CNS: NREGA

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Modi's economic policy at loggerheads with Gandhi's vision

Dr Rahul Pandey and Dr Sandeep Pandey, CNS Columnist

Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary is an opportune time to assess Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s major policy thrusts on the economic front. His policy contrasts both with Gandhi’s vision and with what is needed to develop long term capabilities in India’s workforce and economic infrastructure. In a nutshell Modi’s economic policy is an accelerated version of that of former PM Manmohan Singh and his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

[हिन्दी] Shailendra Kumar, a Masters student at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and Mudit Shukla, a volunteer with Lucknow-based organisation Asha Parivar, addressed a press conference at Lohia Mazdoor Bhawan on status of implementation of Section 4(1)(b) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, in Uttar Pradesh; and on the functioning of Janta Soochna Kendra (JSK or public information centres) respectively.

Narmada Bachao Andolan has been using Jal Satyagrah since 1993 as a means of protest wherein people facing submergence stay put in waist, or sometimes neck, deep rising waters of the river and endanger their lives. The administration or the government, on the other hand, is busy trying to save people by either forcibly pulling them out of water or agreeing to talk to them on their demands. Last year in Ghoglagaon of Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh people were left standing in water for 17 days and the government was not willing to talk to them until the body parts of some of the people in water started dissolving.

A two days “State Level Convention of Women Leaders" of feisty rural women began at Gandhi Bhawan in Lucknow on 16th April 2012, bringing together over 650 women leader delegates (organizers were expecting not more than 500) from 9 districts of east UP, and proved once again that more changes can be wrought in society by women than we can think of. They were from all age groups—the youngest 18 years old and the eldest 75 years old--all dressed neatly in colourful clothes, with bright eyes, determined faces and an infectious enthusiasm. None gave the impression of the labourer or the underprivileged, which almost all of them were.

[हिंदी] [Signature petition] To protest against the decision of Planning Commission of India to file an affidavit with ridiculous definition of poverty, growing number of people from many cities will observe a five-days fast (22-26 October) and observe a black Diwali (Indian festival of lights). "We have decided to observe five day fast from 22nd October 2011, to the morning after the Diwali at my Ashram in Lalpur village of Hardoi District of U.P. and will observe a black Diwali along with the villagers this year. The government has adopted an economic policy which is clearly benefitting the already well off sections of society at the cost of the poor. It has no idea how to deal with poverty and price rise making the survival of poor very difficult. It has not been able to check farmer suicides, hunger deaths, malnourishment of children or maternal mortality rate. While the ministers have made crores in corruption the government has chosen to remain insensitive to the issue of poor" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee and a visiting Professor at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar.

A two day convention of rural women leaders, which was held on 24th and 25th March,2011, in the east Uttar Pradesh town of Mau, brought together over 400 women leader delegates from 10 districts of eastern UP, to share their bitter and sweet experiences under the umbrella of the "Empowering Rural Women-ERW" program. Under the banner of this program, over 40,000 women from the marginalized and backward communities of this backward area, (of an already backward state), have formed ‘women collectives’ or Nari Sanghs in 253 Gram Panchayats (village councils), and are working ceaselessly towards claiming their entitlements, with special emphasis on right to food and right to work. They are also demanding their rightful place in the political and social arena.

Senior activist Arvind Murti

[Listen to the CNS audio recording/ podcast of Arvind Murti's speech here]
India may be independent for more than past 63 years but a significant number of its citizens would not yet testify that they have had a chance to enjoy the fruits of freedom. "Although India got its political independence on 15 August 1947, the real ownership to its citizenry had come later on 26 January 1950 when its citizens should have taken ownership mantle, but that hasn't happened so far" said Arvind Murti, senior political and social activist of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) who is a core team member of Asha Parivar, and Editor of Sachchi Muchchi (Hindi monthly).

Award RETURNED to Indian Govt

Noted social activist and Magsaysay Awardee Dr Sandeep Pandey has returned the NREGS Employment Awareness Award of Government of India to draw attention to open patronage to corruption and crime in Hardoi, UP. The award carried a citation and an amount of Rs 44,000 which was conferred upon Dr Sandeep Pandey on 2nd February 2009 by Chairperson of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

National Alliance of
People's Movements (NAPM)

National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) is organizing its Eighth Biennial Convention in the Narmada Valley, at Badwani, Madhya Pradesh, from 24-26 October 2010. Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), which is entering in 25th year of struggle, and is one of the founding members of NAPM will be hosting the convention this time. The journey that started in 1992 and took the shape of NAPM in 1996 has today reached a critical stage. Read more

National Alliance of
People's Movements (NAPM)

NREGA Social Audit in Unnao

A social audit of national rural employment guarantee scheme (NREGS) shall be conducted by Asha Parivar and National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh (UP), during 15-21 January 2010.

