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The development mantra taking us for a nice ride
Written By psaram42 - 20 July, 2009
Bangalore Development Corruption Action population sustainabilty
It all started with SM Krishna. Yeddiyurappa is going for development cube, ie D to the power 3. We the hapless gullible public is being taken for a ride. We in PRAJA are familiar with Al gore’s “inconvenient truth” dealing with global warming effects and the concept of carbon credit. Development is directly related to inherent increase in carbon credit unless we come up with other energy sources. Sustainability is an excellent concept which summarizes the above concept and the more important concepts of sustainable population limit. Sustainable health of future population of humans and other species of life on planet earth and a healthy balance of different species of life itself on the planet earth are some important issues. The point I want to make here is that exponential growth is highly non sustainable ab initio.
Land is as precious as or more so than gold. It is a finite resource. In Bangalore not a single day passes without some land grab news coming to light. The latest is 120 acres of prime forest land near BIAL having been grabbed before time. All this is possible only with a nexus between the custodians of Land records and the unscrupulous elements. This is obviously possible only with the elected representatives of the people of our state being not vigilant enough, to say the least. The elected representatives are in a hurry as their chances of returning next time is uncertain. The TOI had reported a story about the apprehensions of Justice Santosh Hegde the Lokaukta “They will sell even the Vidhana Soudha”.
The gram Panchayat raj concept of the Mahatma is a sustainable model. This model says that GP should be viewed as an economically self sustainable unit of India ie our country. We have ended up putting the Mahatmas face on our currency to remind us about the money power Mahatma. I am sure we should not relate the Mahatma to money power.
I am really feeling that I am crying in a desert where there is no chance of my being heard let alone be rescued.
COMMENTS
RKCHARI - 21 July, 2009 - 03:13
Dear Mr. Ananthram,
I see the dichotomy and while I agree development must be sustainable, I think most people have not understood what sustainability itself means! Should it not mean that all development must be done in such a way that it does not "kill" everything around the development including ultimately man himself?
I think sustainable development is the only way by which there can be development and yet at the same time it will be development that helps mankind live better lives, greener lives and aesthetically pleasing lives.
A movement by right thinking people at both micro and macro level to push for more and more sustainable development is the only answer. Gone are the days when Indians bycotted British goods and services. Now we should embrace globalisation only as far as it supports sustainable development. Hang the tendency to think indigenous goods and services must be preferred over better technologies even if they be unsustainable.
More grist for the mill!
Regards,
Chari
Vasanthkumar Mysoremath - 21 July, 2009 - 04:52
Chari Sir,
I am with you on this line of seeking solutions to global problems about sustainable development, particularly with reference to underdeveloped/developing nations who are being eyed by the rest of the so called developed nations that are ready with sanctions against any country at the drop of a pin.
We are ready to play ball provided...the followng
/Now we should embrace globalisation only as far as it supports sustainable development./ Yes wecan. World is looking at India how it is managing its global economical recession and its progress; we have the ability of creating global standards for sustainable development for people and our traditional thinking and farsighted invetment methods have withstood the test of global recession scenario to an appreciable extent.
The latest figure - Indian industry's manufactured goods contribution to GDP is hardly 17 per cent But is it comparable and commensurate with the energy consumed for such a low return?
It is time to rejig our needs and requirements - domestic and export - reassess availability and generation capacities of power sector, prorata utilisations and other parameters so that we can prudently utilise the available natural resources for class action demand and supply purposes.
Also reassess the transport sector - create class action efficient, economical and sustainable mass transport system to wean away solo gurglers of scarce energy resources.
This may be called sustainable development.
- Vasanth Mysoremath
Exponential Population growth or Development unsustainable
psaram42 - 21 July, 2009 - 05:22
Which of the above two comes first? It is a dichotomy for sure. However my point is not about the dichotomy. It is about exponential growth be it population or development. It is mathematically proven that an exponential function has a point discontinuity.
Let us take an example of simple Mathematics pertaining to trigonometry. If you plot the Tangent function wrt to the angle Theta, it has a discontinuity at an angle PI or simply 90 degrees. More simply put it is like an edge of a precipice. Example Tippus fall at Nandi hills.
The population of India when we got our Independence was 40 Crores. To day it is 120. It is a fact population growth will be exponential unless it is controlled by epidemics, natural calamities, family planning or the like. In order to sustain the population growth we have to match it with an equally exponential “Development”. There no dichotomy here, but “inconvenient truth” number 0.
If you see the human knowledge development it is exponential. The first computer came only in 1964. We are heading towards migrating out of the planet. The terrorists be it Alquida, Naxal or Mao etc are the pointers to the under lying unrest.
We may keep saying we will have controlled development. But is it really feasible, especially when our population is uncontrolled. There is no simple solution as we may like to believe. I would like to be proven wrong.
RKCHARI - 21 July, 2009 - 06:15
Friends,
The erudite responses to my observation begs a response from me - so here I go:
1. Why cannot development and sustainability co-exist?
2. Why is it presumed that "importing" technology means it is an infra dig action on our part?
3. Can Public Sector survevive without private sector and vice versa? Government may spend crores on developing infrastructure, but do they manufacture the bitumen that they require to build the roads or the pipes to carry sewage? This is not my original observation - actually made by some other Praja member, but it struck me as being a profound truth.
4. Why, if we protest importing technology, do we protest when Obama passes legislation to protect Bufallow tech companies from Bangalore ITes?
5. Why dont people value excellence over any and everything that is indigenous?
6. God merely made human beings while man made Nations and built barriers with "your" and "mine" concepts. Are we so insecure that we cannot see beyond the Nation? What benefits humanity must necessarily benefit Nations and therefore the individual.
As the great Philosopher / Teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti said "In the Problem is the Solution" !! Think about it please.
Regards
RKC
Population explosion, where we stand today...
vinod_shankar - 21 July, 2009 - 06:12
11 states- Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal as also two union territories- Andaman and Nicobar Islands,Chandigarh and Pondicherry, have achieved the TFR target. TFR target is 2.
Bihar, UP and MP would take another 15 to 20 years to achieve the TFR target.
TFR of 2 is generally accepted for sustainable development. And also we will overtake china in population by 2030.
vinod
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