Recently I had to admit forcibly that I
was living a luxury life when I countered the news ‘Is Rs. 25 all that you need for a day?’ in The
Hindu. It says that “an individual income of
just Rs. 25 a day constitutes adequate “private expenditure on food, education
and health” according to the Planning Commission report for BPL criteria.
First I was shocked how they
can vindicate Rs 25 as enough for per day expenses on food, education and
health but a little later I realized everything is possible when in this modern
era we have a powerful tool called ‘Management’. The time since I crossed the professional
life threshold, the word ‘management’ has been more frequently heard whether
it’s been because of my department
‘Project Management’ or my colleagues who are fed up with their job within one
year and mugging themselves for seeking
the admission to top management
institutions or B-schools. There are a lot of educational institutions who have
‘management magic mantra’ to guide its students how to manage the things in the
best possible way. This is fascinating. And I see students or young
professionals craving to chant these ‘mantras’ in ‘management mandirs’.
But recently observed that
there is a government body which can be blamed
as the ‘BAAP’ of all B-schools. It is planning commission of India. It
has the power to make the people realize that everything is possible. So they
did by declaring this Rs 25 figure. Has it some magical theory and formulas
which give such an efficient result? Unlike management mantras, perhaps
planning commission has some principles, concepts and guidelines which are as
far from reality as its recently announced BPL definition from the ground
reality of poverty and dearness. This line has come so down that one has no
option except to crawl beneath it. If someone takes risk to stand straight
under this line he will sure stuck and may get some physical damage. Only
‘Zero’ can rests comfortably under this BPL ceiling because of its value and
shape. Void and round. And so has no problem in crawling. I feel that they
(planning and commission) have some hidden motto which can be surmised from
their manipulated BPL figure as -‘we envisage the ‘impossible’ and give it
to the nation as her hard core reality. And her dreams are presumably
impossible to achieve.’
Why I am relating these two in hierarchical
order is because planning and management can be considered the two sides of the
same coin. One, having the experience of over six decades in the field of
planning, can be assumed as having best expertise in the same. Not over the petty issues but the most
important issue of country’s growth which reflects the economy growth of the
nation. And the other is expert in theories dealing with how to manage the
things to bring to plausible dreams into reality within the viable constraint
of money, time and work scope. But here all management mantras fail when it
comes to manage one’s life in just Rs 25 in the season of costliness where a
cheapest apple costs Rs 20. Now poor has left with only two options. Either
starve or retreat to the time of their ancestors-apes and monkeys- a life with
freedom, life of all time survival. And as the first option seems unjustifiable
in the advanced world of 3G-3D and rather abusive to the vanity of civilized
society, so left is the second. Path of retreat can be followed in the name of
scientific experiment and one’s own choice and live a historically and
scientifically proved all time survival life. And then who needs government’s
Ration Card.
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