"Commitment to transparency and accountability runs through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). This commitment also flows from the right to information Act 2005. The Right to Information (RTI) Act should be followed in both letter and spirit in all matters relating to NREGA. No request (for information) should be refused under any circumstances. All NREGA-related information is in the public domain" says the chapter 10 of the NREGA operational guidelines. Read more

State Information Commission slapped fines on errant officers

In a significant order, the State Information Commisison has slapped a fine of Rs 9,750 (about USD 200) on two errant public information officers of the Nandurbar district administration (Maharashtra) for having caused enormous delay in satisfactorily responding to an application for information filed by a Sardar Sarovar project affected adivasi Siyaram Singa Padvi. Read more

Two days National Convention on RTI and NREGA concludes

Two days National Convention on RTI and NREGA concludes

The two days convention on the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), being held under the aegis of National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) and National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI), concluded at Gandhi Bhawan, Lucknow on 10 September 2009. The convention was attended by about 400 people, from UP to Kerala, who projected their problems and solutions.

The first session was chaired by former Justice Mr Kamleshwar Nath, Mr SN Shukla (retd IAS), Mr IC Dwivedi, Mr Rakesh Mittal (retd IAS) and Mr SC Verma. Various problems encountered at the level of implementation of the RTI were highlighted in the presence of social activists Ms Aruna Roy and Mr Nikhil De. On the whole, it came out that the mind set of not giving the information is the biggest problem. It is clear that unless the information providers like Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appeal Authorities and information commissioners’ work with the proper mind-set, the people will not get the relief they want.

In the second session, the focus was on NREGA. The rural development commissioner Mr Manoj Kumar Singh, listened to the views of the labourers, social and political activists. Some of the major problems projected were: non-preparation of job cards, non-acceptance of applications for work, not getting 100 days work, non–abolition of contract system, taking out wages for fictitious work days, charging money forcibly after it is withdrawn from the bank account, improper social audit, persecution and assaulting the workers (or social activists for instance). Ms Aruna Roy suggested that every month a two day open session, at the state level, should be arranged between the workers, the concerned minister and officers for listening to the complaints and suggestions from the workers, and act upon these too. Mr Manoj Kumar Singh, rural development commissioner, welcomed the suggestion for providing 70-80 days of work to every labour family.

SR Darapuri (9415164845), Urvashi Sharma, Sandeep Pandey, Arundhati Dhuru

National Convention on RTI and NREGA opens in Lucknow

National Convention on RTI and NREGA opens in Lucknow

A two day convention on Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, and National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) began today at Gandhi Bhawan, Lucknow under the aegis of National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) and National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI). Activists and common citizens who have used the RTI Act to access information came to attend this convention from all over UP, as well as, from other parts of the country like Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Delhi. More than five hundred participants were present. They shared their experiences with using this Act.

The highlight of the convention was the active participation by the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), UP, Mr Ranjit Singh Pankaj and Information Commissioner, Mr Virendra Saxena. It is noteworthy that any Information Commissioner in UP has come out after a gap of two years to interact with people on an open platform. Activist groups have been trying to engage the Information Commission as well as the administration to ensure proper implementation of the RTI Act, as well as, effective coordination between the Information Commission and the public at large. However, the administration had chosen not to participate in the past.

The issues raised by activists and citizens include: no response from Public Information Officers (PIOs) within the stipulated 30 days, lack of proper information and training at the level of PIOs, inactive role played by First Appeal Authority, First Appeal Authorities tend to protect the PIOs of their department, harassment of applicants at the level of PIOs sometimes leading to registration of criminal cases against them, large pendency in Information Commission, applicants have to make a number of visits to the Commission, PIOs not penalized under Section 20 of the Act which is mandatory and even if they are penalized the fine is not realized, non-compliance of Section 4(1)(b) by various departments. The inefficient functioning at the levels of PIOs and First Appeal Authority creates huge volume of complaints and appeals at the level of the Information Commission.

The CIC agreed that applicants should not be harassed by the PIOs and should not avoid fulfilling their responsibility by giving lame excuses. People also lamented the fact the PIOs come to the Commission at government’s expense whereas the applicants have to bear the expenses from their pockets.

Shri Pankaj, the CIC, assured that he would streamline the working of the Commission and would solve all the problems faced by applicants in the next 6 months.

Tomorrow, former IAS officer, Magsaysay Awardee and a noted social activist Aruna Roy and senior social activist Nikhil De will participate in this convention and give a boost to people’s campaign to ensure the effective implementation of the two Acts - RTI and NREGA. Commissioner, Rural Development, Mr Manoj Kumar Singh, will also attend the NREGA session in the afternoon to interact with labourers and activists.

