It is tragic that the same government that gives huge corporate concessions and loses money in corruption is fighting over minimum wages.
As India's — and by some reckoning the world's — largest rights-based rural safety net programme completes five years, here is a reality check. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) has become the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). But in a monumental affront to the father of the nation, the UPA government has confirmed that it will not be paying minimum wages to MGNREGS workers.
On January 1, 2009, the government froze the (then) NREGS daily wages at Rs.100 and delinked it from the sacrosanct Minimum Wages Act, 1948. The poor had always been underpaid in the Indian labour market. But now, by a single diktat, they were officially condemned to subhuman status, fit not even to earn subsistence-level wages.
Had the Mahatma been living today, he would have been infinitely saddened by the use of his name to sanctify this blatant illegality. In the event, the greatest ever champion of justice for the poor is now the brand name for a programme that denies the lowest legally permissible wages to this section. But such is life and such are governments — in 2003, thanks to a predecessor regime, the Mahatma faced the ignominy of sharing space in Parliament's Central Hall with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, once accused in his assassination.
In the current case, the hypocrisy is compounded by the paeans sung to the rural wage programme by the Congress and the UPA government in the sunshine aftermath of their May 2009 re-election. The victory was phenomenal by every yardstick. The Manmohan Singh government was the first since 1984 to have returned to office after a full first term. More amazingly, it had hit the bull's eye beating the odds brought about by crippling worldwide recession and spiralling prices. The only explanation that suggested itself was that the voting classes, made up overwhelmingly of the poorer sections, had derived at least marginal benefits from the government's welfare measures, patchy and half-hearted as the latter were. For politicians, the situation offered something to chew on: If half measures could achieve this, what would be the political dividend from a more focussed and better implemented social sector agenda? Indeed, the Mahatma Gandhi prefix to the NREGS was widely read as a thanksgiving to the aam aadmi from a grateful party and government.
The surest way of rewarding the aam aadmi and respecting the Mahatma's ideals in letter and spirit would have been for the government to withdraw the January 1, 2009 order and realign the MGNREGS to the Minimum Wages Act. Instead, in the 20 months since its victory, the government has done all it could to derail the programme. Perhaps the bigger dishonesty is the outward impression it has given of making a superhuman effort to sustain the programme — against mounting fiscal pressures and criticism that the MGNREGS had become a wasteful behemoth.
On December 31, 2010, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to National Advisory Council chairperson Sonia Gandhi, rejecting the NAC's plea for payment of statutory minimum wages to MGNREGS workers. However, he proposed a compromise: To protect MGNREGS workers from inflation, the government would index the wages to the Consumer Price Index for agricultural labour. This clever sleight of hand was intended to serve two purposes — push the NAC and its supporters to the backfoot and divert attention from the core issue of minimum wages. Overnight, the demand for minimum wages started to look ridiculous and overstated. The debate was pitched in terms of reasonable governance versus fundamentalist social activism. Here was a government exerting its utmost for the poor, going out on a limb to bear the extra burden of indexing wages to inflation. Yet the “NAC and its cohorts” were insisting on a maximalist position on minimum wages. Maximalist position on minimum wages? The irony didn't strike those hyperventilating against the wage programme.
The question before the government was of constitutional propriety: can a duly elected government refuse to implement its own law, more so a government that swore by the aam aadmi for whom the 1948 law was designed in the first place? But rather than accept the obvious answer, the government cosmetically tinkered with the wage programme, passing it off as largesse to MGNREGS workers.
But the illegality does not end here. The UPA government is currently in contempt of the Andhra Pradesh High Court which, in July 2009, suspended the Rs. 100 wage freeze ordered on January 1, 2009 by the Union Rural Development Ministry. But the Central government took no note of the order, resulting in labour groups — which had first moved the court — filing contempt petitions against it.
At a recent seminar on MGNREGS wages, Planning Commission Vice-chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia dismissed the issue with the off-hand remark that the Centre would enforce minimum wages for MGNREGS workers if the courts so decreed. He was unaware that the Centre was already in contempt on this issue! When this was pointed out to Mr. Ahluwalia, he amended his position: If the minimum wage in a State was in excess of Rs. 100, the State government would pay the balance. However, for this to happen, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act would have to be first amended, of which there is far from being any sign.
