By N Ravi Shanker
Jubilees are important milestones for individuals and institutions. Celebration planning for these occasions is customary. In recent times, we have read about the new direction in which our State is progressing, and how we are poised to emerge as a front ranking state in terms of economic development. Truly, music to our ears. Uttarakhand @ 25 offers a lot of promise.
We need to reflect on what focus is required to achieve the stated objective of being a front ranking state. To my mind it is the 3 I’s. Well – I am not referring to the Trinetra of Lord Shiva. In this case, the 3 I’s, refers to Industry, Infrastructure, and Institutions.
Bharat Varshe, Bharata Khande; uttara dishe, Uttarakhande.
We – Uttarakhand – are known by our geography, spanning the Himalayan region, as per our ancient scriptures. Today, we are a composite mix of Himalayas and the plains (foothills region of Terai & Bhabar), as per the Uttar Pradesh Re-Organisation Act (2000), which took effect on 9/11/2000. It is this geographical entity, that we call the State of Uttarakhand, and its development, with which we are all concerned.
As we complete 24 years since formation, there are many accomplishments that the state can feel proud of, amidst all the impediments that it faces. The decision to go ahead with the mothballed Tehri Dam project was the first signal that the state is on the move. That laid the emphasis on Hydro power projects and a vision of Urja Pradesh. The two storage dam projects – Lakhwar-Vyasi project and the Kishau Dam project presently under different stages of construction are critical to giving a fillip to initiating work on other hydel projects, which have been stalled due to environmental considerations.
Urja se Udyog – energy security provides the basis of industrial activities. On the strength of commissioning of State, Central & Private power projects, the state embarked on Industrial development. In this, the Special Industrial Package of incentives, given under the aegis of the erstwhile Planning Commission, was a harbinger of change. The setting up of the SIIDCUL Industrial Estates in the plains region of the state acted as a catalyst – creating jobs, and it witnessed downward migration of population from the hill districts to the plains. The phenomenon of migration is universal. Wherever industrialisation has taken place, urbanisation occurs. And that is what has happened to Haridwar, Rudrapur, Haldwani, Roorkee, and Dehradun. That placed a stress on urban infrastructure.
Palayan – became a catchword. Outward migration from hills, brought to focus the plight of the hill folk. Schemes centred on self-help groups for Livelihood projects, funded by numerous agencies garnered visibility in the hills.
With this as the background, I would like to dwell on and delve into the 3 I’s of Industry, Infrastructure, and Institutions. A reality check on state of play of each one of them, will enable us to visualise as to what we can look forward to for Uttarakhand @ 25 and beyond. I shall move seamlessly from one to another, trying to integrate the logic of my arguments.
I have one caveat – the ideal can never be achieved. As the years roll by, we can move to a better tomorrow. That does not mean it is a bad today and a worse off yesterday. Today, we are in a situation, that is as good as it could have been – with yesterday’s thinking, resources, and efforts. Tomorrow, we hope to be better with today’s thinking, resources, and efforts. The future will always be bright. It is no use harping on the golden age of the Guptas. The Gupta period was golden to the people centuries ago. In context it may not be today – given the educational level of that period. At the time of Independence, we were a resource starved nation. Infant mortality was high, and longevity of individuals was less than 50 years. Today it is a different scenario. We have delivered over 120 crore vaccinations in the battle against Covid. Never in history was this conceivable. It is our self-belief, allied with our resources (financial & technological), that has enabled us to achieve this.
I will turn to the issues one by one. Immediately my mind hovers around Educational Institutions, Health Infrastructure and Tourism Industry.
Education is the bedrock of progress in any part of the world. In the Indian context, when we think of high levels of literacy attainment, the State of Kerala comes to our mind. It is imperative to understand that pre-independence, the political and social structure of the times facilitated it, and post our independence, the state of Kerala capitalised on this institutional apparatus. Today, we in Uttarakhand often cite Dehradun, Mussoorie and Nainital as educational hubs, albeit for School Education. Yes, this has propped up the image of the state as well. However, I for one will not advocate the replication of Doon, Welham’s, etc., model. Many competing institutions in the Private sector have come up. May they grow with the benign support of the state. My focus is on Atal Adarsh/Utkrisht Vidyalayas. These institutions need to emerge as centres of excellence in themselves and serve as a model (adarsh) to schools in the vicinity. In a like manner, the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalayas need to be pitchforked to serve as adarsh in their respective locations. Institutions built up by the public exchequer need to be nurtured to fulfil the objectives for which they were set up. A Forum of Atal Adarsh, Jawahar Navodaya and Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalayas needs to be set up with SCERT & SIET playing a coordinating role. Today, some of them have been designated as PM Shri Schools, considering the quality education that they provide. The objective of the Forum is to provide interaction, knowledge exchange and experiential learning. For institutions to realise their full potential, there must be Pratiyogita – competitions, organised at regular intervals in the cluster around these quality institutions. These should comprise academic, cultural and sports activities. Only then we can cater to holistic development of students. The best institutions from these clusters ought to partake in State Level competitions. Such an exposure will spur the level of competition and enhance the quality as they aspire for higher education.
