Indra’s Drishtikona (Viewpoint)

Fellow Citizens! Create a success story

Posted : December 20, 2004 at 7:26 pm [IST]

Let us go for a different rule of the game at least this time and prepare a roadmap for achieving the humane goal.

Why? It is a national necessity. Let us not loose this opportunity. For this land of contrasts, with a quarter of the world’s destitutes- 300 million people subsisting on less than a US $ 2 a day, the employment guarantee act is that opportunity. The act seeks to provide at least 100 days of employment a year to one able-bodied person in every rural household.

There may be some fears or apprehensions, objections, some heartburns and perhaps some further enrichment possible. Left parties consider the draft act “diluted” by the ministry of rural development that has weakened the objective behind the bill. The Left may want the centre to take all responsibilities without passing the buck to the states. I appeal to all Indians to take the responsibility including the beneficiaries.

As proposed, let the Act come into force “on such date and for such period as may be notified by the Central government.” and into effecting “certain places”. Let it be implemented in only 150 districts of the country. Let it not get implemented across the country within the stipulated five years. Let the wages under this law can be set “notwithstanding anything contained in the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.” giving states the flexibility to set their own wages which vary from Rs 40 a day in Assam to Rs 120 in Karnataka. Let it not ensure the beneficiaries getting minimum wage. We can always have mid-term course correction and improve upon it once it starts testing and getting tasted.

Why get bogged down by the estimated cost figures varying from Rs 5000 crore or Rs 40,000. or even the ultimate requirement of Rs. 100,000 crore?

How does it matter if the Act starts with “one person in below poverty line families” and then move to “one able-bodied person” in every rural household and not the other way? Ultimately, the country and its government will have to provide 100% employment to all unemployed citizens who are able and willing.

How does it matter if the act does not initially ensure that at least 40 per cent of workers employed in a particular block are women? Why should it talk about involving the panchayati raj institutions in monitoring the implementation of the programme, if the not tested to be an effective institution?

We can understand political parties, but it is difficult to digest if the objections come from noted economist Jean Dreze who is one of the principal architects of the original bill. And I feel happy when he opines that despite these changes, the Act would go a long way towards empowering the unorganised labourers in the country.

Let us for some time put all the fears about the Act- the potential widespread corruption, financial bankruptcy, and endless litigations of government for midterm correction based on experience of the delivery mechanism.

Let the proposed Act not move from the ministry to cabinet, to joint select House panel and then only to parliament. Let the act be put for discussion in the on-going session of parliament and passed, even if it means extension of the session or some overtime for the seating on all the remaining days. Even if the centre and the state don’t take the legal responsibility, its commitment must be ensured. If it is not done, the people will force them to do that on their own strength very soon.

Let us once for ever appreciate the wide-reaching benefits of the Act
:
” The reduction in poverty will be the main. Even providing 100 days of job at Rs 60 a day will fetch households Rs 6,000 a year, which will enable around 70 per cent of the households in India to go up the poverty line

” A steep reduction in rural-urban migration,

” Empowerment of women,

” Creation of durable assets in the countryside, particularly in the area of environmental protection, and

” An opportunity to revive the panchayats

There is a lot of scope for enriching the Act. I get a flash of a dream. While the parliament gets it legislated, let all of us make it a NATIONAL plan for alleviation of poverty from the 150 districts of the country in next 3 years. Let all the public-private, institutions-individual of the country participate in this.

Let the business associations such as CII, institutions such as NCAER and management schools such as Institute of Rural Management come out with groups that can study and prepare a master plan identifying and listing projects for all the villages of the 150 districts giving work content, estimated time of completion in next five months positively.

Let the management students and teachers of the reputed institutions IIMs, XLRI, IITs form 150 or groups to take up the studies of these districts to make it free from poverty and to develop them into model districts for one semester.

Let nearest employment exchange, election commission, census department and NGOs create an authentic master roll of unemployed and willing persons of the districts and provide them with permanent identification cards.

Let some IT firms come out to find out some simple and fool-proof system to manage the project works and payment in these districts that can take of possible corruption.

Let some 150 industrialists and entrepreneurs look into possibility of setting up their new units or take up their new social development projects in these districts.

Let each well-established public schools of the country adopt some rural schools of the districts and improve the standard of education. Let the local government make a change in the rules and make the teacher attend some classes when these public schools are having holidays.

Let some 150 or more NGOs of the country work in the districts to empower the people for self- employment, to develop the local crafts, to teach trades and educate the adults about the national problems of population control, basic sanitations and healthcare issues.

Let all the reputed private hospitals such as Apollo work on healthcare facilities, rural nurse facilities to replace age old system in villages. And let the yoga gurus such as Ramdeo and Ravishankar ask their disciples to work in these districts to bring them back on the path of good living.

Let some 450 reporters and other media persons work in these districts and report the programme, its deficiency and success stories.

Let Prof Jean Dereze and Aruna Roy raise a volunteer force and work in these districts as CEOs to monitor the projects to make it successful.

But before all that I request all the government departments of centre and state to work hard on all the on-going projects such as roads or irrigation canals in these districts and complete them on priority.

Am I dreaming or is it possible to take a drive to make this opportunity and challenge a success story to be followed at later stage in the remaining districts of the country?

- Indra

Category: Employment/Education |