Deprivation & Disparities

India has failed miserably in its efforts to alleviate poverty and create a more equal society. The Arjun Sengupta committee concluded that 77% of Indians live on less than Rs 20 a day. According to Global Hunger index complied by international food policy research institute, India ranks 67 among 88 developing countries.

It is high time that India introduced effective measures to abolish extreme forms of deprivations reduces gross disparities and provide a level playing field to the wretched of the land. In the first two decades of independence it was hoped that the implementation of land reforms measures would transform the agrarian structures release the production energies of peasantry and usher in an egalitarian social order land reforms failed to achieve the objective set out in the five year plans.

In second five year plan India launched a well thought out community Development programme aimed at the all round development of villages. The programme collapsed because of mismanagement. The framers of sixth, five year, plan correctly identified three cardinal factures of India planning these were:-

1.      Failure to achieve full employment.

2.      Failure to eradicate poverty.

3.      Failure to create a more equal society.

The only feasible approach is to augment employment opportunities, provide easy access to quality school education and health care and operate a universal public distribution system guaranteeing monthly supply of food grains at subsidized price to the poor. The three new measures capable of making a dent on poverty are:-

1.      NREGA (Now MGNREGA)

2.      Right to Educate Act.

3.      Right to food legislation Act.

Further suggestions are:-

1.      Improve access to the disadvantaged Sections of the population to quality school education.

2.      Expand & reorient the NERGA.

3.      Provide for universal entitlement to cereals and the other components of a food basket.

Government is a thing that guides and if need be compels.