Street Vendors in Manipur: Issues and solutions

Abstract 

The issue of street vendors are almost same across India, space for vending and harassment by either police or municipal authority.  Manipur considered as one of the city which have a good model of street vendor market in India. Even though, Manipur also have an unending problem due to increasing number of vendors and limited space for vending in the Imphal City. There is unending cases for inhumane treatment of vendor by police, collection of money and so on. For the last couple of year there is an increasing trend of agitation of street vendors for unequal treatment of licensed and non-licensed who used to sit in the same place before the construction of the new buildings in the same place. All these arose due to lack of proper management of by Municipal authority and the Government after all. The paper takes on sustainable solutions for the issues of street vendors in Imphal, Manipur. The article starts with describing about street vendors and cases across India  followed by the case of street vendors in Manipur and concludes with recommendations.

Introduction 

 An street vendor is broadly defined as a person who offers goods for sale to the public without having a permanent built-up structure from which to sell. Street vendors may be stationary in the sense that they occupy space on the pavements of other public/private spaces or, they may be mobile in the sense they more from place to place by carrying their wares or push carts or in basket on their heads or similar kind of.

Lack of gainful employment coupled with poverty in rural area has pushed people out of their villages in search of a better existence in the cities. These migrations do not possess the skill or the education to enable them to find better paid and secure employment in the formal sector and owing to this reason they have to settle for work in the informal sector itself.

 Scenario of street Vendors across India 

In India percentage of street vendors account for about 2.5 during 2005 and now this must have increased now. The very high growth in the numbers of street vendors could be seen clearly after the 1991 when India implemented the new economic policy, Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation. According to a study done by National Alliance of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) across few of metro cities including Imphal in North East apart of Metros they could find similar pattern in terms of their earning, their living standard and the challenges they face from state. They earn from Rs.50 to Rs.80 per day, in this women earn less than males, Rs.40 to Rs.60 per day. Street vendors across the country are majorly worked under gruel condition. They face harassment either from Municipal Cooperation or Police or both. Police take ransom from the vendors who do not have license to sit.  Therefore their protection is the issue across India.

Review of other’s works

One of the biggest external challenges is the insecurity of street hawkers/vendors. Police is the factor insecurity for street vendors. They are threatened to be evicted, beaten by stick like animal and confiscate goods by police in almost every cities of India.

There are some reasons based on which atrocities by police is justified by police- road capacities reduces in the process of buying and selling which adds another problem over the existing problem of congestion of traffic with the increasing population. Street vendors also make dirty in different ways. But these reasons are baseless because street vendors alone does not play the role of making road dirty and congested, rather depend a lot on the how it is manage. Municipality tax from vendors is to clean the road.

Whatever the reason we cannot evict street vendors from the roadside unless they are provided alternative because they also have their fundamental right. They are part of the economy, part of the society which we neither ignore their cause nor indifferent to them. Before the modern markets come they already had been with the markets. They continued the same profession from their fathers and mothers. The one who have been with the same profession of street vending for the last 20 year will not be possible to shift to some other new profession forcefully. It looks like the discrimination of poor both who are selling and buying while considering the rich who move fast by vehicles. The Article 14 of Indian constitution states that the state shall not deny to any person before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. The Article 19(1)(g) states that all citizens shall have the right to practice or to carry on any occupation, trade or business. Furthermore, the Article 21 (Protection of Life and Personal Property) states that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. The above mentioned constitutional rights provide the protection of the street vendors but ignore by authorities which are in nearest to street vendors.

We can look into few cases to see the stand of Supreme Court.  In the case of Sodan Singh and Others vs. New Delhi Municipal Committee and Others (1989 Indlaw SC 213) the fundamental question that was addressed was whether the rights provided in Article 19(1)(g) and Article 21 of the Constitution be restricted by the government under the Article 19(6) of the Constitution. The Supreme Court held that vendors have the right to carry out their business for their livelihood on the roadside, as long as they do not interfere with the rights of the other people (Sundaram, 2010).  But the fact is that a poor man cannot demand for fundamental right for a small space in the area where the purpose is meant for movement as whole. This is still one justification which police and municipal authorities use. In the case of Bombay Hawkers’ Union and Others vs. BMC and Others (1985 Indlaw SC 191) SC provides certain guidelines for the government and hawkers. Hawkers/vendors are not allowed to make any permanent structure and were expected to cooperate with Municipal Corporation in keeping the roads clean. And the government was advised to demarcate hawking zones to avoid discomfort with other user of the road. The similar order was given in the case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi vs. Gurnam Kaur (1988 Indlaw SC 703) that hawker’s and non-hawker’s zone may be created to avoid forceful squatting of the vendors and SC ordered, as the main theme of the case, against the vendors that there was no threat to their life by the removal of their stall. In the case of Gulamali Gulamnabi Shaik vs. Municipal Commissioner (1986 GLH 616) SC directed that the government to frame rules and regulation for vendors for providing the license and spaces to let them carry out their business.

