Page 148 - SocialHarmony

152 Social Harmony

You must remember that the government can only provide
support, it is your own responsibility to be independent.
Obligation will never lead to progress, dreams or aims. The
word “mercy,” pinches me a lot. Can we not have another word
for it? Are these words beneficial to Gujarat? I accept that it is
the responsibility of the state to think about everyone. I can
understand the pain of a girl who has been widowed at a young
age. But I have seen strong young men roaming around with
favour applications for as long as three years in the hope of
getting a job out of mercy. Is this the way to live life? You might
get the advantage of government schemes, but until you do,
you should strive for progress. However, I have seen that most
people have closed all such doors in their lives. I want to request
all the employees of Gujarat that let us pray to God to keep us
away from eventualities, but let us also prepare our family
members so that they can face any unforeseen event with
strength so that they do not have to roam around with favour
papers. It is very important to change the whole mentality. Over
the last two years, I have met several people waiting for such
jobs on grounds of mercy. I tell them that the government will
endeavour to provide a solution as soon as possible, but please
do something till the solution materializes. Yet they keep coming
every week. If any scheme destroys the basic inclination of
working, it is not a good sign for the scheme.

I see one more defect in this scheme. Dependents of a
deceased employee need immediate help. They have great
problems passing even one day, leave alone the entire life. Just
imagine the situation of a woman with school-going children
whose husband has passed away at the age of thirty-five or forty.
How can such a family survive for five, six or nine years while
it waits for mercy? There might be family disputes and the entire
family might be stuck because of one person. All these problems
occur. There should be a system which can immediately give
something to the victims. There are some cases which are
pending since 1995 or 1996. This much time is actually sufficient
for a person to become so strong that he can oblige others,
instead of waiting for the obligation of the government. How