Teaching constitutes the fulcrum around which education revolves. Good quality teaching leads to good quality students. How to enhance the quality of teaching? This issue seems to grip educational administrators. Does the 1 year B.Ed meet the need? Now, here lies the malady. There are several thousand institutions across the country offering this programme. Quality is the casualty. How to overcome the same? The NEP 2020 has advocated the launch of 4 Year B.A. B.Ed & B.Sc. B.Ed Courses to address the issue of quality teachers across the country. In Uttarakhand, State Universities and Private Universities ought to take the cue and get into action mode in this regard. This can fulfil the need of trained teachers for both the State Government Schools and the Private Institutions, leading to overall improvement in School education in the state.
ITIs and Polytechnics constitute the Vocational Education stream. While they have their utility, they need to be allied with skill formation and employment generation; and linked with the MSME units, in the Industrial estates and other Industrial locations of the state. The MSME sector constitutes the bulk of the industrial activity nationwide, and more so in Uttarakhand. Vocational Certificates and Diplomas do not in themselves fetch jobs. It is the skills that are formed while pursuing education in these institutions that will aid the youngsters. Self-employment, in the form of micro units of production or catering to services, will form the bulk of employment absorption in this segment. This is the sector that requires attention. The Skill Development Mission needs to take a hard look at this sector. CII Uttarakhand Chapter should work with the State Government to enhance human capital in this vital sector. The PM Internship Scheme should be fully leveraged in concert with all stakeholders.
The Higher Education sector in the state is well served by the premier institutions of IIT at Roorkee and GB Pant University of Agriculture & Technology at Pantnagar. The HNB Garhwal University and Kumaon University have their special appeal across the two regions. Private Universities have emerged, after the formation of the State. They need to create a niche. There are several Central Government Research Institutions located in Uttarakhand. Universities and Research Institutions can coordinate and cooperate and address key challenges of the State – Disaster Management and Environment Sustainability. When the State embarks on Infrastructure enhancement in the hill areas and Industrial development in the plains, these are the twin challenges that it will encounter.
Health infrastructure is important for a hill state, due to its connectivity related issues. While outward migration is an economic reality, the lack of good health infrastructure accelerates the process. AIIMS at Rishikesh and a satellite of the same to be set up in the foothills of Kumaon region is a welcome addition. It is Primary healthcare that is a dire need in the upper regions. The paucity of doctors, nursing staff and para medical personnel in the hill areas compounds the problem of the residents there. For those who choose to reside in the hills for their livelihood, healthcare needs are paramount. Today, technology can provide the solution to surmount the deficit that the hills face – Telemedicine can to some extent offset the need for the physical presence of the medical personnel. So, the solution lies in ramping up ICT Infrastructure – Optical fibre and Telecom towers, to provide the right platform for e-services; be it education, healthcare, commerce, etc. Bharat Net project of enhancing telecom connectivity through Optical Fibre to villages, allied with a strong network of Telecom towers funded under the USOF [Universal Service Obligation Fund] of Govt of India to connect far flung areas is the need of the hour. The state must push for this infrastructure, as it is crucial for its economic empowerment.
Tourism is a major source of employment in Uttarakhand. Haridwar and Rishikesh have tourists round the year. The Chardham Yatra is seasonal, though there is an effort to push for it round the year, in the form of Winter Chardham. Hill stations of Mussoorie and Nainital are a perennial draw. Kumaon hill areas have a special attraction for its gentle hills and meadows; and the route to Kailash- Mansarovar. Auli allure is on account of skiing and likewise many areas are on the path of similar development. There are many locales of beauty from Chakrata to Harsil, from Chakori to Munsiyari. For providing the right impetus to tourism, road widening activity has been taken up. This activity has its flip side – landslides. How to have development without environmental impairment is the challenge. Tunnelling was an activity that gave rise to many hydro-power projects. The technology having been mastered, the same is deployed for construction of railway lines in the hills. The expansion of Highways alongside construction of Railways, and Hydro-power projects, while important from an economic development perspective, can at the same time be a brake on environment sustainability. Institutional mechanism of networking and cooperation is the answer to mitigate the risk of disasters and environment impact.