In the above discussed cases we can see the issues of regulation of places for carrying out business for vendors, regulation of items of vending, regulation and procedures of eviction of vendors, issues of bribery, extortion, and harassment of street hawkers and rehabilitation and relocation of vendors. The solutions of the above issues are the need of the hour in order to solve the problem of congestion and cleanliness rather than force disappearance of street vendors. One such step in response to the above issues is the National Policy for Urban Street Vendors, 2004 (2009 and 2012 is not discussed here). Section 4.2.1 of the policy suggests enough space should be given for vendors at least to the extent of 2-2.5% of the total city population. Under section 4.1.1 vendors are expected to register and should be monitor by concern authority. Section 5 provides safeguard to the vendor from confiscation. In addition, section 8 of the policy discusses the insurance and financial issues of the hawkers.

The policy looks like the issues discussed above have been solved but there has been little change in the status of the street vendors so far. The Policy neither does have any (future) enforcement mechanism nor any roadmap or time frame for the result of the policy. The policy mentioned for changing the Section 283 and 431 of Indian penal Code (IPC) and municipal acts in conformity with the new policy in order to enable the policy implemented on the ground. These two sections are used by the authority against the hawkers either for good motive or for their benefit that creates fear to the hawkers which is the greatest challenge of the hawkers. For example, highly authoritarian and arbitrary act is found in the Bihar Police Act Section 34 which states that Police can punish any one causing obstruction, annoyance or inconvenience to the public. The point is that before changes in such highly authoritarian acts the Policy of Urban Street Vendors will go not so far in solving the above mentioned issued.

Case of Manipur

Issue

After a long time hardship confronting inclement weather to earn daily livelihood women street vendors in different parts of Khwairamban Bazaar and its surrounding areas had shifted to the temporary Market sheds starting from February 2011 onwards.  The markets around Khwairamban Market from where the vendor shifted to the temporary market sheds are Naga Nullah, Chakkri Kom, East of Sessions Judge Court, Maharani Bridge and along the stretch of BT flyover. According to The Sangai Express, a local newspaper, the total number of license that the Imphal Municipal has issued to the street vendors in Naga Nullah, Chakkri Kom, East of Sessions Judge Court, Maharani Bridge and BT flyover area is 984, while the number of the street vendors who have no license and allotted space for selling their wares in the open market is 497. The number of non-license street vendors in and around Maharani Bridge is around 400. So, in all a total number of 897 non-license street vendors allotted space in the temporary market sheds. The major problem here is extra number of non-license street vendors and the clash among them during the allotment of the seats. This problem is still continue and is the issue of street vendors.

Cause of the issue

The Imphal Municipal Council made the surveys of unlicensed vendors sitting on street vendors in the beginning of 2010. The survey has recorded 3, 882 street vendors through photographs. They have been sitting for more than the last 15 years and they have been identified by the survey but license was not given to them. Street vendors including both licensed and non-licensed from Purana Bazaar, Lakshmi Market and New Market have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) dated, 19/04/05 with government of Manipur. The MoU states that a permanent structure comprising basement, ground floor and first floor will be built at the place of the markets. The MoU also promises that the ground floor of the built structure will be given to the licensed vendors. There was also an understanding that the first floor will be given to the non-licensed vendors and the basement will be used for parking. During the time when the market structure were constructed the vendors were working in the temporary vending sites and the road sides surrounding of the markets structure.

