As per media reports, an economist Mario Monti, newly appointed Premier of Italy, announced on Wednesday that he has formed a new Italian government, opting to put technocrats instead of bickering politicians in his cabinet to enact reforms that can save the country from financial disaster. Mr. Monti is 68 years old and former European Union competition commissioner. He will end the 3-1/2 years old mismanaged government of Silvio Berlusconi as well as his 17 years long political dominance.
The guts and determination shown by Mario Monti to keep politicians at bay speak volumes about the mess created by them in Italy and made it bankrupt. Similarly, in India also, politicians in-charge of sensitive ministries like railways, agriculture, health etc. are least bothered about the problems faced by their sectors.
Railways: This ministry is facing lot of problems like modernisation of railway tracks, pitiable conditions of trains and onboard services like catering, security, basic medical facilities on railway platforms in the event of an emergency, expansion of network and upgradation of trains etc. This ministry is headed by the minister, who spends much of his time in Kolkatta as his boss is chief minister of West Bengal and has to attend to party affairs, which is more important to him than nitty gritties of his ministry. We need a technocrat who specializes in modern rail technologies and true leader, who could manage the largest network in the world in a professional manner.
Agriculture: Our country is agriculture based and 80% of population lives in villages. We have multifarious problems in agriculture sectors and as a result, the farmers are no more interested to till the land because they are not getting good yields and remuneration for the same. We have not adopted modern technologies and as a result the younger generation is no more interested to make farming as their career. Our Agriculture Minister is more interested in Cricket than to solve the problems of his assigned ministry.
Health: In this country, if you have contacts or enough money at your disposal only then you can get medical facilities otherwise only prayers and God can save you. Government hospitals are filthy and in dilapidated conditions and there is rampant corruption in procurement of medical equipments and medicines, which are very expensive. Negligence has spread like cancer in most of the government hospitals and ordinary people shudder at the thought of getting treatment from there. Our health minister comes out of his slumber when there is tragedy in some state hospitals or any natural catastrophe.
As a matter of fact, our politicians have failed in their duties and they have let down all of us. Had they been working in any business enterprise, they would have been thrown away long ago for lack of interest, knowledge, negligence and wasteful expenditures.
Our Prime Minister, who is also an economist, should take cue from his worthy Italian counterpart and install technocrats and professionals to head sensitive ministries like railways, agriculture, health and industry. Our politicians who are heading these ministries are good for nothing and they should be divested of assigned responsiblities as early as possible lest they cause further damages.
Although it is very tough call to change the system, yet our worthy Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has to address this problem one day and why not today. Posterity will remember him for his revolutionary measures.
