Decentralisation of political power, preservation of unity of pluralistic society and promotion of liberal language policy are the need of the hour for a sustainable growth and development of the nation and to ensure unity and integrity, according to N. Markandan, former Vice-Chancellor of Gandhigram Rural Institute.
Pursuing Gandhian thoughts would be a panacea to all problems, he said.
Addressing a gathering in Gandhigram Trust at Gandhigram here on Sunday during his Gandhian Yatra throughout the State, he said political power should be decentralised to gram panchayat levels, which were at the Central and State levels.
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Taking away the power of States and local bodies was not a good sign and it would result in disintegration of the country.
“What we need today is the spirit of tolerance, respecting people of all communities and religion and accepting all languages of States and this alone would preserve the unity of the pluralistic society and set an example to other nations,” he said.
Corruption and violent activities at all levels owing to political rivalry, liquor consumption, sexual aberrations, religious fanaticism, theft and dacoity had been making social life an unbearable one, Mr. Markandan said.
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Responsible citizens, educated youth, social workers and the government must join hands and work for elimination of corruption and put an end to violent activities in the society, he stressed.
He said that a large-scale purchase of cultivable lands, taking away government lands, forests lands and Panchami lands allotted to Dalit families by industrialists for establishing industries destroyed forests and the green cover considerably. The government should prevent destruction of forest and natural resources to ensure livelihood of farmers, fishermen and tribal people, he added.
The present education system miserably failed to make students skilled and employable. So the government should reform the education system at all levels. A reforms committee should be constituted, he said.
A special think tank was constituted to chalk out plans for the 150th Gandhi birth centenary celebrations and implement programmes for rural development. A few villages would be adopted and schemes like Swachh Bharat and other village development programmes would be implemented to make them economically viable, said the Trust secretary V. Siva Kumar.