Aapna Punjab’s mission is to promote the sustainable socio-economic development of rural backward areas of Punjab, especially the along the border areas, via initiatives like education, health care, creating opportunities for women, fight against drugs/AIDS and human-rights/social justice for all.
The border areas in Punjab have been neglected by successive provincial governments, as well as, the central government, ever since 1947 when India was divided. Prior to 1947, the land holdings in these areas were sizeable with fertile land and excellent canal irrigation system. The people were happy and content. Amritsar city was a flourishing trade hub. However after partition, the cult of cross border smuggling gave rise to easy money, which led to excessive consumption of alcohol, followed by drug addiction. The situation turned from bad to worse, during the early eighties, when demand for autonomy was voiced by certain segments of the population. This situation resulted in the excessive empowerment of the State Police without adequate checks and balances. As a result, the demand for autonomy was suppressed with a heavy hand, especially along the Indo-Pak border area villages, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people. The economy also suffered greatly during this time.
There has never been any industry of significance in the border districts. The government never invested in the border areas on the argument that the industry would fall within Pakistan's artillery range. The proposed nuclear power plant at Goindwal Sahib is also on hold for years, most likely due to this misconception. The government forgets that with modern missiles, no target within India is safe.
To make matters worse, government schools in these areas are more or less non-existent. A 2005-06 report by Punjabi University states that rural Punjab is being left behind in terms of education. Many of the school buildings have been pulled down by local criminal dons or the Panchyats. All the schools are under staffed with teachers. In some schools, the student-teacher ratio is 300:1. In addition, teacher absenteeism plagues these government schools. No teacher lives in the school village, instead they prefer to commute between the city and the school, resulting in being late constantly. And the time that they report to work, they don’t spend any time teaching, rather gossiping and knitting sessions by the women teachers.
Without proper education or any large-scale industry, getting jobs is next to impossible. English, which the standard de facto global language, is only taught from class 6 in Punjab, whereas in other states like Kerala, Tamil Naidu, Maharashtra, etc. English is introduced from class 1. Additionally, there is no affordable computer courses/training available in these areas. As a result, a majority of the jobs in the communications and IT sector in Punjab are being taken up by people from outside the State.
One avenue that was open to Punjabi youth was joining the defense forces. But several years ago, the defense services recruitment quota for States was changed to be based on the Male Population Ratio (MPR), which in Punjabs' case, is only 2%. At one time, Punjabis represented over 30% of the Indian Army. Additionally, the pass marks in class 10, for Jatt Sikhs have been increased from 33% to 45% since 2003. While nationwide, it remains at 33% for scheduled castes and Other Backward Castes (OBC). All these factors, have led to a dramatic reduction in employment for Jatt Sikhs in the defense forces, contributing further to the rising unemployment in the state.
Over the years, land holdings have shrunk, resulting in an economic strain on many Punjabi families. A 2007 study suggests that 89% of the farmers in Punjab are in debt. Also, since the early nineties, the entire Indo-Pakistan border in Punjab was fenced by barbed wire. Farmers whose land fell beyond this fence faced numerous problems in cultivating their land due to limited access to their lands. Cultivation of high income crops, like sugarcane, is not permitted as it obstructs the view. Up until two years ago, the central government use to compensate such farmers by paying 2 ½ thousand rupees per acre per annum. However, for reasons unknown, it has stopped paying this compensation since 2003, thus, further aggravating the financial hardship to border area farmers.
The resultant helplessness and frustrations have lead to an increase
in drugs, crime and domestic violence in Punjab. Suicides are on the increase in Punjab. There has been a tremendous
erosion of family values also. Lack of adequate schooling, technical
skills, jobs and rising debt burdens (like house loans, tractor loans
advance from commission agents) has resulted in the breakdown of the
community. Cable Television, in turn has brought in a consumer/western
culture, which has led to the erosion of ethics and moral values.
Therefore, with all these problems, we felt that there was an immediate
and urgent need to lay an emphasis on education i.e. schools. Education
would result in the youths to be gainfully employed and thereby would
take care of problems like crime, drugs, domestic violence, corruption
etc. These schools must be cheap so that a family with about three thousand
rupees income per month could afford to send their child to such schools.
These schools would be sustained by the villages and via donations. It is visualized that
if each household of 30 surrounding villages donates about 40 kgs of
grain (wheat or rice) every six months to their area school the requirement
of school fees can be done away or greatly discounted. And if a donor can Adopt-a-Child's education for about US$20 per month, then the school fees can be eliminated and the school could afford to have
the best teachers and supporting infrastructure, including transportation.