The constructions of buildings were completed last year. The markets were inaugurated on 12/11/2010 by the chairperson of UPA government and the National Advisory Council, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. The licensed vendors were allotted any place on the ground floor of the women markets. The non-licensed vendors were no allotted any place in the newly built market buildings. In spite of women markets laying vacant the vendors are forced to vend on the roadsides surroundings of the women markets.   It is not disclosed why the first floor of the constructed market is not allotted for vending for the non-licensed vendors, if done so it could dissolve all agitations from the vendors. Instead of this, government is investing money on construction of new markets at Lamphel which very far from the main Business District Zone. This new market place is meant for non-licensed vendors, and  who got license are allotted in the main building, Ima Keithel (Bazaar) , which is in the middle of the business zone, where all buyers come here itself. This new market in Lamphel is the area where hardly buyers will go there. Displacement of non-licensed vendor who have been vending in Ima Keithel for multiple years to such an area where there is no business establishment is not fair and it is against equal treatment of the vendors between licensed and non-licensed. Government is spending money on construction of new other buildings to accommodate the vendors which is increasing at the number of one lakh per annum. The main reasons for sudden agitations by non-licensed street vendors are because of the harassment by police on regular basis, taking money by city police from the roadside vendors most of them are non-licensed vendors, eviction and destroy of materials and they are exposed to all kinds of weather ranging from rainy and to sunny. It is not possible for the non-licensed vendors to sit in the rainy days while this is not the case for those who got sit in the new building of Ima Keithel.

Policy Options

Framework

The policy options which are going to address the problem of unrest between municipal and non-licensed street vendors need to cover the equity, equality, rights and identity and interest of the street vendors.  There already had the solution in order to arrest the increasing agitation of the street vendors, but this was not happened because the policy options were not based on equality and equity among the licensed and non-licensed vendors. Municipal council wants all non-licensed vendor out of the main business zone while all licensed vendors are putted in the main business area. This was also one of the reasons for the agitation for vendors. It is not a legal right but many of those non-licensed vendors who could not get seat in the Ima Keithel have been sitting in the Ima Keithel before displacement was happened for the reconstruction of the market. They were displaced promising that they will also be placed in the same area, Ima Keithel, which was not happened at all. And, in addition, most of the non-licensed vendors are from Muslim and Christian community which are minority in communities in Manipur. Whereas, majority of licensed vendors, administrator in Municipal Council and Police are dominantly of Majority community. The current system of management looks discriminatory. . Because, Not only the partial treatment of non-licensed vendors by Municipal Council but also badly treated by Police in which most of the victims are belongs to minority community who come from far villages. Because of the distance they come from they are comparatively new chronologically in the market. Thus a matter of identity also came into the picture while making a sustainable solution for non-licensed street vendors. Altogether, for a sustainable solution a participatory and informed decision making should be backbone of policy and planning regarding the issue of street vendors.

Evaluation

The options feasible for the solutions under the above mentioned framework is a holistic approach of urban planning from the economic development and congestion reduction point of views. It is very important to provide the space for vending in the main business zone as the area had been attached with history of Manipur and keeping this point throughout the planning process will serve the above mentioned framework. In this context we cannot give any role to any non-state agency to find solution because non states cannot enter this because of disturbance from the militants and if there is involvement of Non-governmental Development Organisations (NGDOs) that will not be sustainable. Therefore, it is the state government only who can provide the solution for this problem of street vendors. The only options available are to provide proper space for vending which is suitable for all kinds of weather and there will no harassment from the police and Municipal Council.

The first option is to construct a market in the area where now it is parking space. This will accepted by all vendors as it is within the main business zone for the present solution. This will stop the agitation of street vendors. This solution serves the above framework. But this is not sustainable solution for the increasing number of vendors. For the parking, the architecture of the building itself can accommodate the parking space. This solution will serve as an idea of natural market in the area. In fact the area itself is a natural market before the construction of the building as part of renovation. So, it is always recommended to maintain a natural market for vendors in order to solve the issues of conflict between vendors and Police and Municipal Council. It is not understood why the first floor is not given any seat to any vendor, and now laying vacant. Allotting seat in this floor also will solve a half of the problem of agitation by vendors in the short term.

Another option is to diffuse the central business zone (CBZ) in such a way that the main vendors’ zone around Ima Keithel is kept intact while the rest of the roadside shops such as Showrooms and Cinema Halls along the Paona Bazaar and Thangal Bazaar are driven out slowly. This is will expand the spatial extent of demand behavior geographically. This will make conducive for business to construct other vending markets in future in some other areas within the expanded zone as the market inertia has created by these driven out shops. In the case of Lamphel, market inertia is not yet created by any form of business which could be business inertia for street vendors. This is the reason Lamphel vending market is not accepted by vendors as it is very far from the main business zone because there demand behavior is very low, and vendor will get any profit from the business. The expansion of CBZ through big shops will serve as a model to reduce congestion in the city which now one of the most issue in the city mainly around the Ima Keithel while providing the space to agitating street vendors. Apart from infrastructural, the formation of Town Vending Committee (TVC) (as suggested in Street Vendors Policy, 2009), as already there in other name, and the inclusion of street vendors from all communities is should be made compulsory. As mentioned above, a participatory model of decision that includes all stakeholders should be the core of policy and planning process. These are some of the most recommendation for a sustainable solution to the issue of street vendors in view of the increasing number of street vendors and the city as whole.

