What makes a society peaceful? Do we live in a peaceful society? What variables, if any, contribute to the creation of a peaceful society? And if we knew this, perhaps we would benefit from such knowledge. The research group has come up with eight ingredients for more peaceful societies. Hopefully, this knowledge can be applied to our own situation where peace, order and harmony are a constant challenge given the inherent conflict our society is faced with. First and foremost, how effective is our government in carrying out its responsibilities? What is the level of service provided by the government? Or in our context whether there is service at all—water supply, access to the health facility, proper roads or electricity to name just a few. What about the government’s responsiveness to people’s needs or policy formulation and implementation. J&K probably will fall short on some counts. We need money to build world-class infrastructure to improve our road, power or health sectors. A major chunk of money goes towards supporting big fat government machinery. Then another problem is we are unable to enforce policy decisions in letter and spirit and instead we are good at rollbacks, relaxations and even bending rules to suit vested interest.
Our present LG administration is therefore relentlessly working effectively and responsive somehow. Related to the effectiveness of governments, another vital ingredient for a peaceful society is the proper distribution of resources. There has to be equality of opportunities. If there is inequality and the gap between the rich and the poor widens, there is bound to be unrest and conflict arising out of grievances and the injustice done. And perhaps this is what we are witnessing today in our own society. It may be the root cause of the previous ruling government’s policies and programmes.
The other ingredient needed for a peaceful society is high levels of education. This is true and we need to invest in building up the human resource potential of our people so that they can become vital assets for the growth and development of our great nation India. Another thing that we in our society will have to be mindful about is the large number of school dropouts and how they can become liabilities in the long run.
Our education system will also have to be in tune with the needs and challenges of the job markets and young people can be given opportunities to pursue vocational training so that they do not become frustrated with life. ‘A good college strives to give employability to youth and its strength lies in its academic excellence. The quality and quantum of improvement it brings in lives is the true test of its impact on society.’ The remarks were made by Principal Secretary of Higher Education Department, Rohit Kansal during the e-inauguration of an additional block in Government Degree College Marh. These remarks show present the LG administration’s upright policies and programmes to attain much-needed results to overcome the problems of today.
Degrees and educational qualifications alone will not be enough to get a job or become successful in life. And that is why there has to be a mindset change even in policy formulation when it comes to education. According to the findings of the research group, the other factors required for peaceful societies are a sound business environment, acceptance of the rights of others, free flow of information, and low levels of corruption.
We need to be honest about how we measure up against the indexes mentioned. There’s still much room for improvement. We obviously need to follow the rules as laid down; improve our work as well as moral ethics; be good citizens; know that rights and duty go hand in hand; encourage dialogue and discussion; create checks and balances and promote transparency with accountability in public life.
J&K society needs to reflect on the above so that we can reap the political, economic, and social benefits of peace.
Now, let us work for the welfare of humanity in the spirit of social equity, so that everyone has the opportunity to grow and develop and be happy. We should also ensure optimal utilization of all available resources. We need to march forward to serve the downtrodden sections of society with the resolution of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas Aur Sabka Prayas