SEC-S17 / W2 | What if you were the president of your country?

Hello and welcome to my blog. I hope you are all doing well and enjoying this season of engagement challenge. Today I choose to write a task for steem for Pakistan community which is about your vision as the president.

If you were the president of your country, what would be your top three priorities and why?

India, my country, is the second most populous country in the world and the 7th largest country in terms of area. Being the president of such a culturally and linguistically diverse nation would present numerous challenges, yet it would be immensely gratifying to contribute to the nation's development. As a conscientious leader with a significant interest in the politics of my nation, I can discern numerous challenges that must be addressed immediately to strengthen the overall standing of my country globally. For the sake of this task, my top 3 priorities would be:

• Eradication of corruption.
• Zero crime rate.
• Basic amenities for all.

Eradication of corruption

As president, I would strive to make my nation corruption-free because I believe corruption is the root cause of many evils in society. Corruption appears to be the root cause of all evils worldwide. As for statistics on corruption, India ranked 93rd out of 180 countries in 2023. This indicates that out of 180 countries, 93 countries have less corruption than India.

As president, I would initiate all necessary measures to curb corruption in India. This would include strengthening the Anti-Corruption Bureau, establishing toll-free complaint registration numbers, implementing strict anti-corruption laws, and expediting the trial of accused individuals. I firmly believe that any country capable of eradicating corruption would be able to achieve great heights of glory. In our country, corruption is deeply entrenched in almost every sector. If we can eradicate corruption, nothing in the world can prevent us from reaching the pinnacle of success.

Zero crime rate

The crime rate has increased slightly over the last five years. Heinous crimes such as rape, large-scale thefts, murders, and child trafficking are so prevalent in our country that their occurrence is no longer surprising to our people. These offenses have become routine, and the trial processes in our courts of law are so sluggish that cases take years to decades to resolve.

As president, i would make every effort to strengthen policing and judiciary of my country to reduce crimes and speedy delivery of justice in all cases.

Free basic amenities

Basic amenities of life include access to clean water, electricity, and food. As president, I would endeavor to provide free water, electricity, and food to all citizens. Additionally, free education and healthcare for all would be prioritized. Furthermore, I would focus on the development of roads, railways, airports, and other infrastructure to enhance the quality of life for all citizens.

As president, what specific steps would you take to improve education and healthcare systems in your country?

"I believe that education and health are the two sectors that play a profound role in building the nation and determining the quality of life of the residents. When I look at the education and health sectors of my nation, I firmly believe that a lot of work is yet to be done for them to come into the limelight.

World-class Education System

Education is the building block of a nation. I believe that there is a lot of scope for improvement in the field of education in my country. In the majority of states, infrastructure in the education setup is insufficient, and in states where infrastructure is adequate, it is often substandard.

The literacy rate of our country is only about 74%, with even lower rates for females, at about 65%. As president, I would prioritize increasing the literacy rate of my nation through incentive-driven facilitation.

The need in our nation is to provide technologically sound setups for educational institutes. I would ensure that government education institutions receive proper funding to improve the quality of education available to all, especially for the poorer sections of our society.

Source
I believe that education is no longer confined to the curriculum but that extracurricular activities also play an equally important role in shaping the overall stature of students. I would focus on a holistic approach to education in government schools, incorporating smart classrooms, wifi-based and globally connected libraries, well-maintained playfields, and a well-structured curriculum.

Routine training of teachers and administrators, both within and outside the nation, would be a priority. Educational tours for students to developed countries would be made routine to boost their morale and stimulate their thought process.

When I look at the syllabus of government schools, it seems substandard, which is further worsened by poor infrastructure. I would revise the syllabus to match that of international standards and provide facilities like labs to facilitate practical learning.

In conclusion, I would say that our education system needs better infrastructure, standard syllabi, and a holistic approach to foster education in my nation.

World-class Health System

Although the health sector in our country is better than in some of our neighboring countries, it is not yet up to the mark. There is a lot of scope for improvement in manpower and infrastructure in the health system.

Source

As for the doctor-to-patient ratio, we have 1 doctor per 834 patients, better than the WHO recommendation of 1:1000. However, there is disparity in distribution, with urban areas having more doctors due to better facilities and lifestyle, while rural areas suffer from poor quality of life and facilities.