Conclusion

Ill management of the city and corruption caused a lot of unrest among the street vendor and chaos in the delivery of the services to the vendors because of which the livelihood of the vendors are affected seriously for a long time and hard to imagine what could be the problem in their families consequently. Just by constructing market building will not solve without keeping in mind the above framework- equity and equality, inclusive and participatory, communal context and transparency. It is important to approach the solution with a holistic view. It is not made understood why the first floor is not allotted any seat and there is no involvement of vendor during the planning of the market. The construction and planning for the street vendors should be from the perspective of the business of the small and marginalised street business. Hence creating business inertia through big shops first in view of small vendors is very important. Formation of a functional Town Vending Committee (reorganisation of the existing one) inclusive of vendors from all communities should be compulsory. Transparency is not in the current policy and management of Municipality, which should transparent and make vendors and all stakeholder informed. Street vendors’ business shares a big pie in the economy of the state. Hence, a holistic approach to the issue of street vendors and the future of the city will shape the future of the economy of the state.

References

Bhowmik, S. (2010). Legal Protection for Street Vendors. Economic and Political Weekly, 12-15.

bhowmik, S. K. (n.d.). Hawkers and The Urban Street Vendors.

Sundaram, S. S. (2010). National Policy for Urban Street Vendors and Its Impact. Economic and Political Weekly, 22-25.

No License, Free for all. Last modified on 28-04-13 http://manipuronline.com/headlines/no-license-free-for-all-cm/2011/05/08

Street Vendors' Strike Call Evokes Tepid Response, last modified on 28-04-13 http://manipuronline.com/headlines/street-vendors-strike-call-evokes-tepid-response/2011/05/08

Solitary Cop Accused of Tax Collection, last modified on 28-04-13 http://manipuronline.com/headlines/solitary-cop-accused-of-tax-collection-drive/2011/05/16

Street Vendors and Congested Roads, last modified on 28-04-13 http://manipuronline.com/edop/editorials/editorial-street-vendors-and-congested-roads/2011/05/03

Street Vendor , last modified on 28-04-13 http://nhfindia.in/international.html

Street Vendors Set to Get Plot, last modified on 28-04-13 http://manipuronline.com/headlines/street-vendors-set-to-get-plot/2011/02/04

Ema Market Should Accommodate Evicted vendors, last modified on 28-04-13 http://manipuronline.com/edop/opinions-commentary/%e2%80%98ima-markets-should-accommodate-evicted-vendors%e2%80%99/2011/05/25

Documentation and Sustainability of Development Organisations

Many make up their mind to start a non-profit non-governmental organization (NPNGO) with real social intention, while many other did with the intention to make money with social intention which I think is the most common purpose. The later does not mean a social entrepreneurship. Someone who doesn’t have any educational background also makes up this mind for such ideas and gets registered an organisation just by paying some ten times more than the actual charge of the registration to someone, a mediator, who does it. This is not the case of only not-so-educated peoples but even for those who have gained knowledge of social work/developmental organisations. This happens in both rural and urban across India and Bihar is not less than none, I guess. And these become uncountable number of NPNGOs in the registry and around 10 per cent of this is dormant. 

Every organisation (NPNGO) cannot escape from showing annual work report and financial report at the time of applying for any project fund to donors. For the beginner organisations are Government, because everything fake and fabricated is accepted in Government with bribe. I am not using the word ‘maintain’ in place of ‘show’ in the last line because it is not maintained/kept in mind throughout the year in such an organisation which is registered in the way mentioned above. They don’t know how to get registered an NGO by themselves, then maintaining or writing such a work report and financial report is just next to impossible. For this also they just pay out INR300 to someone who does this regularly. This has also become a way of money making for those who write such things- an end product of copy-and-paste. The person will put something, some works in which every paragraph is one project. Everything has to be done in fake because for the last couples of years they haven’t done anything voluntarily for social benefit. There are two worst things which should not be with any such organisation- they don’t know how to write/ do documentation and they don’t have the true intention do something for the benefit of society. These are the two reasons why NGOs of such kind remain as name only. Some get some governmental projects through bribe or acquaintances. Let’s assume they have got a project anyhow. This happens! Let’s see what’s next. 