Former IPS officer and vice president of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) SR Darapuri, noted author of books on RTI Dr Niraj Kumar, Izhar Ansari, Devdutt Sharma, journalist Akhilesh Saxena, Bahnu Pratap Dwivedi, noted RTI activist Urvashi Sharma, social activist Chunnilal, and Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and national convener of NAPM - Dr Sandeep Pandey had chaired the sessions of the first day of the two days convention.

- National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI)

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A long wait for Independence - special feature article on India's 62nd Independence day eve - 15 August 2009

A long wait for Independence
- special feature article on India's 62nd Independence day eve -
15 August 2009

Jajupur is a village in Sandila Tehsil, P.S. Atrauli, of Hardoi District of UP. 107 dalit landless families were allotted land pattas in 1976 by the Gram Sabha but till today the dalits have not been able to cultivate their fields. The reason is that a politically influential feudal family of the neighbouring village Majhgaon doesn’t give up its control on these lands which it exercises directly or indirectly. Ramchandra Singh’s brother Sri Ram Singh has been the Block Pramukh of Bharawan. They have a third brother Ramendra Singh. Cousin Nagendra Singh’s, who is an advocate too, wife is the Gram Pradhan of Jajupur even though they live in Majhgaon.

As soon as these land plots were allotted to the dalits the landlords planted trees on these pieces of lands so that they could lay a claim on them. They always give the excuse of these trees to assert their control over these lands. For some dalit families their ancestors might have taken some loan from the ancestors of landlords. The unpaid loans, fictitious or real, become an excuse for the landlords to continue holding on to their land.

Whenever a complaint is registered with the authorities, the revenue department officials begin the measurement of land plots afresh. The land is marked and handed over to the dalits every time. But either they are unable to sow or if they display the courage to sow they cannot harvest. The control of land goes back to the landlords. Under political pressure the revenue department officials lack the will to recommend registration of case under the ZALR Act against the encroachers or the police lacks the will to prevent landlords from encroaching after the lands have been handed over to the dalits following a due process.

Recently a dalit youth Rajesh cut two neem trees standing on his land to take care of the expenses required to treat his ailing 3 years old son. A case was registered against four dalits including Rajesh for illegal felling of green trees. Ramchandra Singh, Ramendra Singh and Sukhdeo Singh took away the driver and the helper on the tractor trolley which had come to take away the cut trees. Both these were also dalits. They were beaten at the house of Ramchandra Singh and then handed over to police. Policeman incharge of investigation in the case M.P. Singh created ruckus in the house of Rajesh when he couldn’t find him to arrest. He broke a cot and portion of the thatched roof. When it was enquired from the SDM whether felling trees was such a serious crime that the police would exercise undue pressure on the family of the accused the SDM responded that the police doesn’t register a case sometimes even on his complaint when whole orchards are cut. Finally Rajesh got relief only after he got bail from the court. But in the meanwhile his child had expired because of neglect of his situation.

A complaint was filed against Ramchandra Singh, Ramendra Singh and Sukhdeo Singh demanding registration of FIR under the Prevention of atrocities against S.C./S.T. Act and the ZALR Act. However, the landlord family is so powerful that it got action against its members stalled. It is amazing how the politically influential family escapes retribution even after violating serious laws and prompt and decisive action is taken by police against the dalits for felling trees on their own land. And all this is when there is supposed to be a dalit sympathetic government in power in UP and the DGP has issued clear cut instructions that FIR has to be registered against any encroacher on a land belonging to dalit allotted by the Gram Sabha.

About a couple of years back the revenue department had slapped a fine of more than Rs. 14 lakhs on Ramchandra Singh, Chandra Prakash Singh, Nageshwar Singh and others for encroaching upon land allotted to dalits by the Gram Sabha. Two people paid the fine but eleven others were able to obtain a stay order from the court.

Having lost all hope from the system the dalits have now decided that they’ll let the landlords cut all the trees which they claim were planted by them, even though technically the trees belong to the dalits as it is a Gram Sabha land and anybody else cannot lay a claim on it, and in return the landlords would allow them to till the land. The dalits don’t care that they are losing the trees so long as they finally get to become the owners of the land. The powerful landlords, interestingly want a guarantee from the dalits as well as the administration that no case will be registered against them for felling green trees, which is actually illegal.

All revenue department officials feel this is a good compromise practical solution. The dalits also feel that this is probably the best deal they’ll get because chances of them getting the land with the trees are remote given the prevailing circumstances. They are desperate to see after 35 long years the day when they can call the land which belongs to them their own. But this is a travesty of justice. This is a victory of brute muscle and money power and failure of Indian Constitution as well as Law and Order machinery. The police-administration have surrendered to the feudal elements and interests of dalits are not safe even in a dalit sympathetic government. The country may be independent for the past 62 years but these dalit families of Jajupur would not yet testify that they have had a chance to enjoy the fruits of freedom.

