hindu businessline picture (below) is vivid. it shows 2 boys (who should be in school at first place) polishing shoes in mumbai railway station.

the caption on the picture reads that the central railways is calling for bids from private parties to setup shoe shining stall with the possible potential of hitting the boys small earning on top of their already difficult life.

this blog post is not about central railways move to rope in private parties but rather the failure of the the government and the upper middle class to rein in fake development. ideally, the government and railways themselves can intervene in providing shoe shining jobs for these kids along with the condition/monitoring/etc that the boys have to be in school alternate days. it is not an ideal situation though but a start.

here in we are asking explicitly a social scheme that the government has to roll in for a specific target. in this case shoe polishing children.

but the government already craving for more gdp growth amidst mounting social and environmental destruction seldom cares. or to re phase it, the fake development that pumps more money into government coffers has turned the government and its politicians and its officers into money machines insensitive to the needs of crucial sectors of the society.
the mindless fake development has left most of india's social sector in dust. especially crucial sectors such as children, primary education, environment, rural livelihoods, agriculture, community involvement, role of panchayats, etc. picture courtesy hindu businessline.)