The whole point I want to talk around is documentation. In rural NGOs writing down of whatever they think and do or documentation, to use the term, is the weakest point. This is not the case of only rural NGOs but many in urban also. I have seen three types of NGOs- one which has realised that documentation is the weakest point but don’t have the skills and knowledge and also understood that overcoming of which the organisation will grow very fast; second is the one which has not realised the importance of documentation, don’t have the skills of documentation and hence don’t feel required so much and thus don’t realised it as weakness; third is the one which realised the importance of documentation,  have the knowledge and skills but not used to do, may be because they do not taken it as weakness. I grossly take this as inability to realise the importance and significance of documentation and hence not the effort to overcome this challenge.  

Let’s talk little bit extensively on the significance of documentation at different stages of a project. One guy approached me to discuss that his idea of giving training to farmers for dairy farming. He is not literate but not educated. He doesn’t have knowledge and skill of documentation. Even when I know well about his weakness, I asked him to write down his ideas or concept in a piece of paper in his own language. People conceive writing down is supposed to be done in English, which is not necessary at all. I asked him to write in Hindi. I told him to write down why he wants to do, who will directly benefit from the training, what he want to achieve, what are the things that will required to conduct the training, what are the cost at each and every task, what things will tell you have achieved what you wanted to? Additionally I asked him to write down the how the training is going to be-the model/module of the training. This is a very simple and unstructured ex-ante project report. Although, this would be enough for him who don’t have knowledge and skills of documentation until the phase his project initiates on the ground.

Why I told him to write down all these is that this will definitely give us a depiction of the project. Just looking at this anyone can have an overall concept of the project. Project Managers call this, ex-ante evaluation as Work Breakdown Structure. This will enable us to see what is wrong, what is left out and what is okay. You made up small ideas for big thing, these small ideas are what you written down, otherwise you may forget. Ideas in the mind are always unstructured. It comes to structure only when you write down. Things done without structure look unauthentic and unreliable. To get ready a blueprint of the project is always best idea before execution of the task. It is said that ‘easier said than done’ so here also ‘easier thought than done’. We assume what we plan anything in a room is alright, still we get lost in the field, is something not uncommon. 

This document/write up /ex-ante report is the first phase of documentation. This is a reference for the execution of the project. Whenever we get lost in field we look back the blueprint and thus come to the track. This will be used for monitoring and mid and final evaluation/impact assessment of the project. When we use the term Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact assessment it is not to get fear at all. It differs according the size of the project. By monitoring I just want to mean how well the project is going in all aspect, and by Evaluation/Impact Assessment (the two terms are not necessary similar) I just want to mean if the project has achieved what we thought to achieve as written down in ex-ante project report (/blueprint)? I have mentioned that writing of ex-ante evaluation/planning of the project helps in writings after initiation of the ground work and importantly, what really helpful is in final project report documentation. 

Once the project has initiated the objective of documentation is to write the success stories, achievement case studies, Most Significant Change (MSC) stories. These writings are the means to showcase the success of the project. These writings will help to scale up the same project if donor satisfies the project, which is mostly based on these said writings. Not only for the same project but also these writings are definitely used to showcase the identity of the NGO. And thus plays a determining factor of getting new project either in the same sector or other. Many NGOs remain as it was because of the inability to write these stuffs. 

I have seen organisations which have done good jobs/projects in the past life of the organisation but they didn't document anything about the project(s). Now they feel repentance that they should have done it. They forgot everything now when they realised and when they need it now which they can use as effective supporting documents for funding proposals. It is axiom that written document is the only means of communication to external entities. There is no way escape from this. Some organisations may get fund without these writing from Government or other donors is because of bribe they pay or acquaintances they have in the donor agency. Telling lies is not a sustainable approach of survival of an organisation, which is quite common in many such organisations I have been talking about at the beginning. 

Once the importance of documentation is internalised with the managers/owners of the organisation they can start hunting for resources for documentation, may be cost and human resource, which I think both are the biggest challenge in small organisation. This challenge should be sorted out if you want to grow your organisation. For the small organisation I have been talking about it is a challenge to have quality staff who can do all these. Therefore, organisation can hire consultants to do this job of writing/planning, which is only one time investment. Consultant does not mean expensive highly technically expert individuals. It differs according to the need and (or) size of the organisation. By consultant I just want to mean here is the individual who will just deliver job done in a specific period of time at a mutually agreed cost (/price for the consultancy). This can be anyone who can do the job. Inviting students as interns is one good option for these things get done at minimal cost. 

I have the strong believe that once the challenge of a honest documentation is overcome your organisation will be one of the socially well accepted and socially recognised, that will (is the reasons to) attract funds in several sectors and sub-sectors and thus becomes a real change agent.

