YOGESH THORAT

डॉ.ए.पी.जे. अब्दुल कलाम यांना प्रत्यक्ष पाहण्याचा व ऐकण्याची संधी ते राष्ट्रपती असताना २००६ मध्ये पुण्याला सिंबायोसिस विद्यापिठात काही कार्यक्रमासाठी आले असताना प्रथम भेटली होती. कलामांना ऐकण्यासाठी सिंबायोसिसच्या सेनापती बापट रोडवरील कॅम्पस मध्ये प्रवेश मिळणे मुश्कील होते परंतु मार्ग शोधत सभागृहाच्या दरवाजापर्यत पोहोचलो व कसेबसे वाट काढत कलाम पाहायला भेटले. त्यानंतर त्याचे ७-८ मिनिटे भाषण ऐकायला भेटले. अत्यंत सोप्या भाषेत विषय समजावून सांगायची त्यांची हातोटी होती. भाषण करताना ते विद्यार्थ्यांशी संवाद देखील साधत होते. भाषण संपल्यानंतर एक कविता त्यांनी सर्व विद्यार्थांना पाठीमागे म्हणायला लावली. यावरून त्यांच्यातील हाडाचा शिक्षक दिसून येत होता. कलामांनी आपल्या देशभरातील लाखो मुलांना “Creativity” नावाची चार ओळींची कविता ऐकवली व आपल्या मागे म्हणायला लावली होती ती कविता पुढीलप्रमाणे होती- “Learning use Creativity. Creativity leads to thinking. Thinking Provides knowledge. Knowledge makes you great.” यानंतर त्याच्या पुढच्या वर्षी पुण्याच्या बालेवाडी संकुलात १२ जानेवारीला युवक दिनाचे औ...

मान्सूनच्या पावसातील वाढत चाललेली   अनियमितता व राज्यात उद्भवलेली दुष्काळी परिस्थिती या पार्श्वभूमीवर फडणवीस सरकारने दुष्काळमुक्त महाराष्ट्राचे स्वप्न   साकारण्यासाठी जलयुक्त शिवार हे महत्वाकांक्षी अभियान   सुरु केले   आहे. परंतु अंमलबजावणीची सध्याची परिस्थिती पाहता जलयुक्त शिवार अभियानच एक उत्साही सरकारचा   ‘महा-घोटाळा’ असणार आहे अशी परिस्थिती निर्माण झाली आहे. जलयुक्त शिवार अभियानात मृद व जलसंधारणाला केंद्रस्थानी ठेऊन शासनाच्या या बाबतच्या योजनांचे एकत्रीकरण करण्यात आले आहे. परंतु बऱ्याच अवधीनंतर सत्तेच्या खुर्चीवर बसलेल्या भाजपा-सेनेच्या नेतेमंडळींनी या अभियानाच्या माध्यमातून आपली पोळी भाजायला सुरुवात केली आहे. यासाठी या सर्व मंडळींनी आपल्या जवळच्या ठेकेदार व बगलबच्यांना हाताशी धरून जनतेचा पैसा सोयीस्करपणे लाटायला सुरुवात केली आहे. त्यामुळे ‘पाण्यासाठीचा पैसा पाण्यातच जाणार की काय’ अशी परिस्थिती निर्माण झाली आहे. मुख्यमंत्री महोदयांचा या मागचा फार प्रामाणिक उद्देश असला तरी अंमलबजावणी करणारी यंत्रणा यात फार मोठा खोडा घालत आहे. कामे करतानाच सुरुवात...

Hanoi (Vietnam),22 may 2015 I was delighted to visit Vietnam recently for the workshop on ‘farmers organization and agriculture co-operatives’ arranged by World Bank and Ministry of Agriculture Vietnam. I participated in the workshop as a speaker and shared my experiences of linking farmers with agribusiness and put forth my thoughts on agriculture finance mechanism for the agriculture co-operatives at Vietnam. I was successful to throw light on the institutional innovation and legal & policy framework required for agriculture reforms in Vietnam. This workshop helped me to establish global friendship & knowledge partnership with Agriculture experts from World Bank, developmental organisations and other government agencies from Washington, Columbia, France, Canada, Philippines, Vietnam etc. Vietnam is one party led communist government and celebrating 125 th birth anniversary of their first President and architecture of country Uncle, Ho Chin Minh. My interaction with some...

N otwithstanding the all past scandals and scams which not only paralyzed the functioning of the parliamentary bodies but also tarnished the image of India on global stage, intellectuals again started the fresh debate on various issues in context of fast of the anti corruption crusader Anna Hazare for the most contentious Lokpal Bill. This debates and discussion are endless but reality and dire fact is that democracy is definitely murdered by its protectors. As a world’s largest democracy, India sets exemplary for the rest of the democracies in the world. Henceforth it is onus of the pillars of this democracy to give apt message. But recent series of the events has definitely raised very crucial and vital issues. Firstly, what is the Role of the civil societies in the formation of the law? Parliament is the highest constitutional authority of this nation which is absolute in the formation of the law and order. Since standing committee invites the comments from the publi...

A dam Smith in his book ‘Wealth of Nations (1776)’ argued that “Government being an elephant can’t fly at all”. He did not argue that government does a poor job in running the economy. He argued that Government, by its very nature, cannot run the economy, not even poorly. This is relevant about what PM Dr. Manmohan singh told in his first formal media interaction since a series of scandals rocked his government late last year. At least three times during his hour long interaction, the PM lamented on “Compromises” which are unavoidable in running a coalition. He also admitted there were many things that didn’t go with his outlook. “The things are not entirely the way I’d like them to be" , Singh said at one point. We now understand why there are some things government by its very essence, cannot do. And even for the thing government can do, conditions must be right. First limitation of the UPA government is that it is not corporate house. Because on his performance PM said that...

After a long quest, time has come to reap the benefits of earlier investment in education and continue to develop the skills needed for the productive livelihood. It is great challenge for anybody to transit from student life to labour market. This transition phase is also very crucial because most learning occurs at the beginning of the work life, initial experiences can have long lasting effects. Almost all our friends may have left school earlier than us and entered in a new stage of life- some to begin wage work, some to engage in family business, some to form household and raise families & some to do combination of these activities. But we are enough lucky to get opportunity to study in reputed institutes and to learn a lot. Hence we should be ready to face the transition phase of new life. Now we should pray like a Chinese student mentioned in the World Development Report 2007: Development and Next Generation – “I am positive for my future. I am sure I will find a job s...