In reality, the Andhra Pradesh High Court was only taking forward a position made over and over by the Supreme Court. As former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court A.P. Shah pointed out at the wages seminar, the Supreme Court, through a series of judgments, had elevated the right to minimum wages “from a statutory to Constitutional status.” The Supreme Court ruled that any remuneration which was less than the minimum wage was “forced labour” or what is commonly understood as bonded labour. The court explained why: “… the first principle is that there is a minimum wage which, in any event must be paid, irrespective of the extent of profits, the financial condition of the establishment or the availability of workmen in lower wages. The minimum wage is independent of the kind of industry and applies to all alike, big or small. It sets the lowest limit below which wages cannot be allowed to sink in all humanity ...”
Clearly, it is inhuman and degrading even to argue against minimum wages — doubly so in a country where 92 per cent of the working population is in the unorganised sector, where exploitation of labour and poor enforcement of laws are a given. According to a report of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS), in 2004-05, 90.7 per cent of agricultural labourers, 64.5 per cent of rural workers and 52.3 per cent of casual non-agricultural workers received wages below the daily national minimum wage of Rs. 66 designated by the Central government.
It is to rectify this dismal situation that Parliament, in 2008, passed The Unorganised Sector Workers Social Security Bill. The law set minimum conditions of work, including an eight-hour work day and payment of statutory minimum wages. But what use is any law if the government wilfully flouts it? In a recent paper, Jayati Ghosh and C.P. Chandrashekhar have shown that even with patchy implementation, the MGNREGS had pushed up wages, especially for women, who form over half of the MGNREGS workforce. One has only to look at the transformative social impact of the mid-day meal scheme in Tamil Nadu to appreciate the long-term effect of this kind of female empowerment on rural families.
Talking to journalists ahead of the 2009 general election, Rahul Gandhi had proudly noted the effect of the rural wage scheme in elevating wage levels across the country. Mr. Gandhi is not a social activist; if anything he has a market vision. So he typically understood the wage scheme from a market perspective: Increased rural spending had to be good for growth.
Tragically, this very factor has today become a reason to fight the programme. The newest argument against the MGNREGS is that rising rural wages is causing inflation and raising the costs of cultivation, rendering the economy uncompetitive. Ms Ghosh and Mr. Chandrashekhar have strongly disputed this argument in their paper. In any case, this is a viciously circular argument coming from a growth-obsessed government. Economic growth is necessary to uplift the poor. But when the poor get just a little money to spend, the economy starts hurting.
In successive budgets, this government has handed huge concessions to corporates. Between 2007 and 2009, tax revenue foregone on account of exemptions under corporate income tax amounted to over Rs.1,31, 000 crore (Venkatesh Athreya, Frontline). Experts have placed the size of the Black Money Economy at anything between 40 per cent and 50 per cent of the GDP. The 2G scam alone has very conservatively cost the exchequer Rs. 50,000 crore. By contrast the 2009-2010 budget allocated Rs. 39,000 crore or about 0.66 per cent of the GDP to MGNREGS. That the government is quibbling over the payment of minimum wages to the poorest of the poor is a shame.
Keywords: MNREGA, UPA government, rural employment, minimum wage
There's no use criticising the govt. All we do is waste our time and energy. No party in India is true to the people. The saying democracy- for the people, by the people and of the people - is pure nonsense now. We Indians have to act. Words are mere words. According to me we have to stop casting votes. Refusing to vote by the people or even a decline in the number of votes will be the ideal thrashing for all the Indian parties...govts should at least do some good to the people..but all parties and their leaders are just interested in filling their pockets. Mahatma Gandhi if he were alive would be just appalled by our country's condition.
We as people of this country do not want free food or free schemes, we are capable of earning our bread and as a government, the state or central should create conducive atmosphere through its policies. That is called governing and if you cannot do that please get out, we have many capable persons to do that.