The gap between Social Science Higher Education and Employment in India .

Just annoyed listening to people saying Ph.D. is not a point of mind settlement as it does not guarantees job. What else does guarantees job? If Ph.D. degree does not guarantee job, obviously, he/she want to mean is, just some senseless sort of, job does guarantees job. Then, what does mean by job? It’s nothing but just the monetary return of what we do. The conventional meaning of job, in India, I don’t know for other countries, as in the case of Ph.D. is getting into a teaching kind of institution- say, lectureship. I would say this is a clear attitude of laziness to prefer get into Government jobs to private sector similar jobs. Your Research either degree or skill/aptitude is enough to get a job either independent undertaking or under some agency and thus is how Research degree or the skill/aptitude does guarantees your job.

You start killing the potential return of your learning when the moment you feel your mainstream course either science or social science such as (let me particularize about social science) Political Science, History, Sociology or similar are less advantageous than professional course like Social Work, Development or similar. Because, once you start gaining a Research aptitude either during your Master programme or Research Master Programme (e.g. M.Phil.) your potential to earn begins. There are lots more in the market available for Research works which can be taken up either individually or in team instead of waiting for a Government job.

To go to the job market of Research you need to show your past Research works, an evidence that you have the skill and aptitude of Research, done Research with your own topic of interest, your expression of thinking by writing to show off your thought process and so on. When you start doing small scale Research you are starting to apply your learning, just like engineer or medical students applies during or after their course. There are lot many agencies both government and non-government in the market in the field of Research in which these kind of young students, Masters level or Undergraduates, who possess a mindset of independent stand of thought and interest and have earlier evidence for the same, are demanded. This is why I find strange to hear people speaking about unemployment after holding a Research degree either M.Phil. / Ph.D.

Perhaps many of the mainstream Social Science students do not know about this job market (netizens can look up few sites for the advertisement of internships and other development related jobs across Indian such as Devnetjobsindia.org and NGObox.org and for internal such as Devnetjobs.org) which is why they feel less advantageous then those so called professional course students. But, to me, there is nothing like professional or non-professional course, all course are professional when you apply for a purpose or all course are non-professional unless they are not applied for a purpose.

In today’s corporate world the market and function demands high level of personality apart from the competencies of silent desk work, meaning the aptitude of Research. One needs to have the required interpersonal skills in order to interact with the clients and the rest of the world. As this kind of personality doesn't seem required in the normal academic atmosphere, which is not supposed to be, students don’t feel the need to learn it.

To come to the corporate Research and to gain these personalities and experience one need to start exposure with Civil Societies may in the form of internship right from the undergraduate life to Masters in the field of applied Research (Such as the current Internship call in UNICEF China for Education and Child Development). This will give an exposure to both Research and Project Management (Operational) of the Research program. One who is really determined to be a Researcher does not need to hold a Research degree either M.Phil. / Ph.D. to be a competent Researcher, but the better if you have these to certify your profile.

If we closely look into the course structure and pedagogy of the so called professional course such as engineering in science and Social Work and Development are theory loaded and far to be more practical. For Engineering courses there is a much talk about making industry ready, but there never such for Social Science streams. The present courses of Social Sciences are more of theory and abstract. Once the courses such as Political Science and Sociology or similar course are made to connect bit more with practical, there is no room for students to feel less advantageous in employment frontier. It is late compared to other developed countries, which is why it is priority to make the curriculum of the Masters’ degree a Research Oriented and Computer friendly.

When the student lost their way to making money using their academic tools it is a lost to the country in terms of social and economy. It’s not only about making the courses job ready but also about the application of their learning which is the need of the day for developing country like India. There is an urgent need to make these mainstream social science courses (including mainstream general Science courses) more realistic and applicative for an inclusive and sustainable growth of the country India, before this inflation reach the threshold that kills everyone.

Impact of Manipuri Scholar on the innocent lives of Manipur?

Even if Arm Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) is not a question of their research work it is clearly seen either from their writings and peer discussion that much of the extra time of their priority task is focused in AFSPA. I am not saying anything bad or good on AFSPA. I have the clear I idea that AFSPA is not the only thing that will bring smile on the faces of Manipuries living in Manipur.

There are many issues that we confront on everyday basis if we live in Manipur. And when we get out of Manipur we forget these issues we confronted directly and dominated by the national issues called AFSPA. It is my rational that solving the problem that we confront directly is the priority rather than the indirect one, AFSPA with the fact that AFSPA is not the causal factor of those issues we confronted directly.

