With hours to go for Aug 15, mandarins yet to wake up

All India Radio (AIR) was supposed to release audio cassettes of the landmark speeches made by eminent Indians. The AIR reportedly never got the money for the cassettes. “We kept waiting for the money but when it did not come we hurriedly prepared a set of four cassettes containing 50 patriotic songs,” said a senior AIR officer. Deputy Director General of AIR M D Gaikwad confirmed that they would soon be releasing the patriotic songs.

However, he added that the plan to release the cassettes containing the speeches had not been shelved and will eventually be done.

The Department of Culture in the HRD ministry, which is coordinating the celebration efforts, had earmarked Rs 51 crore to commemorate the country’s 50 years of freedom. Various committees National Committee, Cabinet Committee and Implementation Committee were constituted for planning and implementing the programme.

The 227-member National Committee with the Prime Minister as chairman, the Cabinet ministers, presidents of all political parties and chief ministers as members, met just twice this year though it was supposed to “steer, guide and direct” the celebrations.

“The committee members were hardly ever there. If you go and ask them about the planned programmes, most of them wouldn’t have a clue. They will probably tell you about the much-publicised two events the midnight Parliament session and the march of the nation. And about the curtain raiser event held on August 9 at the August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai. Nobody knows anything about the year-long celebrations, starting from August 15,” said a senior official at the Department of Culture. A secretariat comprising 88 persons and headed by an additional secretary was handed over Rs 51 crore.

Of this Rs 6 crore was meant for staff, equipment and contingencies. The remaining money was set aside for the celebrations. But not even a single official in the HRD ministry can provide a break-up of the money being spent. “You see, Rs 2 crore was set aside for the year 1996-97, Rs 22 crore for 1997-98 amd Rs 27 crore for the year 1998-99,” said a senior officer.

Cultural activist Rajeev Sethi said that in the golden jubilee celebrations, the government had let “a golden opportunity slip” by. “Instead of making it the people’s freedom, it has been reduced to a merchandised event. People do not relate to it at all,” he added.

Veteran journalist Nikhil Chakravartty, too, is critical about the way the government has been planning the celebrations. “Instead of spending crores on bureaucratic programmes, the government should have involved the people, the Panchayats and taken freedom to the grass-root level. These kind of celebrations have little to do with their daily struggles,” he said.

The government’s planning, or the lack of it, has left several sections dissatisfied. The government had promised, among other things, a revision of the freedom fighters pension.