Padma stories

From ‘anar dada’ of Banaskantha to Vadodara’s ‘highway messiah’ and the oldest woman exponent of Kalaripayattu, this year’s award-winners can inspire us all

Another such individual who has worked silently and tirelessly is Bipin Ganatra. The 59-year-old unofficial firefighter of Kolkata voluntarily plunges into action to save lives during fires. He has participated in more than 100 firefighting rescues and saved many lives. Hats off to this individual’s spirit. The unselfish service rendered by Dr Subroto Das to accident victims is similarly exemplary; also known as the “highway messiah”, Das set up the Lifeline Foundation in Vadodara, his organisation providing prompt relief to highway accident victims in four states.

Years before scientists began talking about climate change and the environment, 70-year-old Daripalli Ramaiah from Reddipalle village in Telangana made it his passion to plant saplings and seeds on a daily basis. Over the past four decades, he has planted an astonishing number of over 10 million saplings and seeds, contributing hugely to the greening of Telangana. Yet another truly deserving unsung hero is Chintakindi Mallesham, also from Telangana. He invented a mechanised Pochampalli silk saree-weaving machine, which reduces the weaver’s drudgery and cuts the time for weaving a saree from five hours to one and a half hours.

There is another remarkable story of inspiration around 74-year-old Meenakshi Gurukkal, the oldest woman exponent of Kalaripayattu, the ancient martial art from Kerala. Meenakshi, who has been practicing Kalaripayattu for 68 years, has trained hundreds of girls in particular without charging a fee; by imparting training selflessly, she has taught self-defence techniques to scores of girls.

Another unknown hero who would be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Virat Kohli while receiving his Padma award is C R Sasikumar

50-year-old Karimul Haque from West Bengal. Popularly known as “bike-ambulance dada”, the tea garden worker converted his bike into an ambulance, offering free service to those in dire need of medical attention; he’s saved more than 3,000 lives. His vehicle is called a lifeline for 20 villages in and around Dhalabari in Jalpaiguri district. He joins a list of selfless heroes that includes Dr Bhakti Yadav, the 91-year-old gynecologist from Indore who has served the poor selflessly for more than six decades without charging a paisa.

Environmental activist Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal has also been honoured with a Padma award for rejuvenating the 165km rivulet Kali Bein and developing a costeffective underground sewerage system. Alongside, well-known spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev, popularly known as “Sadhguru”, has been conferred a Padma Vibhushan.

There are many motivating tales of great passion and complete dedication to different public causes which have emerged as the hallmark of such heroes. Each story shows that amazing outcomes can be achieved by sheer hard work, dedication and missionary zeal, even if the mission is undertaken by a single individual determined to make a difference by embracing a cause larger than his own self.

The prime minister is keen to bring about a major transformation in India — this is fundamentally about a change of mindsets on various issues. The transparency introduced in selecting Padma awardees is one such initiative. I am placing this information about the awards in the public sphere for everyone to have a better understanding.

The writer is Union minister for urban development, housing and urban poverty alleviation and information & broadcasting FINANCE MINISTER ARUN Jaitley’s budget for 2017-18 is not merely a statement of accounts for the next financial year. It gives significant clues to what the budget for the following year could entail. When he rises to present his fifth budget on February 1, 2018, the Narendra Modi government will be staring at the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for May 2019. Needless to say, it will be a crucial test, and a lot will be at stake for Modi, irrespective of the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. In most of his public addresses, rallies or speeches since assuming charge, the prime minister has sought 10 to 15 years to bring to fruition many of his ideas. Several schemes of the government indeed go beyond the five-year mandate the BJP received in 2014. Dumping the five-year plans, the Niti Aayog, modelled as a thinktank by the NDA government, too is working on a 15-year vision document. In private conversations, the prime minister has often exuded the confidence of retaining his mandate beyond 2019.

Jaitley will carry on his shoulders the burden of having to meet the expectations of his party in the last full budget to be presented next February. Of course, the prime minister and his office have put their heads together on budgets presented so far. Modi has left his imprint on every budget. For instance, during budget discussions last year, an influential section within his own office and the finance ministry made a fervent pitch for a step-up in expenditure to lift the pace of economic growth. They had good reasons. Private investment was moribund, and higher public spend was seen as an imperative. He gave this a patient hearing, but eventually chose not to spend an additional Rs 40,000 crore sought by those rooting for growth. He did tell them they would not be short of funds if required during the course of the year. It hasn’t been any different this year.

Certainly, Jaitley must have been under tremendous pressure this year too, given the bleak outlook at home and abroad. The economy was already riddled with complex problems, the solutions for which are not politically palatable for Modi. The large non-performing assets have left public sector banks lifeless, and despite this wound festering for almost four years, the prime minister has chosen to ignore it. Resolving this economic problem — as reflected in a decelerating gross fixed capital