It is also good to keep in mind that focus of scholars in AFSPA is one of the greatest opportunities for the ruling politicians to loot the state. It's like giving the task of straightening the dog's tail to the Ghost that if the task finishes the Master will be killed by the ghost. Here the Ghost is the scholars while Master is the State, Manipur.

I would say that the issue of Manipur is not AFSPA. The issue of Manipur is Law and Governance. You are never thinking you are in Delhi with the money borrowed from relatives in many instances and you are breaking your head in AFSPA. You are never thinking why your mom and dad is not getting salary for many months because of which they borrowed money and send for you. From now you can start your research on 'why my mom and dad are not getting salary in time?'

You make your ego thinking you are in Delhi and in Manipur your school friends are not getting the same quality of education you are getting in Delhi. Instead of this ego, why not you start your research on 'why my school friends in Manipur not getting the same quality of education you are getting in Delhi?'

Even if you are rich enough to go to Delhi and do education in Delhi University you submit that your family is poor enough that you yourself or your brother can't afford a job in Manipur Government. Instead of the directly-unproductive issue called AFSPA or similar why not you start your research on 'why my brother is not getting job when he has the qualification for it'?

When you are in Delhi you sought like anything when there is a power cut of one hour. But if you go back to your lovely homeland Manipur you really happy when you get power for one hour in night before/while dinner. What is this you're rationale that does not need light in Manipur? Is this the result of your education in Delhi?

Why not you start your research on 'why our Manipur is not getting power as much as you get in your room in Delhi' or in a focus way, you might have the similar experience if you lived in rent in Imphal before going to Delhi. In Imphal you get almost the same hour of power like in Delhi and when you go back to your village you have dinner early, no study and get into bed for having forceful sleep on account of powerless. Why don't you starts your research on ''how to make your village luminous as much as that of Rental room Imphal'?

You might have really worried if your mom or your sister-in-law gets mature the pregnancy and there is no time you can say exactly when it will get deliver and if happens what will happen because your family do not have much money to admit her in hospital advance. Why don't you know your village has a hospital? Yes, your ignorance is justified in short time. But why don't you think to research on 'why your village hospital is not hospitable' as your research question?

When you go back to your village from Delhi you clearly see that your neighbouring/ village Pradhan (Panchayati Raj System) is becoming millionaire without any transparent legitimate reason. You clearly see that your brothers and sisters in your family and neighbours are unemployed. And you also clearly know about Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Then, why don't you question and start your research to fulfill your quest and bring an equitable and equal society in your village?

You are in Delhi with the money earned by your mom in Manipur doing the livelihood of vendorship in the market on daily basis. You clearly know that when there is one day Bandh or strike your mom's income is stopped. You clearly know that five day Bandh/strike is the amount of the multiplication of one day's income and five day that your mom will not get.

You clearly know your mom borrow money in order to fill up this financial gap and how tense she might have to do this. Then, why not you start your research on 'why there is Band and why your mom does not get income for five days and how to fix it'? Why not someone come up a new policy to curb this issue?

If you come back to Manipur during vacations and before going to Delhi you clearly see that in your village there are many poor children who cannot afford private schools. And you also clearly seen many primary school without Mid-Day Meal and many stuffs which the students are supposed to get but do not get in many schools in Manipur.

In addition you clearly know poor children goes to government school and cannot ripe the fruit of education and hence they fall back to the vicious cycle of poor. Then, why not you start your research on 'why children going to government school are less talent that those going to private schools or, why government schools perform far less than private schools or their infrastructure, why students do not get the material they are entitled to get in the school and so on as your research question.

These are just few emotionally hinting areas of issues in Manipur for research for social cause that how research scholars can make direct impact. The impact of scholars (research) is hottest question for the last couple of years in India. If the state or state employed staffs are not performing at the desire level then who is going to look into that?

For example, if the scholars in Manipur University are not showing desire output and outcome which may directly or indirectly impact the society then what is the significance of scholars in the society? These seems universal causal effect of education to development is not valid with this kind of scenario.

I understand my points are more of activism research rather than academic. Even though it depends on what you interest to research on either for an academic degree or for a social change, but the thing here I want to mean is that even if you do for social change you should get your similar academic degree in return.

The challenge with the latter is more of field engagement which our Indian education system does not yet in favour while in campus but does not mean impossible rather than some constraints. I have the faith that if we take some pain we will definitely gain something positive in return to our effort.

(The article has already been published in E-pao.net by the same writer)

Had I not been in APU !?

