Friday, January 23, 2009

राष्ट्रपती आणि दारू प्रश्न

द हिंदू मध्ये एक लेख आला होता. त्यात राष्ट्रपती प्रतिभा पाटील यांनी त्यांना वाटणारे भारतापुढचे तीन प्रश्न मांडले आहेत.
1. बाल विवाह
2. दारूचे व्यसन
3. स्त्रीयांचे सबलीकरण

त्यातला दारुचे व्यसन हा
मुद्दा या ब्लॉगशी संबंधित आहे. म्हणून त्या लेखाची लिंक देत आहे. इंग्लिशमधील लेख वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The president on alcohol addiction

The Hon. President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil, has shared her views with the daily - "The Hindu", on three social evils for India that need to be eradicated. According to the President, these are the three social evils -

1. Child marriages
2. Alcohol addiction
3. Women empowerment

I am copying here the part relevant to alcohol addiction. Click here to see the complete article.
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From President Patil's conversation :

The second social evil President Patil discussed in our conversation was alcohol addiction. She recalled her early-1970s experience, as Cabinet Minister for Social Welfare in the Maharashtra government, when the State went though a severe three-year drought.

In a pioneering intervention, the State government had introduced the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS), a sustained public works intervention that has been commended by the United Nations Development Programme and by scholars like Jean Dreze for its remarkable scale, sweep, and sustained reach. The EGS, which was launched in 1972, given a statutory basis in 1977, and became operative as a law in 1979, guaranteed employment to all persons above the age of 18 who were willing to do unskilled manual work on a piece-rate basis. It sought to supplement the inadequate income of landless and land-poor families from agricultural work by minimum guaranteed work, at a defined wage, in government-financed public works programmes. Launched as a response to a crisis, it has continued as a major state intervention to mitigate the harsh edges of rural poverty, sustain household welfare, and contribute in some measure to the development of the rural economy.

President Patil recalled that EGS had already begun, in the early 1970s, to make a difference to the incomes of agricultural labouring families. But what about household welfare? During her visits to work-sites as Minister for Social Welfare, she was pleased of course to see the crèches for little children. But she also asked officials about the uses to which the additional incomes were put — and one enterprising Collector did a sample survey in a rural district.

The findings were an eye-opener. About 50 per cent of the landless and land-poor households saw some savings, including bank deposits, the repayment of loans to banks, the purchase of a little jewellery, or money set aside for a daughter’s marriage. The remaining 50 per cent “squandered the money in drinks and gambling,” the President recalled. “For the removal of poverty,” she concluded, “only giving money is not adequate. The child and wife suffer. If 50 per cent are in this atmosphere, how will we remove poverty?”

So the eradication of alcohol, and other forms of, addiction was a socio-economic challenge. President Patil emphasised the need for regular and imaginative schemes to bring alcoholics out of their addiction, which would only ruin them and their families.

दारू कारखान्यासंबंधी काही बातम्या

मुख्यमंत्री विलासराव देशमुख यांचे विधानसभेतील विधान - महाराष्ट्र टाईम्स मधील बातमी

गेल्या काही दिवसांत विविध वृत्तपत्रांत आलेल्या काही बातम्या :









Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Moha flowers - not for liquor, but for nutrition : An appeal

To,
Hon. Shri. Ashok Chavan,
Chief Minister,
Maharashtra state.

Maharashtra state is known for taking progressive steps in various fields. In such state, efforts for some wrong and misleading steps for liquor policy are being observed through declarations by some ministers. We are writing this letter to alert you regarding this and expect you to such wrong decisions at appropriate time.

A liquor factory from moha flowers is planned in Gadchiroli district which is liquor-free as a result of people's movement and government's approval to that movement. The ministers of Maharashtra have been saying this again and again and this plan is coming as proposal in front of the Maharashtra cabinet to decide on it.

We feel this plan is a severe mistake due to the following reasons:

1. The Gadchiroli district is declared anti-liqour as a result of the anti liquor movement of the district residents along with demand of 600 villages and 336 organizations, All licenses of consuming and selling liqours are banned in Gadchiroli. Consuming and selling alcohol is an crime here. Considering this, to open an liquor factory in this district is a funny paradox and it will be moral defeat of the government and the Congress party.

2. If the factory is opened here, the production will demand market and will be available by legal/illegal means in the district. It will cause increase in the pains and exploitation of already poor and ignorant tribal residents.

3. Because of this reason, the 'Liquor policy for the tribal people' of the Central government made by the efforts of late Smt. Indira Gandhi, directs that no liquor should be produced and/or sold in the tribal areas. Maharashtra government has adopted this policy in 1977 when Late Shri. Shankarrao Chavan was the chief minister. The decision to start current liquor factory will be a contradiction to the decision enforced by this policy.

4. Due to this factory, the moha flower, a traditional nutrition for the tribals will be snatched from them and they will be served with liquor instead. Liquor instead of nutrition is an terrible plan.

5. The only beneficiaries of the factory will be a few leaders and contractors. The tribal community in general will bear a great loss.

6. This plan or decision will be opposed largely by ladies, microcredit-groups and youth.

7. Even the naxalites might oppose this proposed factory. The government will provide a cause for them.

We are worried and restless because of this and request the government the following :

1. The government should take immediate actions to cancel the proposed moha flower liquor factory.

2. Instead of moha flower liquor, the government should provide nutritional items made from glucose/fructose of moha flower.

3. To get rid of many bad customs, the government is already running many schemes. The government should take initiative for "Addiction-free village/town" scheme with the help of people.

