NEW DELHI: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, while speaking at the inauguration of the Madhav Srishti Cancer Care Centre in Indore on Sunday, expressed deep concern over the growing inaccessibility of health and education to the common people.
His remarks come at a time when the government is actively working to make these two essential services more accessible to the public.
"Health and education, these two are important things which have become very necessary in today's society. Both health and education are connected to the development of a person. Unfortunately, both are beyond the reach of a common people and their beyond his financial capacity," Bhagwat remarked.
The Sangh chief underscored the necessity of ensuring affordability and accessibility in both sectors. He also lamented that these vital services have become heavily commercialised, drifting away from their original objectives of service and empowerment.
After inspecting the cancer centre’s infrastructure, reviewing its resources, and visiting a life-journey exhibition, Bhagwat reiterated that health and education are fundamental pillars of any society, but are increasingly out of economic reach for the majority. “Earlier, these works were done as a service, but today both have been commercialised,” he noted.
Sharing a personal anecdote to highlight the changing dynamics of education, Bhagwat said, "When I was a school going child I once fell ill. My teacher visited my home to check on me and brought me medicine the next day. This is the kind of role a teacher should play. Today, educational hubs exist everywhere, but affordability and accessibility remain a concern." He expressed regret over the declining accessibility of education and its rising costs and commercialisation of education.
Later in the day, Bhagwat also attended a programme at the Brilliant Convention Centre, where he interacted with prominent communities heads from across the Indore-Ujjain division at a gathering which included 284 social heads representing 111 societies from the region.
Sources informed that discussions during the event centred around societal upliftment and national interests. He also emphasised that sadbhavna (goodwill) is a sign of a healthy society.
Addressing the harmony meeting of provincial and national-level community leaders of Malwa province at the same venue, Bhagwat spoke on various issues crucial to societal development.
In his address to the community leaders, Bhagwat reflected on the strength of society and its foundational values. “If there is society, then it is good. Society means goodwill. This is the relationship of belongingness. This society is not a social contract. Both individual and family have power in society. A common objective of society is religious life,” he said.