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As the new year begins, it is customary to have a wish list. So, here is mine for 2016:
- Get rid of the malignant cancer of the society, CORRUPTION, with radical measures if need be.
- Upgrade and build a strong military and police force including a powerful nuclear presence more as a deterrent, so that no one ever thinks of casting an evil eye on us.
- Population control so that we do not burst at the seams by education, awareness and incentivisation rather than coercion.
- Swachh Bharath: Clean up the country so that we look good in the eyes of the visitors and are not ridiculed by our visiting guests. This can only happen by active participation by the citizens and taking up the prime minister’s initiatives seriously.
- Invest on infrastructure, power, transport including surface (road and railways), air and water, and building smarter cities and invest heavily in the rural infrastructure.
- Healthcare: Invest in preventive (sanitation, clean drinking water, antenatal & perinatal care, vaccination and nutrition for the mother and child), primary health care and universal health care coverage.
- Invest in tourism which also needs a ‘Swachh Bharath’ and better infrastructure as a prerequisite. Our palaces, heritage monuments, mountains and beaches surpass any of the busy tourist attractions such as Europe, America or the far-east and we need to capitalize on this. Yet we don’t even account for a small percentage of the international tourist market.
- Wisely use the super bonanza we got because of the oil price slump (approx. 200 to 300 billion dollars in the next few years) to stabilise the economy, keeping not only the urban population but rural development as well.
- Bring back the estimated half a trillion dollars of black money both within and outside the country and invest it on developmental projects in the mainstream economy. Also come down heavily to prevent the future generation of black money and its adverse effects.
- Have zero tolerance on terrorism and anti-national activity. Rise above petty politics and destroy the terrorism network irrespective of cast, creed, religion or party affiliations. In short, do not allow our great nation to be destroyed.
- Make our country safe for women, children and the underprivileged.
- Strike the right balance between development, progress and environmental issues.
Long live our great country
Jai Hind
Dr. H Sudarshan Ballal, MD, FRCP (London)
Chairman – Med Adv Board & Medical Director – MHEPL,
Manipal Hospitals, 98, HAL Airport Road, Bangalore-560017
Email: s.ballal@manipalhospitals.com
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are of the writer and not of the hospital.
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