January 23: Education and health are the two main issues that need attention in building a strong nation. This observation was the outcome of a debate held by the Peoples' Parliament at the Hotel Taj today.Organised by The India Club, a fledgling corporate body, seeking to link Non-Resident Indians and foreign corporate bodies with India, the debate was attended by the who's who of the society.
The main thrust was on issues such as economy, foreign investment, upliftment of the poor, education and how India could enter the 21st century on an optimistic note.
BJP's Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia, the star guest, hoped to convey the wide-ranging views and suggestions expressed by the gathering to her party members.
"We pride ourselves on our growth and development. We live in a critical time when there is lopsided development in society. In spite of this, everyone talks of eradicating poverty," she opined.
Sheriff Kulwant Singh Kohli lamented that even after 50 years of independence nearly half the
population is still illiterate. Parliamentarian Ved Prakash Goel said that economic growth was not for a select few but for the common man, and unfortunately the gulf between the two is widening.
Noted environmentalist Dr Rashmi Mayur, armed with statistics, brought life into the discussion when he bluntly pointed out that talking about economics and development would be meaningless if the burgeoning population was not taken into account.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