Yours,

Saturday, January 17, 2009

मोहफुलापासून दारुचे व्‍यसन नको, आदिवासींना पोषक आहार द्याः महाराष्‍ट्रातील समाजचिंतकांचे आवाहन

प्रति,
मा. श्री अशोक चव्‍हाण,
मुख्‍यमंत्री,
महाराष्‍ट्र राज्‍य

सस्‍नेह नमस्‍कार.

देशामध्‍ये अनेक क्षेत्रात प्रागतिक पाऊले उचलण्‍याबाबत महाराष्‍ट्र राज्‍य ओळखले जाते. अनेक बाबींमध्‍ये भौतिक प्रगतीसोबतच प्रगल्‍भ सामाजिक, सांस्‍कृतिक वातावरण हीदेखील महाराष्‍ट्राची ओळख आहे. अशा या राज्‍यात काही चुकीची पाऊले टाकण्‍याबाबत हालचाल सुरु असल्‍याचे राज्‍याच्‍या काही मंत्र्यांच्‍या निवेदनातून आढळते आहे. त्‍याबाबत आपणांस जागरुक करण्‍यासाठी व वेळीच चुकीच्‍या गोष्‍टींना प्रतिबंध घालण्‍यासाठी आपण पुढाकार घ्‍यावा म्हणून पत्र लिहीत आहोत.

जनतेच्‍या आंदोलनातून व शासनाच्‍या सहकार्यातून दारुतून मुक्‍त झालेल्‍या गडचिरोली जिल्‍ह्यात मोहफुलांपासून दारु बनवण्‍याचा कारखाना उघडण्‍याची योजना आखली आहे. महाराष्‍ट्राचे मंत्री वारंवार याचा उच्‍चार करीत आहेत व मंत्रीमंडळासमोर लवकरच हा प्रस्‍ताव निर्णयासाठी येणार आहे.

ही योजना खालील कारणांमुळे आम्‍हाला गंभीर चूक वाटते.

१. गडचिरोली जिल्‍ह्यातील जनतेच्‍या सहा वर्षे चाललेल्‍या व्‍यापक आंदोलनामुळे व 600 गाव आणि 336 संघटनांच्‍या मागणीमुळे शासनाने 1993 पासून जिल्‍ह्यात दारुबंदी लागू केली आहे. दारु विकण्‍याचे व पिण्‍याचे सर्व परवाने रद्द केले आहेत. इथे दारु पिणे हा गुन्‍हा आहे. या पार्श्‍वभूमीवर या जिल्‍ह्यात दारुचा कारखाना काढणे हास्‍यास्‍पद विसंगती ठरेल. तो कॉंग्रेसचा व शासनाचा नैतिक पराभव ठरेल.

२. जिल्‍ह्यात कारखान्‍याद्वारे दारु निर्माण झाल्‍यास ती दारु बाजार मागेल. वैध-अवैध मार्गांनी ती जिल्‍ह्यात उपलब्‍ध होईल. आधीच गरीब व अज्ञानात असलेल्‍या आदिवासींचे शोषण व दुःख अजूनच वाढेल.

३. या कारणामुळेच स्‍व. इंदिरा गांधी यांनी पुढाकार घेऊन बनवलेल्‍या केंद्र शासनाच्‍या ‘आदिवासी भागांसाठी दारुनीती’ या निर्देशांकानुसार देशातील आदिवासी भागात कोणतेच दारुचे उत्‍पादन व विक्री करु नये, स्‍व. शंकरराव चव्‍हाण मुख्‍यमंत्री असतांना महाराष्‍ट्र शासनाने ही केंद्रीय नीती 1977 मध्‍ये स्‍वीकारलेली आहे. गडचिरोली जिल्‍ह्यात दारुचा कारखाना सुरु करण्‍याचा निर्णय हा या नीती-निर्णयाच्‍या विरोधात जाईल.

४. मोहफुलापासून दारु निर्मितीच्‍या कारखान्‍यामुळे आदिवासी मोहफूल या त्‍यांच्‍या पारंपारिक पूरक आहारापासून वंचित होतील व त्‍या बदल्‍यात त्‍यांना दारु मिळेल. कुपोषणावर दारु हा विकृत उपाय ठरेल.

५. ह्या कारखान्‍यामुळे बोटांवर मोजल्‍या जाणा-या नेत्‍यांचे व ठेकेदारांचे आर्थिक हित साधेल. सर्वसामान्‍य आदिवासींचे मोठेच नुकसान होईल.

६. अशा निर्णयाला जिल्‍ह्यातील स्त्रिया, बचतगट व युवक-युवती व्‍यापक विरोध करतील.

७. नक्षलवादी चळवळ देखील या कारखान्‍याचा विरोध करु शकते. शासन स्‍वतःहून त्‍यांना लोकप्रिय मागणीसाठी कारण पुरवील.

यामुळे आम्‍ही अस्‍वस्‍थ व चिंतीत असून शासनाला पुढील आवाहन करीत आहोत.

१. मोहफुलापासून दारु बनविण्‍याच्‍या गडचिरोली जिल्‍ह्यातील प्रस्‍तावित कारखाना शासनाने तात्‍काळ रद्द करावा.

२. आदिवासींना मोहफुलाची दारु देण्‍याऐवजी शासनाने मोहफुलातील ग्‍लुकोज/फ्रुक्‍टोजपासून पोषक पदार्थ बनवून तो कुपोषित आदिवासी मुला-मुलींना पूरक आहार म्‍हणून द्यावा.

३. अनेक वाईट चालीरीतीतून मुक्‍तता मिळवण्‍यासाठी सध्‍या शासन अनेक योजना राबवित आहे. त्‍याप्रमाणे व्‍यसनमुक्‍त गाव अशी योजना शासनाने जनतेच्‍या सहकार्याने राबवावी.

आपले,