[Dr Sandeep Pandey is a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) for

emergent leadership, member of National Presidium, People's Politics Front (PPF), heads the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and did his PhD from University of California, Berkeley, USA. He taught at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur before devoting his life to strengthening people's movements in early 1990s. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com. Website: www.citizen-news.org]

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What is to be done in the next five years?

What is to be done in the next five years?
Rahul Pandey

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has been re-elected with near majority. With the country facing a host of social, economic and political problems, its plate is full. Most sectors and people are reeling under the economic recession. At the same time the prices of some of the basic essentials like food products have been high. The poor – small farmers and landless people in villages and low skilled workers and small informal (unorganized) sector entrepreneurs in urban areas – are the worst hit. Myriad environmental problems – both local and global – stare us rudely in the face. Communal divisions and related threat of terrorism have made people insecure. The government simply does not have the luxury of a honeymoon period. It must tighten its belt and begin to act.

But before we talk about what is to be done, let us briefly look at what made the people elect the Congress and what explains the rout of the BJP and the Left? This will give us insight into what people of India want.

In the past five years Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi have steered the Congress in two different directions. Instead of conflicting politically, these efforts somehow appeared to satisfy two different but major segments of our society. This was in spite of the usual corruption and other flaws that characterize the Congress culture. Of course there were regional factors too, but here we touch upon only the main country-wide initiatives.

The well-off, urban people have grown to become enamoured of Dr. Singh. His image of an honest and intelligent person has only been reinforced in these five years. The only serious allegation, that he was a weak PM and a puppet to the Congress president, was thwarted by some of his actions like his passionate pursuit of the Indo-US nuclear deal. Although the latter meant compromising India’s neutrality and commitment to peace, it did show he was a strong willed person, unwilling to budge under pressure from heavyweights in his own party. This enhanced his credibility among the people, especially the educated middle class.

Sonia Gandhi, on her part, earnestly backed and saw through the fruition of two very important Acts – Right to Information Act (RTI) and National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). To do so, on the one hand she involved several eminent social activists to help design and draft the Acts. On the other hand, she cleverly dealt with the opposition to these Acts from vested but influential interests within her own party and outside. These Acts have strong checks built in them. Hence, despite corruption and leakage, their implementation has been reasonably well received. In many districts, several local NGOs and activist groups supported them and got engaged in their monitoring at the ground. While RTI itself has significantly increased common people’s access to governmental schemes and information, NREGA together with RTI has made perceptible improvement in rural employment and wage for the poor and curtailed distress seasonal migrations in several regions. Now many agree that these Acts constitute major institutional reform and progress, and need to be given more teeth. Such schemes helped enlist the support of the masses.

The BJP, on the other hand, had barely any positive alternatives to offer. Its personal allegations against Manmohan Singh backfired and brazenly linking terrorism to a community sounded too crude and shallow. The Left, with its disastrous pursuit of industrialization in Nandigram and Singur without any rehabilitation plan for the displaced, stood utterly discredited among the people. It appeared stripped of its own core principle.

What should be done now by the UPA government? Economic recession, poverty and unemployment, environmental problems, and terrorism loom large over India’s social-political horizon. An innovative policy response will be one that attempts to address all these problems in a synergistic stroke. Trying out a way that solves one problem while worsening another is something we have done many times in the past and will not work this time too.

Many economists and planners agree that a key solution to recession is to increase government or public spending. This would directly pump money in the economy and create jobs in public works. The money that thus reaches the hands of consumers will eventually boost consumer spending. The banks must simultaneously ease up credit schemes so that people can borrow at low interest rate, which again boosts spending and investment in the economy.

The tricky policy question is: For which kind of activities should the government increase spending and the banks offer easy credit? How much and for how long? Answer to these questions will determine the success of our economic revival. It will also determine what kind of capabilities India would acquire in the process, for instance, in technologies and management systems in agriculture, industrial, infrastructure, energy and environmental fields. More crucially, it will also determine the extent to which we will solve our social problems like poverty, unemployment and wide economic disparity.

To identify the right policy direction for India it is important to recognize certain dominant global trends. First, globalization is rapidly increasing the access of people, especially those connected with the modern economy, to information from everywhere. People are becoming more aware of the critical issues of politics, economies, development, environment and human rights in different parts of the world. Second, as the forces of globalization are also unleashing repression of ordinary communities by big capital intensive projects, the opposition of people to such forces is becoming louder. At more and more places local people are getting organized and raising voices against unjust development projects that displace them from local resource base and do not offer much in return. And more and more such people’s groups are getting networked. This is leading to greater demands for a more democratic and just society. Third, the same forces of development have caused grave environmental damage, both locally in polluted cities, rivers, lakes, forests and industrial sites, and globally in form of changing climate. These problems too have mobilized scores of NGOs, policy makers and people everywhere to lobby for environment and people friendly policies. Fourth, as organizations worldwide are under increasing pressure to offer innovative products and services that are both customer and environment friendly, these dimensions are becoming important bases of competition in more and more marketplaces.

