The Hindu : New Delhi News : Minister leaves kids speechless

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 30, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Minister leaves kids speechless

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 29. The Delhi Labour and Industries Minister, Mangat Ram Singhal, seems to be taking Thomas Moore's "Utopia'' a bit too seriously. With simple solutions to complicated issues like child labour, police brutality, no teachers in government schools, his advice to children living in the slums of the Capital's upmarket areas of Vasant Vihar and Vasant Kunj was very straightforward -- "write to Devinder (the organiser of the Bal Sunwai who was well aware of the issues) and we will take action.''

Displaying an almost embarrassing lack of sensitivity at a "Bal Sunwai" held in the Capital here, Mr. Singhal seemed to have conveniently forgotten that many of these children were under 15 years of age, had no access to safe drinking water, food, clothes, shelter, and writing a letter to point out that they were unfairly being left out of the system was an impossibility.

Trusted to find a novel way of looking at their problem, he even found a unique reasoning for the police for harassing rag-pickers. Asked by a tiny rag-picker why he was constantly beaten up by the police for doing his work, Mr. Singhal had a surprisingly "creative" answer. "The police hit you because you should be in school. Ragpicking is not your work, you might get sick. Your parents should work instead."

While it might be an idea that most child activists would be horrified about, Mr. Singhal seems to firmly hold this rather "unconventional" belief. Quizzed by a 17-year-old boy who wanted to know how he could not work when both his parents managed to earn only Rs. 80 a month and had three children to feed, Mr. Singhal was unfazed and told him to wait for an year and then come to him for a job. However, this rather simple logic seemed to elude the young boy who refused to give up and tried again. "It is not possible for me to continue my education on the amount my parents earn. We have to take into account my sisters or brother's falling sick, we can't make ends meet unless I work.''

Unfortunately, Mr. Singhal was equally unimpressed with the boy's inability to grasp the beauty of his solution. "The Government provides free treatment at clinics and hospitals. There are enough policies for children to take advantage of, there are orphanages and there are government schools. But if you want to get treated in Apollo, then you will have to pay,'' he reasoned.

From logical answers to philosophy and even the odd introduction in corruption, Mr. Singhal had the problem of the large number of disempowered children on the streets of the Capital all sorted out. "You write to us or talk to your the representative of the Legislative Assembly in your area and we will give you clothes, shelter and put you in a school. It is important for children to realise the policies that the government has for them. It is the thirsty that come to the well and not other way round,'' he quipped.

Making promises to children that will be impossible to fulfil, it seems that Mr. Singhal has forgotten that the elections just got over.

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