One negative effect of the MGNREGA is the huge agri-manpower shortage in villages in Tamil Nadu. People with surplus money at hand earned through MGNREGA are relaxing at homes at times when their labour is most wanted by the agri sector. And there is a huge commission going to the local body representatives also. The authorities must do something to address these two issues.
Ms Subrahmaniam reflects a near complete lack of understanding of either economics, law or morality. She should dispense with fake outrage - the government must be allowed to decide what the wages should be so that the most needy can benefit in the largest numbers. This is a thinly disguised attempt by people like her to corner a large part of the benefit for a small section of society. Of course, this isn't employment in the actual sense - these are welfare programs. Finally, she has totally failed to understand that these welfare programs actually hurt the working poor and that these programs must be used sparingly and with great care.
The government lost lakhs of crores of rupees in various scams like 2G spectrum. The tax payer's money has been evaded and siphoned off to foreign accounts. The government and the politicians which turn a blind eye to these kinds of social injustice have no rights to say that giving minimum wages to the poorest of the poor will lead to inflation.
The government lost lakhs of crores of rupees in various scams like 2G spectrum. The tax payers money has been evaded and siphoned off to foreign accounts. The government and the politicians which turn a blind eye to these kinds of social injustice have no rights to say that giving minimum wages to the poorest of the poor will lead to inflation.
Its quiet a shame that the govt which is supposed to be 'for the people' is so inadequate to give minimal wage for the poorest people who are not begging but earning it with respect. All they want is work and a respectful wage for it. And here the govt is arguing and fighting against it instead of boosting it. It reminds me of the article in which SBI announced to gave loan to farmers to buy Mercedes at 7% interest rate while same bank refuse to gave loan to farmer at 7% to buy seeds and other equipments by making excuses. Same situation I see here. There is a need for govt to make their goal clear and for everyone not for some selected beings or institutes. 0.66% of GDP for poorest is not sufficient.
'Aam aadmi sarkar fights the poor' should have sounded more like 'Aam aadmi sarkar fights for the poor' when NREGA was introduced in 2005. Out of all the accomplishments accrued by NREGA, it was heartening to see that over crore people had some amount of work in their hands. I would refute the argument that the government is handing of money casually. However, there is a strong ground that can be maintained that most of the money is siphoned off by middlemen, which is been the main cause for this programme's drawback. Fake job cards, no proper facilities to avail the money or make payments are some of the problems looming largely in the face of the this program. However, the government has vowed to bring in reforms just as they would do to any othe programme, our only hope is at least for this time they stick to their word making the MNREGA truly a novel initiative to up lift the poor.
Excellent article which shows how government cheats the majority of indian population (the bulk of Indian labour) whose ignorance and poverty they exploit to come in power. If schemes like MGNREGS are allowed to be success then the politicians will lose their vote bank. No longer can they play the game based on making a fool of the illetrate/ignorant masses. I think effort should be made for making such insightful articles reach the 'aam admi'. The sophisticated, English-speaking class of the country can read this article and appreciate the problem. But 5 min later they are not going to think over it anymore as it does not concern them. The people for whom this article really concerns will never read it nor get to know what is happening! Even if they have basic education they will never get to know. Indians need to swim the 'English Canal' before they can even get close to understanding what is really happening in their own country.
Based on current living standards, the minimum earning individual a female or a male, in agriculture or in an industry/business should be earning not less than US$20.00 a day or equivalent in local currency. Let the wealth be shared. Without these men and women at work, let us forget about our daily bread or rice. People and others worldwide talk of rural and urban poor especially in a country which is emerging as an economic power and yet , we pachyderms keep listening only, without attending to the survival needs of the population. We must thank those who contribute liberally at places of worship where free food is distributed and thousands of hungry go and for at least one time in a few days they quench their hunger. India survived not due to the institutional reforms but due to the god fearing few rich individuals who took care of the starving stomachs. If our system is considered to be durable, every adult above 21 years must be employed and our per capita income actually earned should not drop a cent below US$600.00 and this must reflect upon the face of every person born here to qualify as an emerging economic nation.