All these are irreversible trends which are strengthening and spreading widely. The policy prescriptions that directly address India’s internal social-economic-environmental problems and are, at the same time, in sync with these global trends will be the most robust ones.

To begin with, a drastically enhanced government spending is required on rural infrastructure and environment – roads, wells, water supply, electricity supply, upgraded primary and higher schools, schools for women, training centers in useful employable skills, community centers, planting trees, etc. All such works must be linked with NREGA. This will simultaneously create many productive jobs and build useful infrastructure. Given the current state of such infrastructure, these works can consume most of NREGA’s budget for years.

In order to be environment friendly and sustainable, rural infrastructures like water harvesting and electricity supply must be small and based, as far as possible, on locally available and renewable resources. Fortunately, different parts of India are enriched with at least one renewable resource like solar energy, wind, water, and several types of biomass. Agricultural practices must be based on modern but organic and low energy intensive methods as much as possible. Industries must be energy efficient and source energy first from renewable resources. All waste must be recycled.

Once set up, the facilities for water, electricity/energy, agriculture, education, waste handling, etc. will offer a lot of employment opportunities to operate and maintain them. Hence the newly established training centers must provide training in these and a host of other skills useful for local youth and women to start various entrepreneurial activities relevant for the local society.

Most crucially, for all these initiatives to be useful to local economy, be environment-friendly, and reach all communities and people, they must be governed and monitored locally in the most democratic manner. This can be done only by local bodies that constitute representation from all communities, are democratically elected, and linked with other decentralized institutions of governance. This, in turn, requires that the local institutions of governance are strengthened and made fully decentralized and democratized. This will ensure that local people are the ones who have maximum say in the decisions of fund allocation, selection and monitoring of works, and choice of infrastructures, skills and economic activities. Any large industrial or infrastructure project that impacts local resource base and livelihoods, along with necessary rehabilitation scheme, too must be approved by the local governing bodies.

What about the urban areas? Their design too must change to eco-friendly and people friendly one in which people do not commute much to work, roads are neither congested not polluted, there is high enough capacity of public transport systems, there are many parks and community places for children and adults to enjoy, trees are abundant, houses and buildings are fitted with renewable systems of electricity and water supply, most of the waste is collected and recycled, and there are no slums as all low income people live in proper houses with proper sanitation facilities provided by the government. A lot of urban poor can be engaged and employed in the process of such transformation of urban landscape.

And what about the modern industries? They must be forced through regulation to acquire new technological innovation and management capabilities to become highly energy efficient, environment friendly, and customer friendly. Besides benefiting the society and the environment around them, such capabilities will enable industries to become globally competitive. This is a huge challenge for the Indian industry and will require change in mindset and a lot of work. The surplus manpower in current times of recession can be usefully trained and engaged to build the new systems and capabilities required in this process.

The government must enhance spending and the banks must offer easy credit to directly support the activities that lie within the ambit of strategies proposed above. This will enable the Indian society to transit to a new development path that entails people-driven decentralized governance systems, sustainable and environment friendly infrastructure, agriculture and industrial systems in rural areas, eco-friendly cities, and modern industries with energy efficient and environmental innovation capabilities. The support must be offered until such a transition is achieved. As for terrorism, it will be rendered a secondary concern if we set out seriously on the task of building a prosperous, sustainable and just society.

Rahul Pandey

(The author is a former faculty member of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow. He is currently a founder member of a start up venture that develops mathematical models for planning and policy analysis. He can be contacted at rahulanjula@gmail.com)

Lalit Mehta Shahadat Divas

Lalit Mehta Shahadat Divas

A day of solidarity with NREGA activists and protest against state repression

On 14 May 2008, Lalit Mehta was brutally murdered in Palamau District (read CNS news of May 2008 here), just as a social audit of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was about to begin in the area.

One year later, on 14 May 2009, a public meeting (“aam sabha”) will be taking place in Daltonganj to remember Lalit and also to protest against state repression of NREGA activists in Jharkhand and elsewhere.

Ever since the Act came into force three years ago, NREGA activists have been a prime target of state repression. In Jharkhand, Lalit Mehta’s tragic death was quickly followed by the murder of Kameshwar Yadav, the suicide of Tapas Soren, and a spate of other NREGA-related deaths. Similar incidents have occurred in Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and elsewhere. Hundreds of NREGA activists have also been jailed under false charges or beaten up. The time has come to raise our voice, together, against these human rights violations.

