Food Security

What is this entire hullabaloo over the nuclear deal? Everywhere in the news, papers its nuclear deal. Seems to be nothing else is happening in the country. Although there are more pressing issues like the 12 %( and rising by the hour) inflation nobody in the government is noticing it. The common man doesn’t bother about nuclear power which will light his house in 25 years to come, but how is he to provide the next meal to his family. When the prices of essential commodities are at an all time high, who needs light in 25 years when there is no family?

Ours is an agricultural country. More than half of the country is dependent on agriculture and its allied industries. Manufacturing and IT are our next major potential. Sure they provide the big bucks, but what use of it if there is no food to buy and eat. We cannot eat money. A decade ago we had surplus wheat but now we are importing it from Pakistan and most of it isn’t good. Such is the state of affairs so that in a decade we have to import every essential food item. Achieving growth in certain sectors like IT and automobile alone doesn’t contribute to the growth of economy.

Childs Play

The Prime Minister is hell bent on signing the nuclear deal, even at the expense of his government, which by majority views is not in favour of our country or needs a detailed discussion in Parliament. Earlier in the month he was quoted as saying that he be allowed to go to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) and then table the deal for discussion in Parliament. If he had gone to IAEA and NSG, the deal would be said and done and discussion of it in Parliament would be just crying over spilt milk. Someone had earlier called him a shadow Prime Minister, even a puppet. A puppet, whose strings are pulled from the far West by the look of things. Meanwhile the Finance Minister recently chided the Opposition Parties for their criticisms about inflation. He was angry that all they do was to criticise instead welcomed any advice on taming inflation. Had he forgotten that it is his job and not that of the opposition party? They are doing theirs well, if you can’t do your don’t ask advice to them, resign from the post. Stop blaming everything on the global crude prices. Both these remarks from the PM and FM are, as Vadivel would say, Enna Ithu Chinnapillai Thanamalla Irukku (Read it like him). As IBM says in its advert “Stop Talking, Start Doing”.

Green not Yellow Revolution

The urgency shown in signing the deal should be focussed elsewhere on agricultural revolution. Our country is badly in need of another Green Revolution for which interlinking of rivers is a fruitful step. Organic farming, drought resistant crops and latest technologies in farming should reach the small farmer. Sure, I accept that we need energy security. But I believe that Energy Security should and must complement Food Security. It was “India Shining” for the BJP; it will be “Nuclear Deal” for the Congress which will be final big nail in the coffin.

PS: For those from Pluto, Mars, Antarctica and for those who don’t know what’s happening in their street, let alone the country, India is about to sign a nuclear deal with US which would ban us from further testing of nuclear weapons like Pokhran even when Pakistan develops them and sells them to many countries illegally. A long one for a PS

PS: PS means postscript.

Video of the Week

BTW last week’s video if you haven’t watched it yet was by Suchitra Krishnamurthy.

This plumpy, bubbly girl with a big forehead was the most beautiful girl I ever saw on TV. That was back in my VIII std. Watch this week’s video and comment where you have seen it before

Words on a T-Shirt

Next Week Global Warming and Al Gore