Congress is making rich more rich and poor people stay poor. Nothing good is happening for India with this government in rule.Open cheating and no one can say anything.Just playing politics and not serving the purpose of politics!
There cannot be one law for the government and another for everybody else. It is a disgrace that the UPA government has made political capital by attaching Gandhiji's name to NREGS, just to subsequently desecrate it by refusing to pay minimum wages as per the law, even flouting an explicit edict of the Supreme Court. The Hindu published the a similar article a few months ago. NREGS must not be seen as part of a 'benefits state'. (India is certainly not that) since it is by definition related to EMPLOYMENT. Since when has employment been considered a state benefit? Instead, it ought to be considered to be empowerment of the poor through fiscal policy. Recouping much of the State revenue lost through tax evasion, corruption, scams, etc would more than pay for such a scheme, not to mention helping to reduce the fiscal deficit. We must, however, remember that a fiscal deficit does exist, and we must be careful about naive statements vis-a-vis tax exemptions for corporations. These tax exemptions keep the corporations competitive globally and profitable, thereby attracting foreign capital. Any modern economy, especially a developing one like India's, without capital inflows is bound to fail, and such an occurrence would be the death knell of the Union of India as we know it. Finally, it is a shame that we do not have a greater selection in the choice of a party to lead the government. Realistically it is but a two-horse race where the Congress may, perhaps, be the lesser of two evils.
Depriving laborers from minimum wage is definitely a violation of law and of human rights too but has the government not started dependency culture by wasting lots of money just to put core issue of unemployment on back-burner and consequently aggravating the problem?
The unorganised sector must not be neglected.Helping poor also improves economy of a nation.The social activists must invigorate the conscience of the nation and consciousness of unorganised sector.
It's sad that despite the printing of so many articles of this type in the media, particularly in the Hindu publications, the governing class, whether it is UPA, NDA, or Marxist, the less privileged sections of the population, continue to suffer, from the the government policies, and poor implementation, of what are already there."Maoist" revolution is not the answer. More and more of such 'noises' as in this article might ultimately create a dent in the mindset of the 'governing class', the downtrodden. Economic liberalization, created a lot of growth and wealth but most of it went to the smart and the lucky, leaving the lower two-thirds stranded, where they have been. Allowing Mukesh Ambani to build a $billion-super-mansion, in the midst of Mumbai slums, is nothing short of blatant criminal act on the part of both State and Central governments. Nehru and Indira Gandhi had done some, as a start, eliminating the 'privy-purse' payments, for instance, but subsequent governments did very little, to continue and improve upon such programmmes. Allowing Ambanis and other billionaires to accumulate so much wealth, is revival of 'privy-purse' and put it on 'steroids'! All because of the economic liberalization, defying the preamble of the Indian Constitution, as retired Supreme court Justice Jivan Reddy, once indicated to me.
I thought that the reference to Shree Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who was found *not guilty* in connection with Gandhiji's assasination was completely uncalled for.
At a time when a kilogram of every vegetable has crossed Rs 50, if we find it difficult to fix even Rs 100/day as a minimum wage, we have failed as a state. Paying Rs 100 for a few hours of work may hurt, but wages can be paid by the hour and irrespective of where one works or what work one does, at the end of a day's work, one should be able to comfortably look after their own subsistence and not look up to the government for their daily food. If a 'fair' hourly wage is strictly enforced, I am sure the plight of the common man will surely improve.
Economic changes are evolutionary. MGNREGA is an ambitious poverty reduction program anywhere in the world. India started this scheme with 100 days of guaranteed work at 100 Rs per day. It was a quantum leap, as far as the previous situation in the villages were concerned. Now the poor women in the villages have something to rely on to sustain their livelihood. Everybody knows that there are lots of problems in its implementation. This scheme is conceived and executed primarily as poverty eradication schemes hence the asset creation aspect either is not very neither impressive nor important. But as reports suggest it is plagued by corruption and mismanagement in many parts of the country. Let us try to bring some order, so that the benefit goes in the right hands. It is unfortunate to discuss this scheme as an end in itself. It must be only an interim step. Handouts will never make people self respected. As Jesus Christ once suggested, giving fish won't be a sustainable solution to poverty, let us teach them fishing. We have to take education and productive jobs to the villages to fulfill the dreams of Mahatma. Not only give minimum wages to the rural people, a free national health insurance scheme, a free national higher education scheme, a universal subsidized PDS scheme, our wish list can go on like these . But when it comes to the reality, affordability of the nation must be the real yardstick. Resource limitations, economic implications and many other aspects have to be taken into consideration. India has growing economy. So let us work together for a welfare state which can afford lot of freebies to its citizens. Taking populist positions without considering realities is not going to make any real change.