The first such English-medium school, with initial enrollment of 150 students (class 1-4) was opened on May 1, 2006 in village
Pahuwind (District Amritsar), the birth place of Shaeed Baba Deep Singh.
The school was designed by an eminent architecture
of Amritsar. Bhai GurIqbal Singh, of Mata Koulaji Bhilai Kendar Amritsar,
laid the foundation of the school on 26th January 2005, the birthday
of Shaeed Baba Deep Singhji. Bhai GurIqbal Singh is also performing
the Kar Sewa of the Gurdwara/School.
Additionally, about 1,800 square yards of land on the main Bhikiwind-Pahuwind road has been earmarked
for a charity hospital. The hospital will have the best medical facilities.
In addition, a drug de-addiction center will also function in this hospital.
Rooms will be built for rehabilitation of drug victims.
A grass-roots campaign against drug addiction/AIDS awareness has been
started in the Patti sub-division of Amritsar district to start with.
This area suffered the most during the militancy days. Hundreds of youth
were picked up by the Police and subjected to severe inhumane torture.
Many of them were eliminated and their bodies cremated as unclaimed.
2,800 bodies were cremated in the Tarn Tarn and Amritsar (Durgiana Mandir)
Shamsham Ghats. Jaswant Sigh Khalra, Advocate and a Human Rights activist,
discovered this fact and was subsequently eliminated, apparantly by the Police for
going public. The case of granting compensation to the families of the
2,800 victims is pending with National Human Rights Commission, Delhi.
The fear psychosis, combined with high unemployment, resulted in the
wide spread use of drugs among the young population. While many left
the area to escape the brutalities of the police to other states and
took up jobs as truck drivers/helpers. These youth fell easy target
to drug peddlers. Also these youth indulged in unprotected sex and many contacted AIDS (read more articles, article2), only to bring it back with them once they returned to
their homes in Punjab. Hence there is not only an urgent need to eradicate
the drug menace but also to make people aware of AIDS and its prevention
and the re-habilitation of the victims. Popularity of songs like "Aapna
Punjab hove, Ghar dee Sharab hove" with the Punjabi youth shows
the mind-set and misguided values of the current generation. This trend
has to be reversed by guidance and counseling. To address this menace,
ex-servicemen in each village are being nominated to organize street
corner meetings to discuss the problems of drug addiction and AIDS. The
village Gurudwara Granthis have been motivated to give daily pep talks
on this problem to their congregations.
Since women suffer the most if any member of the household is a drug
addict or carries AIDS, a predominantly all-women force, called the 'Mai Bhago Fauj' is being organized at the grass-roots level in the
area. Women volunteers are being asked to come forward and participate.
This force will be mobilized as pressure groups, along with men, to
ensure that no drug selling outlet is allowed to function in the villages.
The people responsible for drug pedaling will be exposed and local police
will be forced to register a case. It will be ensured that whenever
any drug consignment is confiscated the entire quantity is accounted
for and none is kept by the police or its touts only to later sell or
involve innocent villagers in false cases to sort out their own grudges.
Centers for handicrafts, tailoring are being started where village
women can make goods for sale and can learn such skills. Earning some
money of their own will raise their self esteem. Aapna Punjab will help
in marketing these items by seeking the assistance of local/national
businesses and other global NGOs. As of April 2006, sixteen welfare centers were functional. The aim is to break the vicious circle
of high un-employment and raise their self-esteem.
And finally, the most dangerous nexus these days in rural Punjab is
the political, police and criminal nexus. This has to be broken by bringing
about awareness in the illiterate masses so that they can stand up against
it. It is this nexus which encourages the likes of Nihang Poohla to flourish and thrive. The public must be made aware of their rights and
encouraged to stand up for them. These nexuses promote and encourage
corruption, crime and the sale of drugs.
Aapna Punjab, under the leadership of Col. G.S. Sandhu, also the Chairman of Majha ex-serviceman Human Rights front, has started a campaign against this nexus. As a result, not only the
notorious Nihang Ajit Singh Poohla and eight of his aides are behind
bars facing three murder charges, but three police officers are facing serious
charges. Several prominent politicians and police offers have been charged
with various scams, from selling government paddy, to siphoning crores
from the canal department to growing poppy crop. Several mid-level police
officers have also been disciplined. On the social justice front, recent cases include LandGrab Case, Exposing MLA in UDBS scam, Poor Taxi Driver, Exposing Govt., SGPC accountability, Dalit widow, and more. All this was made possible due
to the selfless efforts of Aapna Punjab's campaign in "making a difference" in the lives of needy Punjabis.
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