As it happens, 14 May 2009 will also be the second anniversary of Binayak Sen’s arrest in Raipur. This abuse of power, too, needs to be opposed.

You are invited to join this solidarity day. The programme will start around 9.30 am and conclude in the evening with candlelight procession and cultural programme. Please stay for the full duration is possible (simple accommodation will be available in Daltonganj on 14th). Daltonganj can be reached by bus or train from Ranchi, Patna, Varanasi and Allahabad.

This event is an initiative of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, Jharkhand. For further information please contact Vikas Sahyog Kendra (06566-285 483), James Herenj (09470396732), Jawahar (09430126909), Gurjeet (09431120534) or Mithilesh (09431193202).

Ayojan Samiti
Lalit Mehta Sahadat Divas
(Ajit, Birender, Gurjeet, James, Jawahar, Sunita)

The wages of protest

The wages of protest
Arundhati Dhuru & Dr Sandeep Pandey

[Published in THE HINDU, 5 April 2009]

While the RTI Act and the audit provisions of NREGA enable ordinary people to demand accountability from governments, it doesn’t always work like that on the ground. There have been several cases recently in U.P., where the demand for rights by workers has been met with violence…

The political ruling class has decided to deal with the demands being raised by workers for their legal rights strongly.

The advent of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) were a breakthrough in Indian democracy. They provided the openings in a system which was opaque, insensitive and impersonal to the common citizens of this country. The ruling elite which was not prepared to be answerable to people at all had to relent. They realised that, after all, they are functioning in a democracy which is created in the name of the people. People began asking questions under the RTI Act and started conducting social audits under NREGA, which were revolutionary ideas given the kind of system we have inherited from the British and given the mindset bureaucracy develops when it is entrenched in this system. People did achieve success using the RTI and the social audit provision and a definite empowerment was taking place.

However, it looks as if it’s been decided that enough is enough. People could be allowed the luxury of only so much transparency and accountability. They could not transgress the limit beyond which the unquestioned supremacy of the ruling elites stood to be challenged. The initial fear in their minds towards these pro-people laws has vanished and now they are dealing with people demanding their basic rights under these Acts with vengeance. They have decided to quell every voice which raises questions about their highhandedness with utmost contempt and violence if necessary. The administrative machinery, which is supposed to be responsible for implementing these laws, is being used by the people’s representatives with impunity.

Plenty of discrepancies

In the Dumri Village Panchayat of Kasya Block of Kushinagar district of U.P., what started as an investigation into the discrepancies in Below Poverty Line survey, on a complaint made by some villagers, turned into a full fledged investigation into bungling in development funds which came through the Panchayat. Discrepancies were observed by an Assistant Commissioner in the Rural Development Department in the housing schemes for poor as well as NREGA. Advocate Udaybhan Yadav, who was instrumental in getting this investigation done, was threatened by the Gram Pradhan Dinesh Verma and his men. On February 28, 2009, when the men of Gram Pradhan were beating a dalit labourer Parasuram, who was vocal in questioning the fake muster roll in which wages were withdrawn in his name whereas he had not even worked under NREGA, Udaybhan intervened. He was also beaten up. A dalit, Kapil Dev, receiving patronage from the Pradhan, registered a FIR against Udaybhan and a case under (Prevention of) Atrocities against S.C./S.T. Act was filed. Under political pressure, Udaybhan and his father Hari Yadav were arrested on March 9. Parasuram’s brother Ram Bharat and father Jaikaran were also arrested but released later.

Fight for wages

In the village Panchayat Aira Kake Mau of Bharawan Block of Hardoi District, workers had assembled on January 14, 2009, at the door of the Gram Pradhan as previously agreed, to seek their unpaid wages. The husband of the Gram Pradhan, Ghanshyam, who runs the show here on behalf of his wife, first tried to threaten the labourers. The police arrived when the situation became tense. When the workers wanted to file complaints against the Gram Pradhan for violation of their rights under the NREGA, Ghanshyam ordered his men to rain lathis on the labourers and social activists present there in support of the workers in the presence of the Station House Officer and the police of Atrauli Police Station. One dalit labourer, Medai, and a social activist, Ram Bharose, sustained injuries on the head. Although a case was filed against Ghanshyam, in spite of repeated applications to various authorities by dalit labourers who were present at the site of incident, (Prevention of) Atrocities against S.C./S.T. Act has not been used against Ghanshyam and no action has thus far been taken against him.

