BJP should learn to take credit for good work

The composition of Committee on Journalist Welfare Scheme has been made leaner for its efficient functioning. Now only Secretary (I&B), Joint Secretary (P&A), Principal Director General, PIB would be official members. For the first time, journalists are also made members of the Committee. Six Journalists viz, Shri Vikas Bhadauria, Smt Richa Anirudh, Shri Ashok Upadhyay, Shri Sujit Thakur, Ms Sipra Das, Shri Ravindra Singh were made as special members of the Committee on Journalist Welfare Scheme. This initiative will benefit the aggrieved parties by giving support in a time-bound manner.

Journalist Welfare Scheme aims to provide one-time ex-gratia relief on an urgent basis to journalists and their families in the event of extreme hardship. This scheme covers accredited journalists to PIB / State Governments / UTs as well as non-accredited journalists working for a minimum period of five continuous years either whole time or even as part-time as news editor, reporter, photographer, cameramen, photojournalist, or freelance journalist. Ministry of Information & Broadcasting increased the provision for Journalist welfare scheme by fivefold to Rs. 1 crore in 2018 - 19 from Rs.20 lakh in 2017-18.

The financial assistance available under this scheme is up to Rs. 5 lakh to the family on account of the death of a journalist, up to Rs. 5 lakh to the journalists in case of permanent disability, up to Rs. 3 lakh towards the cost of treatment of major ailments which is not covered by CGHS or any other insurance/health schemes.

This was neither talked about by the journalists nor the ministry of I&B.

Instead, the journalists did peddle some fake-news related to I&B ministry. Following is an example of the same.

This was fake-news. But still, the government faced flake for bringing law to curb fake news and took it back !!!!

Let’s look at another example, where government failed to take credit.

The cabinet minister announced that exams for those papers of CBSE exam, which have been leaked, will be re-conducted, and took all the undeserving flak for it. Later it was announced that CBSE will not conduct the re-test for Class 10 Board Maths paper. This announcement came from Anil Swarup, Education Secretary, Government of India. Ideally, it should have been the other way around. The party, the ministry, the government should have taken the credit for not conducting the retest. This was the best example of government empathising with the children and parents but this opportunity was allowed to drift away.

Rest assured, above mentioned two examples are not in isolation. Taking credit is a sophisticated art. The good work is expected from government, but it has to be told to voters in their language, their format. It has to be told in a story format. Data convinces few academicians, but data doesn’t describe the benefits, it doesn’t give the bigger picture. Data can be interpreted either way. Twitter and Twitter thread doesn’t cover the mass. It is just another medium it is an important medium but still trying to stand on its feet.

Imagine the comfort of the families of slain journalists who will receive enhanced compensation and deservingly so. This money could take care of the education of their kids partially. But again the government allowed the bigger picture to drift away.

Enhanced ranking in ease of doing business is essential for the economy and it should be talked about, but it won’t bring a vote. It is not an emotional story. Indian voter is emotional. Apart from this, maximum chances are that the beneficiary of ease of doing business has already taken a citizenship of another country for tax benefit. Apart from this his verbal support to the government won’t carry much weight. Somewhere the government along with opposition has painted the businessman as dishonest, knowingly or unknowingly.

It is a fact that the current government is not willing to take action against those creating law and order problem by spreading false news, or stand by its supporters who are even being arrested for supporting BJP, the least one expects from it is to take credit for the good work it is doing and share it with the voting population.

BJP should not forget that apart from Rahul Gandhi and Federal Front, the opposition is also building NOTA as a candidate to fight TINA.

Anything more on this can be considered as a case of sour grapes and hence leave it here.

Sandeep Singh is a political analyst and tweets from @communalsandeep