Industrialisation is a boon and a bane. While there is a lot of economic activity leading to spike in employment, it also leaves in its trail environmental pollution in the form of industrial effluents. A causal effect is urbanisation, which causes the problem of vehicular pollution, environmental degradation due to haphazard growth, and municipal problems of solid waste and overflowing drains and water strain. Truly a problem of plenty of both the good and the not so good. The triangular industrial pollution points of Bhagwanpur-Haridwar-Roorkee and the Industrial areas of Rudrapur and Kashipur need special attention through a combination of STPs to cater for industrial wastewater and municipal wastewater. Also, urban areas of Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haldwani need to address the solid waste that seem to clog these cities. Resources of Namami Gange, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Smart City projects need to be interwoven together to address the multifarious issues surrounding these urban areas.
Institutional strengthening at the grassroots gains a lot of significance for Uttarakhand. Historically, geographically, culturally, and societally, the hills of Uttarakhand have believed in self-help. The Panchayat Raj system is more vibrant here than in many other regions of the country – this being the direct fallout of women empowerment. The Chipko Andolan – driven by women power is well known. Several funded projects across departments of government harp on the theme of working through SHG’s [Self Help Groups]. NGOs have a strong presence in the hills. This makes the Third Sector comprising NGOs, SHGs, Panchayats, etc., a vital force of development. And all of them are active at the grassroots. So, development from below resonates well with the hill folk. Sahabhagya se Sowbhagya (prosperity from collaboration), at the grassroots is the mantra. Grassroots organisations have one requirement – Leadership Training. This facet can transform their performance. Leadership and Strategy are terms that are used in the context of Corporate Management and Public Sector Management. It holds true for the Third Sector too – more so in the case of GROs (Grassroots Organisations).
‘Leadership Strategy in Grassroots Organisations’ is an under researched topic. To achieve it, we need Leadership Training. Imagine if, in Uttarakhand, these GROs – Gram Panchayats, SHGs and NGOs had the right leadership – it could have a transformative effect. With so much investment through these entities, it is about time there is a serious discussion on what ails development in the hill areas. Livelihood opportunities abound in Horticulture, Forestry, Tourism related services, et al. All categories of organisations, be they academic, administrative, manufacturing, services at all levels need that good governance. This can be fostered by identifying the training needs and facilitating the same. Traditional leadership format of the villages, paternal, owing to power dynamics based on caste configuration, need to be bid goodbye. Professionalism must be injected in the management or administration of GROs, sans any bias of gender, age, caste related factors, etc. That alone will bring about change. Case studies of performing GROs must be analysed to assimilate those elements in the training being imparted. ‘Put people first’ – this mantra holds true for Corporates as well as GROs.
Now, what do we look forward to for Uttarakhand @ 25 and beyond. A wish list is as under:
- Expressways, Highways & Railways: High speed Delhi – Dehradun corridor, Four lane Char Dham Highways and Rishikesh-Rudraprayag rail link.
- Heavy Industries: An Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Plant & a Defence Electronics Unit in Rudrapur and Haridwar, respectively. Several MSME units can grow around it.
- Integrated STPs to cater for the treatment of industrial effluents & municipal wastewater around Industrial hubs of Haridwar & Rudrapur. This is to be made integral to the Namami Gange
- Vaccine Production Unit: preferably at Selaqui, to capitalise on the Pharma Industries strength at that location.
- Optical Fibre & Telecom Tower Infrastructure expansion across the state to accelerate absorption of e-Services (e-Learning; e-Health; e-Biz, etc.). Satellite Communication to border areas is a dire need.
- Quality in School Education: enhancement in capacity through experiential learning across the state.
- Leadership training for capacity building of Grassroots organisations.
- Textile Park & Electronics Park: these are to be women-centric for employment and management. They must be set up in Kashipur, Kotdwar and Haridwar.
- Strengthening Industry-Academia-Government relationship to foster PPPP [Public-Private-Panchayat Partnership].
- Strengthening of Disaster Management and Environment Sustainability initiatives.
(The author is a retired civil servant and the views expressed are personal.)
