And they can work miracles IF they set their hands to it. But do they?

All manufacturing units in China are state-owned and there is just no room for personal greed. But in Shaanxi province, many villagers are tormented by the noxious fumes spewed out by a lead smelting plant. No less than 600 tiny tots are suffering the ill effects of lead poisoning. To worsen the scenario water and soil content of the region is mortally high.

It was not long ago in this very same socialistic country hundreds of thousands of kids suffered the ill effects of consuming milk powder containing melamine, a highly toxic industrial chemical. Mindless executives of the Sanlu, kept on doing this even after they knew that the evil chemical was a constituent of the milk powder. And innocent little children were made to suffer for consuming this devilish brew.
Citizens and groups are up against this villainy, but only after thousands of the little were made to pay for the price of this criminal outrage.

OH! GOVERNMENT OF CHINA WAKE UP TO THE SITUATION. PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT ARE FOR THE GOOD OF PEOPLE.

Pay Heed Leaders of India and China.

India and China, some of the worst polluters of the Environment are making the right kind of noises these days. China is all set to distribute millions of energy saving lamps on a national scale at heavily subsidized prices.
India is planning to create solar power capacity on a massive scale. The Indian Prime Minister has asked the Council on Climate Change to initiate proceedings that would add 20,000 mw of power generation capacity by the year 2020 at a cost of billions of dollars.
Both India and China depend on coal based power generation equipment to a considerable extent. They release massive amounts of carbon into an atmosphere that is already reeling with greenhouse gases.
Many developed countries have stopped mining for coal. India is looking into abandoned coal mines with a view to reopen them. This is a very unwise step. China also is not making any efforts to bring down the consumption of coal to any extent.
While going about looking for alternate energy resources, these countries should scale down the use of fossil fuels in power generation as much as they can. Such fuels may be cheap in the short run, but the harm it does to the environment and the health hazards it poses to its own citizens should guide them into a whole rethink of their present power generation activities.
Energy saving lamps and solar power are okay. But they themselves will not bring down the levels of carbon emissions into the atmosphere substantially. A whole new mindset and a determination to change the order of things should be first and foremost in the minds of the leaders of India and China. Otherwise they will go down in history as villains worse than a Hitler or Idi Amin. Posterity will never forgive them.

Environmental Warriors: Animal Advocacy

Environmental Warriors: Animal Advocacy

Thank You, Bianca Jagger, Arundhati Roy et al.,

Ideally, a government stands for the welfare of the people it represents. But most governments are elitist in nature. In such a system the interests of the common man who is without education, social standing, influence or political clout is ignored with a smirk of contempt. Consequently, when the interests of the powerful Big Business and the common man come into conflict, the big business always win hands down, at least in my sacred Mother Land.

A mining company called of all names Vedanta Resources – EE knows for sure they don’t know what the word means, they are tainting the sacred word in the name of their selfish interests – is out to destroy the fragile ecosystem of the Niyamgiri Hills situated in the state economically backward state of Orissa in India. The hills are home to the Dongria Kondh tribe. The whole ecosystem of these sylvan hills sustains this ancient tribe. In a land which is steeped in religious tradition, these hills are holy to the tribe too.
EE has always maintained that the politicians are more to blame for the destruction of the environment than the industrialist. If the politicians refrain from giving licenses to the Big Business to ravage whole ecosystems in the name of progress and development, no harm will be done.

This poor tribe has no influence, financial or political clout like the stinking rich. So they have to be at the receiving end of things while the government looks the other way with a smirk of contempt.

But fortunately some great celebrity folk have come forward in support of the unfortunate tribe. Human rights champions like Bianca Jagger, Arundhati Roy of Booker fame etc., have come forward in defense of Kondhs. They demonstrated right in front of the offices of the company in London against the move. The protest was organized by the great human rights organization, Survival International.

Ms.Roy stated that “it will lead to the devastation of a whole ecosystem” and will destroy not only the entire tribe but “all those whose lives depend on that ecosystem.” Ms.Jagger was afraid that Kondh folk will lose all their economic and cultural rights. Stephen Corry, Survival International’s outspoken director reminded us that the companies just can’t acquire tribal lands with impunity as in the days of the British Raj. He said public opinion will turn against the company thereby ruining its reputation. This will outweigh whatever financial profits they will derive from the evil mines.

The London based company’s proposed mines are not only a Crime Against The Environment but a Crime Against Humanity as well.

WILL THEY EVER LEARN? LORD THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING, SO NEVER FORGIVE THEM.