Misguided reasoning! The minimum wages in some states are as high as Rs 200 per day. The daily income of 85% of Indians are below that amount. How can Rs 200 per day be the minimum wage? The minimum wage cannot be above what 80% people in a country make! Then its meaningless. And you want the government to pay Rs 200 a day- then every rural resident would want to work in NREGA and the government will be bankrupt and the India story will come to an end.
Thank you .The implications of the program is far worse .But thank you for informing of its illegalities .Rural families have started to earn more. Does it mean a farmer is expected to pay for his daily food? I have always thought , farmers earn their daily bread from their own productivity. Just because we made a lot of money recently from services, should that mean that we put our greatest productive force into services?
If there is a law, it shall be for making the society a better place for all and every one shall adhere to it. But the tragedy of our nation is that whoever is capable of bypassing the law for their benefit are just portrayed as smart. It is dangerous that even people in the government are doing the same.
Dictators are tumbling with peoples' power in the streets in the millions; Indians huff and puff in cyber. Ah, well, no wonder its fourth world here and going nowhere in a hurry.
In reference to the argument that 'MGNREGS is rising rural wages, causing inflation and raising the costs of cultivation, rendering the economy uncompetitive'. It is no different from George Bush Jr saying the increase in income levels is causing food shortages. The solution to inflation is farm sector and land reforms, an efficient supply chain for food grains and overall focus on agriculture.
If the only factor to the decision of not increasing the wages of MGNREGS is the funding, Dear Manmohanji, we are there to support the government. As a corporate employee, i am ready to pay IT at previous tax slab, and most of the young employees, will surely join me to fund this golden chance to eradicate poverty from our country.
Those persons who oppose the minimum wages for the poor under the MG NREGA presume that -firstly if the poor gets the minimum wages then they would eat more and work less and become habitual of eating for free. Secondly they presume that poor are habitually insincere in working so even if they get less that is justified. Thirdly providing minimum wages to the poor would do injustice to those who work hard to earn their livelihood. Fourthly as no durable assets are created by the workers of the MGNREGA .NOW may I ask how many people of the corporate world have become inefficient and lazy after they got stuffed their stomach with government concessions amounting to over 1,310000 crores rupees? How many schools have given admissions to under privileged children after getting lands for building school on concessional rates from the government? How many people are being are convicted who are indulging in siphoning off lakhs of crores of rupees? When corporate world, business man are offered crores of rupees than this is justified in the name better utilization of money. Still scams like Satyam company torments the Indian economy. And government ends up with making financial stability board. In spite of being foreign educated what type by of durable asset was created by Mr Raju that became a blot on the Indian corporate world ? What sort of expertise and efficiency is expected from an illiterate poor over whom the government has not spent single penny to educate him? How can poor can be expected to create durable assets out of mere his labor whose payment is also not secured, when highly educated engineers are not able to create such assets? Recently in Rajasthan an under-construction bridge was washed away taking lives of about 20-25 labourers. All these are forgotten when comes the case of providing means of earning bread to the poor. Only the bread of the poor becomes the thorn of eye of everyone and none questions the lakhs of the crores are deposited in swiss bank accounts. In an atricle published in 'THE Hindu', Jean Dreze had argued that expenditure of about one lakh crore rupees would solve the problem wages of workers working under MGNREGA.But we can afford to loose 1.76 lakhs crore in 2g scam and 60 000 crores in CWG scam but we can’t make provision for expenditure of minimum wages for the poor. Or give them cheap food grains That is attitude of government and elite people in India.
