BHUBANESWAR: Sounding a cautionary note over the prevailing high political polarisation in the country, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday said this kind of atmosphere is one of the biggest threats to the pace of development and peace.
Addressing the sixth governing council meeting of the Niti Aayog, the Chief Minister said that it is high time the country got out of this election mode and allowed elected governments to function. “Elections are an essential feature of democracy. However, the hallmark of a mature democracy is that once elected, the government are meant to work for people, beyond party line,” Naveen said, and added, “It is high time that we as a country have serious introspection on whether we are able to do the same.”
In a speech that has left political pundits guessing, the Chief Minister said, “Every crime is being politicised, every action of an elected government is being seen from a political angle.”
Referring to the promise made by national parties on the passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill both in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, the Chief Minister warned that history will not forgive if this is not fulfilled. “History will not forgive us if we renege on this commitment,” he said.
“If the country has to really move forward, regions which are neglected and populations that are vulnerable will have to be taken along,” Patnaik further said, adding that committed and targeted action is needed for that. NITI Aayog has a major role to play in this, he further added. "Specific sections like malnutrition, connectivity, and sex ratio imbalances need focus.”
The Chief Minister said that a critical look is needed to re-evaluate the pattern of the prestigious UPSC, NEET and JEE national level examinations in which lakhs of young people appear every year. “Should we not have examinations that focus on equality and attracting merit as opposed to examination patterns that are heavily dependent on highly paid coaching classes,” he asked.
Stating that the prevailing examination pattern will eliminate merit in the long run and deny justice to lakhs of children who live in rural areas and lack physical and economic access to coaching classes, the Chief Minister said that the NITI Aayog should look into this very serious issue or else in a few years
there will serious distortions.
NITI Aayog should develop into a repository of innovations drawn from the country and across the world and help replicate it, the Chief Minister said and added, futuristic technologies, new world economy, solutions for climate change and inclusive governance models are some areas that can be focused on.
Many critical issues are being raised in the NITI Aayog deliberations and excellent suggestions are also being made. It would be appropriate to an action taken report to everyone concerned, the CM said. “This will make our deliberations more meaningful and action-oriented,” he said.
The Chief Minister appreciated the united response shown by the country against Covid-19 which was a challenge for the world. “The same unified response and inclusive approach should be adopted for all major challenges facing the country in the true spirit of cooperative federalism,” he said.