Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi : Adolescent age is a critical phase for human potential. Making investments in this age group will be the best way to leverage India’s advantage of a young population, and to realise our demographic dividend, said Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan. However, the ongoing levels of teenage pregnancies and child marriages in certain pockets across the country is a cause for great concern, and taking sexual and reproductive health services out of the clinics to India’s adolescent population will be the way forward, he pointed out.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugured the “Investing in Adolescent Health: Harnessing the Demographic Dividend” workshop, jointly organised by the Observer Research Foundation and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
With 253 million adolescents, India comprises of a high proportion of individuals in a transient phase of life that requires nutrition, education, counseling and guidance to ensure their development into healthy adults. This group is also susceptible to several avoidable health problems such as like early & unintended pregnancy, unsafe sex leading to STI/HIV/AIDS, nutritional disorders like malnutrition, anemia & overweight, alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse, mental health concerns, injuries & violence.
Other speakers at the inaugural session included Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF India Representative, Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative to India, Mr Hisham Mundol, Executive Director, India & Child Protection, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Mr Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Mr Kanchan Gupta, Distinguished Fellow, ORF. It was emphasised that in addition to its inherent value, promoting and protecting adolescent health will lead to public health, economic and demographic benefits.
The workshop brought together more than 120 delegates, including 30 speakers, from multiple stakeholders like State Governments, not-for-profit organizations, think tanks, UN Agencies and international and multilateral agencies. Speakers focused on the need for a comprehensive multi sectoral approach to address the challenges in the ground. Existing initiatives around adolescent health need to be streamlined according to the requirements on the ground. Indian government’s recent move to review the programme design of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is welcome, and should be tried within adolescent health too.
The workshop deliberated over the goals and challenges of the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) and discussed success stories and innovative solutions from states across India.
Rahul
Shri Rahul Gandhi said- Smt. Sonia Gandhi Ji, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji, Shri K.C. Venugopal Ji, Shri Ahmed Patel Ji, Shri P.C. Chacko Ji, Shri Subhash Chopra Ji, senior leaders sitting on the dias, leaders sitting on both sides, our workers from NSUI, Youth Congress, Mahila Congress, Sevadal, Brothers and Sisters, our friends from press, our hearty welcome to all of you, Namaskar.
Mukul Wasnik Ji, where are you? Today, you have brought together such a huge number of lions and lionesses on this ground. Just look, with such a great harmony, they are standing together, they are our Congress workers who are not scared of anyone, do not budge even an inch, and they are ever prepared to sacrifice their life for the country.
Yesterday in Parliament I was told, the BJP people told me in Parliament, Rahul Ji, you have given a speech, say sorry for your speech. They are telling me to say sorry for speaking the truth. Brothers and sisters, my name is not Rahul Savarkar, My name is Rahul Gandhi, I shall never offer any apology for speaking the truth, I would prefer to lay my life than to say sorry (for speaking the truth) and no one from Congress Party will offer any apology. Rather, it is Narendra Modi, who has to seek an apology. Narendra Modi ji has to apologize to the country. His assistant Amit Shah owes an apology to this country. Why he owes an apology, I am here to explain it to you.
Earlier, the power of this country, the soul of this country, the real soul of this country was in its economy, that economy is non-existent today. The whole world today used to look at us and say, what is happening in India? How this country with different religions, different castes, diverse ideologies, has been progressing at 9% growth rate of GDP. On one side it was China and on the other side it was India, people used to call it ‘Chindia’. The future of the world was China and India. Now look at them (pointing towards leaders having garlands of onions), they are carrying onions, today, onions are being sold at Rs. 200 per kg. Narendra Modi has single handedly ruined and finished the whole economy of India.
You might remember at 8 O’clock in the night, Narendra Modi appeared on television screen and said, brothers and sisters- “I am going to demonetize Rs 500 note and Rs 1000 note”. And Narendra Modi gave such a fatal blow to the Indian economy that the economy could never recover from the damage done by that stroke. He told a lie before you while telling that ‘it is a fight against black money, black money has to be uprooted and it is a fight against corruption’. He told a lie, he snatched away money from the houses of our mothers and sisters, from the pockets of the youth, and handed over lakhs and crores of rupees to Adani and Anil Ambani. Then, he brought in Gabbar Singh Tax (GST), Manmohan Singh Ji and Chidambaram Ji advised them not to implement GST without Pilot Project, it will cause damage to the nation’s economy, which we have built. The whole country has invested its sweat and blood with love to make the economy stand on its feet, this step will undo all the great efforts. Narendra Modi Ji says, No, I will show you that I would implement Gabbar Singh Tax at 12 O’ clock in the night and he did accordingly. What was the result? Today, we are witnessing an unprecedented level of unemployment, never seen in the last 45 years, GDP rate has come down from 9% to 4% and that too when they have changed the formula for deciding the GDP rate. Therefore, if you calculate GDP with the old formula then the real GDP growth rate is not more than 2.5%.