The problem is the leakages in the system. The Govt, instead of attending sincerely to those leakages, has reduced the wages, after all it has to balance it finances, it cannot go on printing money when the inflation is out of control. Unfortunately the inflation hits the poor the hardest.
As a young Indian, I feel ashamed of my own country. Day after day we hear or read something about corruption or exploitation of people. The UPA government don' take any ownership of the bad things happening in our country. Also i would like to say this is not only the responsibilty of the government but also of the citizens of our country.
The MNREGS is the biggest fraud scheme in the history of independent India. It had more negative effects than positive effects. It is also a direct contributor for today's inflation and corruption politics. It has made the people of this country lazy. It has indirectly increased the vote bank politics. I need to agree with Montek that it would increase the inflation if wages are raised. The scheme must be in such a way that it should not only grant money but there must be well organised audit into the amount spent and work got out of it. Openly speaking, it has become similar like giving money during election times in a legal way.
The poor of this country are leading a pitiable life. They are compelled to live within their earnings, and have no savings for future. The govts came to power with their voting neglected them completely. If the govt spent huge amount for freebies,why is it reluctant to give minimum wages for doing a work for the govt? The P.M, ministers, MLAs, MPs, and all govt and organised sector employees are adequately compensated for rising prises by way of D.A.why the govt is denying the payment of statutry mimimum wages to MGNREGS workers?
It is the Ambaanis and the Mittals that decide how much the aam aadmi must be given.It's no irony that people who live in 2400 crore palace, don't understand the plight of the common man who fights hard day by day to meet both ends. UPA 2 government took the oath in the name of AAM AADMI and this is their gift.
NREGS was intrtoduced by the UPA-I govt. after much pressure from the Left Parties. Mr. Manmohan Singh and Ahluvalia were against this scheme. Their contention was that it will be a big hole in the Govt's budget.They are praising themselves when it became a hit and rural poor got energised by this scheme.When they increase salaries of govt. employees as the real wages has already eaten up by inflation why they can't consider enhancing the NREGS wages as the value of Rs. 100/- already gone down. When this Govt. can give lacs of ruppes concessions by way of tax exemptions and other benefits to industrialists why they can't consider enchancing the wages giving to rural poor. It is ridiculous when Mr. Ahluvalia and co. says that difference of Rs. 100/- and minimum wages applicable in states should be borne by the states.
MGNREGS is very successful in giving out money to poors. But we all know that the full amount of money (Rs.100) is not reaching to the beneficieries. Middle men eat some. Therefore the priority is to fix this. Once we streamline and ensure the entire amount reaches to the beneficiaries, they will be more than happy.
It is illegal not to pay minimum wages in MNREGS scheme. The Government has converted this blatantly illegal action into a legal action!
No newspaper in the market gives a wider coverage about MGNREGS than 'The Hindu'. Firstly, let us look at the facts that motivated the government to undertake a humongous programme as this. As we all know our country has been experiencing tremendous growth after the economy had been liberalized during '90s but the fruits of the development was confined to a small segment of our population. The income disparity between urban and rural areas and between the rich and the poor has been widening. This forced the government to come up with an agenda to moderate this widening gap and this agenda is referred in the media as 'inclusive growth'. That's how this MGNREGA program was born. It is meant to create opportunities to the vast majority of rural folk. Now let us look at this program from economic angle. Without a doubt, MGNREGA has been successful creating opportunity for work in the rural areas but this work has not always been productive, a fact that is ignored by the media. The Hindu is no exception. Legendary economist John Maynard Keynes, once said, the best policy for any government to implement during time of recession, is to 'Dig the roads and re-lay the roads'. This is exactly being followed in the MGNREGA even though we are not in recession. Another problem is the works are done under government supervision. Obviously this encourages low productivity, short working hours etc.. The government can't pay minimum wages for a vast majority of people enrolled under this scheme for doing such low productive work. There is a great need to move people from working in Agri sector to manufacturing and services sector. Only then, the strain on the primary sectors will be reduced. This calls for concessions to Corporations. It is like an incentive to corporates to create more opportunities thus making move people from Primary to Secondary and Tertiary Sectors. This is the thing that is followed in many developing countries. To summarize, if government agrees to give minimum wages, then this scheme will become unsustainable.
