Admission into medical colleges is like an agnipareeksha even to the most motivated teenager.  Even after securing admission, obtaining good quality education remains a dream to many others.  Before entering the IAS, I was trained to be a physician and had to endure a similar procedure. Now, I am deeply concerned by the state of our medical colleges and the quality of education imparted to our medicos.

A city has been turned into rubble and thousands perished in the recent earthquake in Iran. The image of a mother crying on seeing her dead children in the rubble will be forever etched in my mind. We cannot predict the ways of nature.

Some of you might have seen the recent media hype about the Goldman Sachs report, which projected India to become one of the 6 largest economies in the World along with Brazil, Russia and China by the year 2050. The report projects that among the current members of the G-6 only Japan and the US will remain in the top six by that time.

I recently learnt about a junior college-going boy who contracted dengue fever and later passed away.  His father was simply inconsolable.  As a fellow parent I was shocked at the tragic loss of a precious, young child.  When my children go to sleep, every night I adjust the mosquito nets on their beds so that mosquitoes cannot come in. Every parent can understand my anxiety.

Lakhs of candidates are appearing for the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) exams in our city alone.  You must have heard about the sea of humanity that assembles at the Secunderabad station seeking these jobs.  There were nearly 11 lakh applicants for 2,700 positions that need a minimum qualification of eighth standard. Many of the applicants had bachelors’ or master’s degrees and are clearly over-qualified for such jobs.  Their plight is obvious.

Recently, a media report quoted the Karnataka Chief Minister, S M Krishna saying, “I don’t have the power to punish corrupt civil servants” and making a case for amending the Constitution to enable state governments to act against erring civil servants.

The events of the past fortnight have once again demonstrated the fragility that characterizes the fundamental rights in this country. The Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly found five senior journalists guilty of violating the legislative privileges and sought to imprison them. This episode brings into relief many questions. First, can Article 194, pertaining to legislative privileges, override freedom of expression enshrined in Article 19? Can judiciary adjudicate on the question of legislative privileges?

This week the Indian Parliament completed 50 years of its existence. While we had central legislature during British times, the bulk of membership was nominated. In 1946, elections were conducted to the central legislature, but franchise was limited, and only a fraction of the adult population could vote. The first Lok Sabha election of the Indian republic under the new Constitution was held in 1952.

The recent Supreme Court judgment on compulsory declaration of criminal record, assets, liabilities and educational qualifications by candidates for elective office is a shot in the arm for all enthusiasts of democratic reform.  There is a German saying which describes politics as the patient drilling through thick planks.  This judgment typifies the hard work and collaboration required to get anything moving in a large and plural democracy. Relentless and single-minded pursuit of specific goals is what yields enduring results.

In a democracy the citizen is the sovereign. The elected representatives and appointed employees are public servants whose job it is to govern on behalf of citizens and provide quality services. Obviously, the public servants should be accountable to the people. The most vital tool of accountability is information on what the government agencies are doing and why.