Regarding infrastructure and machinery, there is much to achieve. We need to improve the infrastructure of government hospitals and equip them with modern machinery and well-trained manpower. By making better infrastructure and machinery available in government hospitals, healthcare would reach grassroots levels, ensuring people aren't deprived of quality healthcare due to poverty.

As president, I would increase budget allocations to the health sector, as we currently spend less than 3%. This increase would be utilized for improving both manpower and infrastructure.

A positive example is seen in our capital city, Delhi, where the healthcare and education systems have undergone revolutionary changes in the last decade due to visionary governance. I would follow the footsteps of the Delhi chief minister and their cabinet to adopt a similar model nationwide for further improvements in these sectors."

As a president, what challenges you could face in improving the overall condition of your country?

Having mentioned earlier that India is a populous and the 7th largest country in terms of area, India is a melting pot of linguistic and cultural diversity where more than 1600 languages and their dialects are spoken. As language changes, there is also a change in cultural practices and norms. So, as president, it is not easy to bring uniformity to this country. I must be prepared beforehand to face the challenges, some of which are:

• Corruption on the ground: Corruption is a root cause of many great evils in society. I believe that as president, I won't be successful in implementing policies unless corruption is eradicated from the grassroots level. People who are indulged in such malpractices won't let policies be executed properly. So, at times, even if the policies are well-made, their impact is not seen on the ground as expected. Corruption is one of the main reasons for the failure of great policies.

• Political ideology mismatch: Because of the multi-party system in our country, there is no single party in power in the central as well as in states. People from different parties have different ideologies, and the president is usually perceived to be the head of the ruling party in the center. Therefore, state governments from non-ruling central parties do not show dedication and sincerity in implementing policies. These are actually dirty political misuse practices, which is another problem that I would have to face as president in executing policies for the betterment of the nation.

• Time demanding: To see the impact of policies for our nation, it would definitely take time for the results to manifest themselves. Therefore, the cooperation of the people for a long time is mandatory. Most of the time, it is seen that policies are always formed in good faith by the government, but with the change in government in subsequent years, the changed governments do not execute the policies of the previous governments sincerely. Therefore, results are not seen properly, so the people of my country will have to give me adequate time so that I can bring significant change.

• Corporate distraction and obstruction: In our country, there are some big private corporate houses that have a role in implementing the government's policies. I would disempower private corporate houses and restrict their reach in government matters so that they won't be able to influence the decisions taken by the government. Once their influence is reduced, I can make more people-centric policies than corporate-centric ones.

Would you do something new to write the history of your country? What will it

The debate of rewriting history has been going on for quite a long time now, especially between right-wing extremists and liberals. Moreover, when we talk about history, our attention is mainly focused on the history that has been on the politics , ignoring culture, science, technology, education, etc. So, without indulging in political controversy, I'll focus on rewriting those aspects of Indian history which have been grossly neglected like:

• Hustle of everyday life: We have witnessed significant changes in cultural practices and lifestyles of humans in the past few days. To offer an interesting insight and comparison in lifestyle, a verbal autopsy of the elderly could provide appreciation for the differences in social, economic, religious perspectives, and leisure pursuits, etc.

• Science and technology: Nowadays, science and technology seem to highlight the contributions of Western scientists only. There is a need to highlight the contributions of Indian scientists, inventors, and innovators in the fields of science, technology, economics, mathematics, etc.

• History of indigenous resistance movements: Some indigenous moments like the non-cooperation movement against colonialism have been well-documented in our history, but some moments like land dispossession and cultural assimilation, etc., need mention.

• History of food and cuisine: Food and cuisine vary from region to region based on various factors like climate and cultural practices. So, when these food and cuisine practices are highlighted, they will intern reflect ingredients, cooking techniques, dietary practices, climates, etc.

• History of sports and entertainment: The history of different sports-related activities like games, athletics, and gymnastics, and entertainment like cinema and Indian classical movies must be highlighted and made known to the public so that people get a fair insight into history and the different personalities and their role in shaping cultural practices and traditions.