Excellent article. We should ashamed on what we have done to this great country called India. The Labour in this country is working day and night to form this new India but their condition is as bad as it was in 18th century. Hard to digest that a man or woman working 9-10 hours daily and gets 100 rs. as a wage to feed his family. Even sometimes they dont get those Rs 100 also. The question is how to resolve this issue? By getting Labour reform Law passed things not going to change on ground. As a society we have to stand firm and tall to speak up against this injustice being done to our fellow citizens. At a time when labour around the world is getting social as well as health security, we are debating whether 100 rs is less or enough. This is a alarming situation and government should act now to ensure a future for this country.
Thanks a lot for putting your views on minimum wages and freez of wages on labours of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, now known after the name Mahatma Gandhi. Manmohan Singh government can be easily said as lotus eater (subidha bhogi) for political leaders and rich section of society instead of welfare to majority of poor in the country. Strange arguements and logic of Manmohan Singh and his imperialist friend and deputy Chairman Montek Dada Ahlualia of Planning Commission that any rise on wages to rural employment wage could increase inflation - hence not possible to increase wage from Rs 100 violating minimum wages acts in the country. These politicians are shameless- when it comes to benefit of commonmen or aam aadmi, saying it will create economic imbalances and inflation- but when comes to their terms, they shamelessly increase their salary, allowances and wages etc. Recently, they have raised their salary, perks, allowances etc by three to four times high. It could not create inflation etc. Sadly, the union government always overlook aam aadami, particularly 92 percent labour, engaged in unorganised sectors. Apart from that, they give huge concessions to corporates, eating into a major chunk of amount of the country- why this? Strangely, the union government also manages writing off huge amount of amount due with corporates and industrialists. Not only that, the government also has strange yardstick of fixing interests on loan to industrialists at minimum interest rate- this reflects from higher interest of on education loan to students and agricultur loan to farmers that purchasing a car by well off persons as well as to industrialists to set up industries. This is India shining !- the union and state government should now at least think these disparities at least in the wake of Arab world upheavels, particularly in Egypt- they cannot supress the voices of haves nots always- they and people are definitely rising against unpopular decisions, hunger etc and violence cannot be ruled out in this country for change in the system.
I think the highlight of the UPA II government is the seemingly arrogant and distant attitute that it has shown especially dealing with the poorer sections of society. We have enough economic and financial resources in our country to make the MGNREGS both a socially uplifting and a profitable venture from the perspective of rural economy. Sadly, the attention of the government is fixed on achieving corporate growth in urban areas and to eyewash the common people by showing statistics on growth , projected growth and what not. It does not require extraordinary intelligence to see, in plain terms, that there is something very vicious going on in this government and sadly there seems to be no end to it.
This article does not tell anything new. The Government always cheats the aam admi by having schemes named after M K Gandhi, J Nehru, Indira Feroze Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.Add to this the fact that a large amount of this money is siphoned off by middlemen, it just stinks of nothing better than alms for the public.
Excellent points. a) If a PIL is launched would'nt the situation be taken care of? b)The argument one would hear at the ground level is that often people get paid Rs100/day but the work is there only for a few hours. Such arguments need to be countered. There is a fundamental principle of minimum wages that needs to be adhered to.
We have opened the Pandora's box. I would not want India becoming a welfare state. Union government should try to empower the population to work their way up in the society. These hand outs once given cannot be stopped. I see this as an incentive for people not work and gain benefits. This is the classical method of making people dependant on the state. Soon they will start to increase the contribution, bring more people into the scheme, perform means testing base on growth. I think we are throwing money at the problem rather than solving the problem. I am sure M.K.Gandhi would have been upset at this development. He dreamt of rural side becoming the power house and now that we have ruined it. We should try hard to revive it rather than handing out benefits to further ruin it.
Please Email the Editor