The city is an extension of our homes which makes it the collective responsibility of the citizens, city council and the government to work towards a cleaner neighbourhood, beautiful surroundings, healthier environment and a stronger nation. As a democracy, we, the citizens demand to live freely yet, paying scant attention if ever to our responsibilities!. A clean neighbourhood is an extension of a clean house just as a clean city is an extension of a clean neighbourhood, and yet the general apathy with which we treat our cities is appalling. This coupled with the lackadaisical civic administration, widespread graft has made our living spaces, living hells!
While the government has launched many public welfares initiates lately, like Make in India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Jan Dhan Yojana, amongst others, it has yet to make the space it should in our collective psyche. While we all love to blame the governments and the systems for our woes, we seldom look inwards to find reasons within us and in our narrow views for the impending rot. Let us face it! This is not the first time any government has launched ambitious programs, since the Nehruvian era, the central government has been trying to make this country more prosperous driven by their limitations sometimes and beliefs. Lack of will & collusion by the citizenry at large often did not allow successful implementation and reaching to beneficiaries of such noble intents. In a diverse and populous country like India, the government machinery is not fully capable in both the aspects. A country where farmers still commit suicide, lack of quality education, unutilized demographic dividend and various menace of Indian society – tells a disappointing story that despite the presence of development schemes, India is far behind in creating a harmonious and prosperous society. The reasons can be attributed to mainly two factors; firstly, inefficiency of government in implementation and secondly, lack of willingness amongst us the citizens to look beyond our limited reptilian sense of self which seldom goes beyond our immediate families and often seeks to draw from our society at large without feeling the need to give back. Thus, seeped deep in ignorance or in knowing self-interests, we have failed our country time and again. As we tackle problems right from Women, Child Labour to Traffic Problems and Infrastructure woes, It is also important to be an alert citizen, who besides fulfilling their responsibility also ensures accountability and becomes a watchdog and ensures that the people elected to power fulfil all their promises as much as we play our limited part in maintain harmony in our neighbourhoods
During the last decade, the Indian infrastructure landscape was characterized by high levels of stressed assets and stalled projects. The stock of stalled projects in the country has come down but remains high. Revitalizing the infrastructure sector remains crucial to improve the overall investment climate and bring the Indian economy back in the high growth trajectory. A sharp slowdown in the domestic economy, lack of long-term alternative financing options, regulatory delays in clearances, persistent policy paralysis, the build-up of excess capacity, delays due to environmental concerns, and deficiencies in the credit appraisal of the banks are some of the key factors that hampered the smooth implementation of large infrastructure projects.
Despite the real demand for physical infrastructure, the sector is facing significant challenges, as the developers, the financial community and the government grapple with stalled projects, non- performing loans and widening the gap between performance and targets.
But things are changing fast with underlying structural changes both at a societal level and in streamlining the economy and thereby the investment climate in the country… the missing link is us… all this would only bear fruit when we become alert and responsible citizens who look at the nation as a home and not for a home in the nation
Let’s feel proud and build a nation