Punjab lags in sports too : The Tribune India

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Punjab lags in sports too

The way things are shaping up under the present dispensation there is little hope of a Punjab turnaround in the foreseeable future.

Punjab lags in sports too

Not in sight: The condition of sports complexes/academies in Punjab is dismal.



Nirmal Sandhu

The way things are shaping up under the present dispensation there is little hope of a Punjab turnaround in the foreseeable future. Those of us who have grown up in a Punjab that was number one in economic growth, per capita income and sports are disappointed with the state turning a laggard. It hurts the collective Punjabi pride to know the state has got only five medals in the just-concluded Commonwealth Games compared to Haryana’s 22. 

Haryana youth have excelled in the Civil Services Examination too, capturing the second and third positions. Haryana beats Punjab in economic growth — on parameters of fiscal deficit and revenue deficit — quality of infrastructure and governance as well. 

Finance ministers tend to downplay negative figures about the economy. There are, however, independent rating firms which have done a comparative study of economic performance of states. One such company, Crisil, says along with UP and Kerala, Punjab has recorded the lowest GDP growth in the country between 2013 and 2017. Haryana, on the other hand, is the third fastest growing state in the country after Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

There is another company, Care Ratings, which says Punjab’s revenue deficit widened in the first year of the Congress government, fiscal deficit is beyond the acceptable limit, and that Punjab and Bengal are among the most indebted states in the country with 15 per cent of their revenue going into debt servicing. Punjab has turned a basket case and with Congressmen following Akali-style politics and policies, chances of improvement are dismal.

When public disenchantment grows as incomes fall or stop rising in keeping with price rise, politicians resort to freebies and divert resources where these are needed — education, health and infrastructure — to alluring voters with things like free electricity and atta-dal. Punjabis pay for these benefits in other ways. Their children do not get good education and become unemployable. Finding no work, youth turn to drugs or become gangsters. People have to rely on treatment in expensive private hospitals. If farmers lose a crop to a fire, the government can’t compensate them. There are no funds to stop the deterioration in the quality of air, water and soil to protect the environment and provide safe roads.

By subsidising power, the Chief Minister may think he has done his part for industry but that is not enough. Punjab may still not be the preferred destination for investment. A Tribune report says Haryana ranks first and Punjab 20th on the Union Government’s index of ease of doing business, which companies will use as an investment guide and is based on factors like how swift clearances are given and how easy it is to start a business. 

Removing hurdles in the way of doing business and encouraging e-governance would mean shedding power. This seems unacceptable to ministers and bureaucrats. The state’s precarious financial condition does not permit much public investment and private investment is not forthcoming. The result: growth pick-up and job creation will have to wait.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda was not much of a Chief Minister and is on trial for corruption in land deals. However, while at the helm, he set up education hubs and provided infrastructure for sports, which are now showing results. Manohar Lal Khattar has thrice proved a disaster handling law and order. But under him Haryana has grown fast and stayed ahead of other states, and it is not entirely due to its proximity to Delhi. Both Hooda and Khattar have not bankrupted their state by taking loans or distributing freebies. 

All this is unlikely to make Punjab’s politicians and bureaucrats draw a lesson or two, or lose sleep. They anyway are excited about the induction of new ministers. The Cabinet expansion came and went, leaving some elated and others riled up. For bystanders it does not matter who enters the government or stays out. Collectively they are not going to set the Sutlej on fire. Chances of things worsening are higher.

Efficient governance requires healthy policies and good executioners. Capt Amarinder Singh has not given himself a merit-based team. Media reports say Rahul Gandhi prescribed Class 10 as the minimum qualification for a minister’s job which is lower than what one requires to be a police constable. Nine of the new ministers are said to be matriculates. Academics are peeved at the portfolio of higher education being given to a matriculate.

Low qualifications of ministers, however, should not matter as it is the CM’s office that takes or clears key decisions. Even those who have acquired good degrees have not done anything to write home about. All that Punjab now has is low growth, unsustainable debt, industry that cannot survive competition and stagnant agriculture, apart from the rise of unemployment, gangsters and drugs. All this has gone on for too long and there is little hope of a trend reversal.     

As Chief Minister, a Tota Singh or a Sangat Singh Gilzian, who has been denied a place in the Congress government for being Class 8 pass, would not perhaps have done as much damage to the economic health of the state as others with their highly educated finance ministers over the past about two decades.   

What is more, none have the courage to take responsibility for the state’s failure on multiple fronts. Even though it won’t have much impact, they may be reminded of an example of leadership set by cricketer Gautam Gambhir. He has quit voluntarily as captain of Delhi Daredevils after his team lost five of the six games. Not just that, he has decided to forego his Rs 2.8 crore salary.

Taking a principled stand requires some degree of character, which is a commodity in short supply. However, this smelly profession of politics dominated by wheeler-dealers is not bereft of do-gooders. Newspapers have reported that Dhuri Congress MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy led farmers to collect wheat for distribution among those who had lost their crop to fire. AAP’s Dakha MLA, HS Phoolka, has started a low-cost project to provide digital classrooms in all government schools in his constituency with help from a Canadian businessman.  

But the number of such leaders is small. We cannot wait until good politicians gain power and change the destiny of Punjab. We have to make it politically profitable for the politicians we are blessed with to deliver. Votes can be used to make them look beyond freebies and loan-waivers, and work for the common good and collective growth. Reaching the Haryana level itself seems a formidable challenge. 

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