MARCH

Congress party is vouching
Bharat Nirman has led to a
major transformation in rural
infrastructure across country
while its proponent the Planning
Commission and opposition
parties feel otherwise. Projects
have been identified but they
have been marred by delays and
allegations of corruption.
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Point Out Team
The ambitious project of United
Progressive Alliance (UPA),
Bharat Nirman aimed to give
a fillip to rural infrastructure
in a time-bound programme is in the
eye of a storm. After spending about
Rs.1,09,379 crore (2012) on various
projects under the six identified heads,
the results are far from satisfactory.
Congress party is vouching
Bharat Nirman has led to a major
transformation in rural infrastructure
across country while its proponent the
Planning Commission and opposition
25
parties feel otherwise. Projects have
been identified but they have been
marred by delays and allegations
of corruption.The fact remains
that despite good intentions of the
government, some of the schemes are
still on papers.
In an election year, that too, after a
drubbing at the hands of BJP in four
states that went to assembly elections
in November 2013, Congress launched
a media blitz about Bharat Nirman, like
never before. The party hoped to capture
imagination of people, especially in
rural areas and make them aware
about the great changes happening or
that happened around them in the last
decade. Print, electronic media and FM
channels played the campaign every
few minutes during past few months.
The advertisements claimed how
changes have taken place in rural India
and how people have got access to
drinking water, roads, health services
and modern transport facilities.
Is it true? Has our Bharat being
Nirmaned? Do we need this kind of a
project to shake ourselves out of the
group of most underdeveloped nations?
While the UPA is patting its back
for the success of Bharat Nirman
scheme, we tried to check about how
India fared against China, 66 years after
indenendence.
Comparison India and China:
S.N. Indicator
india China
1. Life expectancy 65 73
2. Child mortality rate/1000 66 19
3. % of working age 57 39
population
4. Adult literacy 63 94
5. Birth rate 23 12
6. Electricity consumption 0.5 2.5
MWh per person
7. GDP per person in $ 3.2 7.4
If in 66 years of independence, the
Bharat we nirmaned cannot provide
two time meal to two-third of our
population. The definition of proverty
has changed many a times but, number
of poor have always shown a steady rise.