“As long as people in a society are hungry or out of work or lack the basic skills needed to survive, the use of public resources to support the arts is inappropriate-and, perhaps, even cruel-when one considers all the potential uses of such money.”

Public resources are the resources that the administration uses for the betterment and development of the society. The betterment of a society is seen when people in it are living a satisfying and happy life, there is no hunger and poverty amongst people and everyone has a decent job and is self-sufficient. The development of the society is also seen in its progress, development of industries and technical know-how, improvement in the art and culture and being internationally active and strong. While it is very important to bring up the poor and underprivileged, it is also important to bring up the society as a whole. Hence, the use of public resources should not be restricted to one area but must support all around development and welfare.

The administration of the society is responsible of utilizing the public resources of the society. However, where do these public resources come from? These are generated by the citizens of the society itself in the form of taxes. People are made to pay taxes in return of which they are given public services. Therefore, one thing is for sure, that these resources are used for the people only. However, there are a number of potential uses that these resources can be put to. They can be put to use for building up schools, hospitals, roads etc., can be used to encourage tourism, modes of entertainment and beautification of the places. The money can also be used to buy latest warfare, technology, machines and improve the scientific know-how. The difficult task, however, is to allocate the required amount for them. How much money and where it should be used is the big decision.

Welfare work like creating jobs, providing food and education for all etc are extremely important to bring up a society. People are the building blocks of a society. It is only when the people are living a happy life that a society can progress. Therefore, for any administration, the key issue should be the betterment of its people. The humanitarian side of a government is seen only in its treatment of the less fortunate by providing the basic needs of life. In a poor country like India where there are a number of people who cannot afford their daily bread, it becomes the government’s responsibility to extend support. This should be done to help them come out of their poverty and become self sufficient. For these people art has no meaning. A concert to encourage painters or musicians etc. is of no use to them if they have nothing to eat. If they continue to rot and suffer in the society, there will be no use of spending huge amounts of money on such things and it will be the failure of the government. However, it is also true that everything goes hand in hand. While there should be work done for the welfare of the poor, it is equally important to support art and develop the national talent. While a common man is a representative of the society’s domestic success, art and culture is a representation of its success in preserving its rich heritage and gaining international recognition for the same.

The solution of this problem lies in planning. Wise and judicious planning is required to allocate money for different uses. Public resources should be used such that they are divided for all the required purposes. Sufficient money should be allocated for welfare work along with giving due consideration to other fields like art, and this cannot be termed as ‘cruel’. The success of the administration is in bringing harmony in the society where so many classes of people coexist.