Friday 16 December 2011

16. Subsidy for Mule?


Natadol is a …
Well, by habit I was going to write it is a small village.

But in the hilly area of Almora district in Uttarakhand, a village with 239 households is certainly not a small village.

The road from Almora had many turns and enchanting view. The road seemed good until we approached Natadol, then it changed dramatically.



It is easily about five to six kilometers. The dust makes walking difficult when it rains. On the way, I saw many Apple orchards – so , transport is absolute necessity of this village.

But nothing seems to have been done.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) – a prestigious scheme of Government of India – website mentions Natadol as a ‘Location with no approved Work’ – with many more villages. (Go to http://nrega.nic.in/netnrega/home.aspx, select Uttaranchal (is it the right name of the state?), select Almora district, select Lamgara block, in Alerts, click Locations with no approved work.)

I see a man with a Mule. Mule is the common means of transport.


Interestingly, the man has given a name to this Mule. It is Hira – beautiful, isn’t it? I mean the human touch to the relationship was a good aspect to know.
How much a good Mule costs? As much as Rs. 40000/-
No exaggeration.

In remote areas like Almora; Nano is not required, Mule is; Nano is not useful, Mule is!
The government  subsidizes Tata Nano – would it not be a good idea to subsidize cows, bullocks, horses, mules, donkeys too?
Why not? 

7 comments:

  1. Very very true, that's a reality , gov in India has never acted sensible and practical in past 60 yrs. Our so called leaders don't even know the real needs , forget it many of them don't even know Indian geography.

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  2. Bhupendrajee, yes, the leaders clearly show lack of knowledge about the people and the conditions people live in. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  3. Heera is Heera in such terrains. Alas! I wish to be in the Kumaon region some day. Thanks for sharing. Have a good day.

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  4. Heera is Heera - very true. I am sure you will get opportunity to visit Kumaon region.

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  5. beautiful pictures,,so alluring,natural and mystical.You seem an avid traveler.So much to explore!

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  6. Rohit, yes, there is so much to explore around!

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