Brothers and Sisters, India has so many enemies, I don’t want to name them, but, all the enemies of India wanted that the real power of the country i.e. the economy of the country is ruined and this misdeed has not been accomplished by our enemies, but, our Prime Minister himself, who calls himself a patriot. He handed over the all money to 2-3 industrialists, not to all the industrialists, there are so many honest industrialists in this country. I am of the strong belief that if a farmer builds this country, a worker builds this country, a small shopkeeper builds this country then an honest industrialist also plays a role in nation building. But, during the past five years Narendra Modi Ji, I would like to name one, during the past five years Narendra Modi has awarded 50 contracts worth one lakh crore rupees to Adani and handed over the airports in the country and ports in the country to Adani without any contract. What is the reason? What you can call this act? Is it not a theft, if it is not a corruption, then what else you can call it?
A few days back, the Government waived off Rs. 1,40,000 crores in respect of 15-20 industrialists. They have enhanced tariff by 50% for telephone services then they waived off Rs. 60,000 crores payable by the big industrialists. What is economy? Please understand the economy of India cannot progress as long the poor in this country, farmers in this country, workers in this country and youth in this country do not have money in their pockets. The farmer, the worker and the youth make purchases of the items of their use like shirt, pant, shoes, mobile phone, dark glasses, when they have money in their pockets. The factories manufacture all these items. When these factories are engaged in manufacturing, you people get employment in these factories. This is economic system. First, give money to poor people, farmers, workers, small shopkeepers, labourers, they will use this money for purchasing different items, this will create demand, when demand is created, the factories start manufacturing, but, Narendra Modi has taken away all your money from your pockets.
Baghel Ji said that farmers get Rs. 2,500 per quintal for the paddy (in Chhattisgarh). In Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Punjab, we waived off loans outstanding against farmers. Why do we give MSP on farm produce, because we know that the economy of the country cannot progress when the farmers in the country are not progressing. We brought in MGNREGA because we knew that this country cannot progress without the workers. Then Shri Narendra Modi snatched away all money from the economy and handed it over to his 2-3-4 friends and ruined the economy of India, he did not stop here, now he is involved in dividing the country.
Why did you elect Narendra Modi Ji? You elected him to make the country strong, to strengthen the economy, you elected him to give employment to youth, but, Narendra Modi did none of that. GDP has reached at 4%. The unemployment has reached at an unprecedented level never witnessed in the past 45 years, farmers are committing suicide.
A question was asked in Parliament about the number of farmers, who have committed suicide, when the Narendra Modi Government has been in power! The Government gives reply that they don’t have this information. They reply in Parliament that they have no information about the farmer’s suicide. Ask the state Governments. They don’t have any information. Farmer is the backbone of this country, and yet they don’t know the numbers of farmers, who have committed suicide, they should be ashamed of that. The whole country knows the real situation. Now, they are dividing the country. Narendra Modi has divided the country on religious lines. Go to Jammu-Kashmir, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and virtually, the entire North-East, he has set on fire all these states, he has put on fire the entire Assam. He is dividing the country, he is weakening the country.
The people who have come here and crores of people who are watching this programme on television sets, I am addressing all of you- You never intend to divide this country, you make this country stand on its feet with your sweat and blood and you perform this duty on daily basis with your heart, small shopkeepers, farmers, workers, unemployed youth, all of them together make this country. This is your blood, this is your hard work and your country is being weakened, our country is being weakened, the country is being divided and the economy is being ruined and the only reason for these ailments is that Narendra Modi Ji works with a single agenda of, how to retain power. Is it fact or not? To remain in power he can go to any extent, to retain power he can ruin economy, render the youth in the country unemployed, he believes in self marketing, he should be seen on the television every day.
Now, tell me one thing, Narendra Modi Ji seen on the television daily, is it right? (People said, ‘Yes’) For how many hours, he is shown on the television almost the whole day. You know, how much 30 second advertisement on television costs? It costs lakhs of rupees. Narendra Modi is shown on television all the day and the other leaders of the country are rather invisible on the television. Do you ever see Manmohan Singh Ji on television, (People said, ‘No’) he is not seen on television? Then who is paying for Narendra Modi Ji? The payment for his publicity on television is made by those whom Narendra Modi Ji has been giving the money, snatched from you. This is harsh reality of this country.
I would like to tell the media people that you have a great responsibility. When we were in power, you people used to attack us and you did a right thing. I would like to tell from this stage that you did your duty, but, today, you have forgotten your responsibility. You are also citizen of this country; this country belongs to you also. I am addressing all people of this country from various institutions, sitting in each institution, they may be sitting in courts, engaged in media, employed in Government offices, they may be bureaucrats, all of you should remember that all of us have responsibility. When you are suppressed, trampled upon, threatened, attacked, media people are attacked, then it is not a attack on you, It is a attack on the soul of India.
So, I would like to tell all of you that the time has come; this country is being threatened and suppressed. Congress people are scared of none. Congress man are lions, they are not scared, but, I am addressing those who are sitting in Government offices, media, I am telling them, don’t be scared, Congress Party is standing beside you. Together we have to fight for India and this atmosphere of fear, hatred has to be removed from this country and Congress Party and we all together will do that.
