Enabling environment

http://morungexpress.com/enabling-environment/

I am writing this from Chandigarh where I have been attending a two weeks training. I’m learning that there is so much to be done back home in Nagaland. I have been equipped and inspired. But will I get the support when I come back to put in practice what I have learned? Many Naga students coming out of colleges and universities from across the world may have similar dreams. But on coming home they meet with roadblock after roadblocks that in a short time they become frustrated and give up. And on this trip, I have come across and heard stories of Naga doctors who have passed out from the best medical institutions and are longing to come back and serve the people. But they know that they will be seriously handicapped when they come to the situation we are in.

If our own folks hesitate to come home to work, it is very unlikely that we expect other people to come and deliver health care or any other service to our people. Now, some people may point out that those doctors should come back, start from scratch, and struggle to serve the people. There is truth in that. And there are people like that for sure in many fields. But it is totally another thing that those doctors are expected to connect their own electricity to run their machines, build roads to their hospitals, and pay the poor people from their pockets for all the investigative procedures required. I am referring to enabling environments on which services ought to be built. If those supports like electricity, connectivity, or financing are not there, in fact we cannot expect any decent health care delivery. On the one hand, we are short of specialist doctors while on the other, there are lots of them who want to serve but are not finding the space to do that (There are exceptions. But the point is: If doctors who are supposed to have the better opportunities have such challenges, what about the matriculates, and other graduates and post graduates?).

An important factor responsible for the social upheaval/unrest in the State is this, that there are a lot of angry and frustrated young people. A number of inter-tribal conflicts are not necessarily because one tribe hates the other, but are fights for limited opportunities and resources, for example in getting a government job. So, we compare and see which tribe has got more officers in which department, or which tribe is dominating which department or business. Starting a business is easy for some while it is very difficult for so many others. The interest rates for loans are too high, and there are extra taxes which we are all aware of. So, it is not that all those young educated-unemployed people are lazy. One can say that majority of the young entrepreneurs who are doing well are from rich backgrounds. To find money to start a business is not an issue for them. In the competitive exams also those who studied from good expensive private schools and premiere colleges and universities outside/abroad have advantage in the competitive exams to get a good job. So, in a way, that is also a form of reservation, a friend tells me. 

Forming peace committees and enforcing the Police to resolve and control conflicts, and imparting entrepreneurial skills are important. But that will be only temporary symptomatic relief measures. We need enabling environment where people can have opportunities to have decent lives, pursue their dreams, and do not have to fight over crumbs of bread. We need enabling environment where people can make plans for the day (or the future), work, and get an honest return for their day’s labour.