In Kopaganj Block of Mau district, labourers from the villages Devkali, Bishunpur, Purana Kopa and Jairamgarh, mostly women and dalit, had assembled at the office of the Block Officer, merely eight km from the district headquarters, to demand wages due for the last six months. One of the labourers was called inside the office for dialogue and beaten up by those inside. The labourers were furious. The Block Development Officer, Ram Dular and an employee, Sanjiv Singh, had to bear the brunt of the anger. Some women also got hurt in this scuffle. Full wages have still not been paid and nobody involved in beating the worker has been punished.

In the village Panchayat Rura of Kasmanda Block of District Sitapur, a pond deepening work was in progress on February 28, 2009. Some women labourers wandered off to drink water from a hand pump. The hand pump belonged to a powerful person from the locality, Madan Dixit, popularly know as Madan Muni in this area. The women had to face obscene comments. When the male members of the families wanted to register their protest against these obscene remarks, they were beaten up. When the workers reached the police station to file a case against their tormentors, Madan Muni was already there. The workers wanted to register a case under the (Prevention of) atrocities against the S.C./S.T. Act. The police asked them to come next morning in an attempt to arrive at a compromise. When the workers were unmoved from their demand the next day, two men and two women labourers were beaten by the police inside the police station. premises. With the help of social organisations of the area a case was finally registered against Madan Muni under the (Prevention of) atrocities against the S.C./S.T. Act but no action has been taken against the police personnel who were involved in beating the workers.

Underpaid

In the Cholapur Block of District Varanasi, about 200 workers belonging to Dhaurahra, Saryan and Munari were not paid their wages for about a month for deepening a pond in Saryan G.P. The Junior Engineer had measured the work and calculated payment of wages at the rate of Rs. 39.80 per day. The workers were not satisfied as for similar work in Dhaurahra G.P. workers were paid the minimum wages of Rs. 100 per day. On February 26, 2009, the Village Development Officer gave in writing that all workers would be paid at the rate of Rs. 100 per day on March 3, 2009. When the workers assembled on March 5, at the Block Office, the BDO was absent. On the advice of a Block employee they decided to block the Varanasi-Azamgarh Highway. The SHO of Cholapur P.S. arrived and the workers were lathi-charged quite mercilessly. About 50 people including approximately 10 women were badly hurt. Heerawati, who was pregnant, was also hurt. The SHO took 20 people and 50 bicycles with him to the police station and the workers were released on personal bonds. When asked as to what action he would take against the VDO for violating the legal rights of workers under NREGA by not paying the wages, the SHO said he was merely following the orders from the higher ups. He refused to reveal the name of the officer who had ordered lathi charge. The next day, wages at the rate of Rs. 42 per day were transferred into the accounts of the labourers.

The repression of workers is now emerging as a trend. The political ruling class has decided to deal with the demands being raised by workers for their legal rights strongly. The workers will be punished. The ruling elites realise that these demands ultimately will lead to a clamour for a more equitable society and wider and deeper participation of workers in the decision making process in our democracy. They do not want to give away this power easily. The above-mentioned incidents also indicate that the workers are now getting better organised than before. NREGA has at least helped achieve that. We hope that the problems of workers will be resolved within the constitutional framework peacefully and will lead to further democratisation of society and government.

Arundhati Dhuru & Dr Sandeep Pandey

[

Arundhati Dhuru is a national convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), and an Adviser to Supreme Court Commissioner on Right to Food. She is noted for her frontline leadership of the anti-dam movement (Narmada Bachao Andolan) and has extensive experience of working on people's issues across India. Email: arundhatidhuru@yahoo.co.uk]

[Dr Sandeep Pandey is a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) for

emergent leadership, member of National Presidium, People's Politics Front (PPF), heads the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and did his PhD from University of California, Berkeley in control theory which is applicable in missile technology. He taught at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur before devoting his life to strengthening people's movements in early 1990s. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com. Website: www.citizen-news.org]

[Published in THE HINDU, 5 April 2009]

High Court stays workers' right of unemployment allowance

High Court stays workers' right of unemployment allowance

The affirmative and bold step taken by the Department of Rural Development in Uttar Pradesh to pay unemployment allowance to laborers of district Sitapur under the NREGA Act was challenged by the BDOs in the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court.

The Hon High Court has reaffirmed and

upheld the jurisdiction and authority of the Commissioner Rural Development and has directed the Commissioner to give a hearing to the petitioners and ensure that payment is made to deserving persons only.

The Dept of Rural Development had indeed taken a very commendable step by upholding the Constitutional right of workers for unemployment allowance which is a right guaranteed to them if they do not get employment within the stipulated time period. (Schedule III Para 7 of the Act)

The amount has to be paid from the state treasury and not from the wages made available by central funds.

Incidentally, under the NREGA no laborer is prevented from working elsewhere. The state is bound to provide 100 days of labour failing which it has to give unemployment allowance if demanded.