I have built the perspective,

Now I have changed the way how I see the world.

I have built the professional relationship,

Now I am not alone for a change.

I have equipped with the tools,

Now I can start the adventure of my life.

I have taken a lot from the life,

Now time has come to give back.

Had I not been in APU,

These lines wouldn't have laid anywhere!!

Development for Underdevelopment !?

Why we learn so much?

For better survival?

Do we survive better now?

No, the more we learn higher the standard of living.

Higher the standard of living more the threat to environment.

Does education solve problems?

Both Yes and No.

The more solution the more unsolved is.

We are advance in medicine,

But more serious disease comes out after every new solution.

We have advanced in medicine

And we decreased the natural death rate

And thus distorted the equilibrium between death rate and birth rate.

And thus created the population explosion.

We produce seeds for better resilience from pest,

But another completely new disease comes up and destroy completely.

We produce climate resilient seeds for good produce.

Everywhere is hybrid seed and endangered endogenous one,

But we cannot grow these hybrid seeds without chemical

and becomes chemical agriculture that goes to our body ultimately.

Does higher production fill poor's stomach, no!

Poor and rich are increasing the gap between,

Have food security has met with the increased grain produced?

No, that’s are for few rich people,

Food security can be met only with fair distribution. 

We are highly educated for a better society?

One upon a time before modern education our society was egalitarian,

Now our egalitarian society has gone and is full of social and political instability.

This is the product of education for better survival?

We are educated to understand the values

But we see values only through production function.

We are educated, we need more energy than uneducated.

Energy generation is threat to our environment.

We are educated, we need shower three times a day per head in a family.

We need twenty litters of water per flushing in our western toilet,

We are educated, we need pipe for car wash before going to office.

Why should we suck water from our precious heritage  wetlands.

Is it going to be the solution?

Why should we increase quantity

which can be solved by increasing efficiency and fairness.

Why we need to cut down the forest for Railway track.

Is it the solution to political tension of Manipur?

Is the solution to supply chain in the state?

Do we need more import without making self reliance ourselves.

Does our land less productive, without any irrigation system.

Or does bombarding with import call as development?

Railway track can also be blocked like in roads,

Then same is the case as of now or earlier.

And our environment will be destroyed,

our culture will be destroyed,

Social tension will be increased as different population increases

But all in the name of fast transport with larger freight

Which are far more than we need or which we don't need at all.

But all in the name of development.

Development is a problem !

Development involves politics,

Development involves corruption,

Development involves nepotism.

Development is a legitimate problem generator.

Speed-breakers in the Development of Manipur

I have few dreams which are constructed almost fully and few yet to be constructed, all of which are to be turned into reality in Manipur someday as my nascent thought is. Many have already turned their dreams into realities in Manipur. But most of their realities have been pulled down partially or fully by illegal gunmen or armed groups. 

And hence many buddings dreamers are not allowed psychologically to turn their dreams even when they constructed it firmly in fear of such consequences.

Likewise I am also  disturbed even at this thinking stage by these potential consequences from illegal gunmen. The State knows very well about the situation, about them, their whereabouts, but they are kept in safe in the moral that all of them cannot be killed at one time, may be blended with some communal politics, although through some monetary deal in between. Its sort of paradox the face of State is.

So, simply the base of these illegal gunmen without gun (actually gunmen are in Manipur, who appear when they feel need gun to perform commitments physically in open eye) should be first pulled down by State within the domestic itself (before Myanmar and Bangladesh), say right from Delhi to Manipur. I have mentioned Delhi here with special knowledge. They are not confined within Manipur only rather they spread across the globe. In many instances armed groups are the main source of unlicensed guns which are being used by civilians, Civil Works contractors, local political aspirants, politicians and so on.

They, the armed group of Manipur based in Delhi, and sometimes in Manipur also, should not be allowed to whiten their blacks using white material, students  to mean white material, unless they are whiten themselves in from the State. Once it is done Manipur will definitely shine in a fortnight like luminous object in a new moon night.

You may say, easier said than done, moreover I am talking from the view of close-circuit analysis. Yes, correct. But, what should be kept in mind is that everything starts from close-circuit to open-circuit. Open is real life circuit.

The society without armed groups can exist in Manipur. If it is already happened in many villages of Manipur, why not it can happen in the whole of Manipur, given that people of Manipur of all community understand that the cost of illegal gunmen incurred on civilians is more than the benefit of communal priority mindset, the mindset of communal supremacy, the mindset because of which all community set up their armed groups.