Rahulji, fulfill promises first, "dreams" come later: A Reality Check

New Delhi, Sept 12: Yesterday's 'electrifying' speech by

in

promised common man of the moon, giving it hopes of food and shelter. He might have claimed to fame with his "aapke sapnon ko sakar karne ke liye, hum apnein sapnon ko kuchal denge", but alas this is not Bollywood.

A reality check on the Bills, laws, ordinances and schemes and their implementations could prove to be a fatal turn for the Congress in the upcoming UPA elections.

Ask why and the ghosts of the mid-day meal, the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), the National Rural Employment Guarantee Employment Act (NREGA) etc stumble out. Let's see how all these schemes had given us hopes and how they came crashing on us.

Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY): A program of Rural Electricity Infrastructure and household electrification to provide electricity in each household in 5 years, this had raised hopes among the common man, especially villages that complained of perpetual darkness. The scheme worked well for the initial few years, but now it has gone for a toss.

9000 villagers in Bihar loom in darkness as 9,200 transformers have burnt.

A recent report on Raghunathpur in Bihar shows how the central government has failed us. Over 9,000 villages loom in complete darkness, despite installations of 9,200 transformers.

"Each of us spent at least Rs.500 to Rs.1,000 for wires, switches and bulbs after electricity reached the village. It was like a dream, but then the transformer got burnt due to overloading. We have been waiting for its replacement for over seven months," Israel Khan, a villager said. It is reported that all the transformers have burnt beyond repair. Despite frequent appeals by the Bihar CM for replacements, the centre is sitting idle on the issue for the past 7 months.

Mid-Day meals: We probably have lost count of the number of children who lost their lives in the mid-day meal scheme. Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa have reported maximum harm to life in the past 3 months. Introducing the mid day meal scheme to attract students from the rural areas was a good idea, but how 'well' it went, the public knows.

NREGA: Employment for all? what was meant to be for those below the poverty line, ensuring them income round the year, turned out to be a den of corruption and mid-man interference. A report by a leading newspaper in 2011 brought out the harshest of truths related to the scheme. Just 10% of the beneficiaries availing this scheme were reported to be poor. Moreover, there were rumours that the money was not reaching the intended beneficiaries.

So Rahulji, stop giving us hopes that cannot be fulfilled. First execute the promises that you have made and then let's hope for the best.