The committee which was constituted at the district level to look into the whole issue of unemployment allowance in Sitapur was chaired by an SDM rank officer along with two more government officers along with representatives of the organization which raised the issue. The beneficiaries were part of the committee as NREGA itself gives power of social audit to the workers whose participation is in keeping with the basic spirit of the act.

I would like to underline that NREGA completes three years on February 2. However, in UP it has made commendable progress only during the last one year. The present administration has sensitively implemented the Act in its true spirit. This has been in terms of developing effective grievance redressal mechanism and introducing worker and gender friendly Schedule of Rate (SOR) to measure the workers’ output.

NREGA however, is not in the pink of health in the state. There are issues which still need to be addressed such as checking corruption and pilferage, increasing coverage and ensuring work to the needy and facilitating smooth payment.

It needs to be seen if the state government manages to check incidents like the one which recently occurred in Hardoi. Here an influential pradhan under patronage of a ruling party minister physically manhandled workers demanding their right to work. The acid test for the state government lies in rising above political pressure to ensure the right of workers as guaranteed under the Act.

Arundhati Dhuru
Advisor to the Supreme Court Commissioners in the Right to Food case
Phone: 94150 22772

Published in: The Times of India

BSP's Abdul Mannan urged not to shield those who beat dalit workers

BSP's Abdul Mannan urged not to shield those who beat dalit workers

A Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of

fice-bearer Ghanshyam rained baton rods on dalit workers on 14 January 2009. Ghanshaym is the husband of Urmila Devi, who is the Gram Pradhan of Gram Panchayat Aira Kake Mau, Block Bharawan, District Hardoi, UP. Ghanshyam is also the BSP Treasurer from the Vidhan Sabha constituency of Minister for Science and Technology in UP Government, Abdul Mannan.

The main grievances of these dalit workers was that they had been paid less than what was due to them under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and their Job Cards were either not given to them or contained arbitrary entries. The dalit workers had come to inspect the NREGS documents in accordance with the right of social audit given under the NREG Act, when they were beaten mercilessly by BSP office-bearer Ghanshyam.

The BSP cabinet minister Abdul Mannan is scheduled to visit the same Gram Panchayat of Aira Kake Mau in Bharawan block (Hardoi district, UP) on Saturday, 31 January 2009. "If a senior BSP cabinet minister Abdul Mannan will support a person like Ghanshyam who has mercilessly beaten up the dalit workers, then activists will believe that BSP is supporting and protecting the human rights abusers of dalit workers" said Neelkamal, who is the people's nominee for the 2009 elections from this region.

The people of this region have strongly condemned the increasing criminalization and corruption in politics. Hundreds of them descended in the state capital of Lucknow to stage a massive demonstration to press their demand that Abdul Mannan should not shield those who beat dalit people.

Ironically BSP has been claiming to be championing the cause of dalits. This is a blatant example where a BSP office bearer had been exploiting dalit workers, denying them their due and manhandling them in broad daylight as well. Instead of supporting the cause of dalit welfare and advocating for strict action against Ghanshyam, BSP’s cabinet minister Abdul Mannan is likely to support Ghanshyam by going to the same gram panchayat and participating in his programmes. "Is this the manner in which BSP is going to protect dalit people?" asks Neelkamal.

The activists of National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) and Asha Parivar are resolute to challenge this rampant corruption and criminalization of politics from now on.

"In her past stints as Chief Minister, Mayawati has given little attention to the well being of dalits. Dalits found it as tough to get cases registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act as ever and state SC/ST Commission provided no relief either. Matters related to violence against women also suffered a casualty in her regime. Neither did the situation of landless dalits, hoping to take possession of their legitimate pieces of land allotted to them by the panchayats, improved. All the other benefits through the panchayats continued to be siphoned-off by the unscrupulous elements. There was no clamp on corruption in the various schemes which could have possibly resulted in more benefits flowing to the dalits. With the possible exception of Ambedkar villages there was no overall improvement in delivery efficiency of the administrative system or justice to the poor" had said Dr Sandeep Pandey, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) in an article published years ago. The situation hasn't changed much since then, as BSP Supremo Mayawati's regime continues.

[Photo caption: top - the dalit workers from Hardoi village who were beaten by BSP office bearer Ghyanshyam are staging a dharna opposite Vidhan Sabha in state capital of Lucknow; middle - senior Narmada Bachao Andolan social activist and Advisor to Supreme Court Commissioner on Right to Food Arundhati Dhuru; bottom - Neelkamal - the native of Bharawan block in Hardoi who is a nominated candidate for Member of Parliament elections 2009 from the same constituency this year]

Published in
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Pakistan Christian Post, Karachi, Pakistan
Citizen News Service (CNS)