People's Democracy

V P Singh Writes To PM

Below is the text of the letter written by the former prime minister V P Singh to the prime minister Manmohan Singh on the issue of Employment Guarantee Act.

I AM writing to express my wholehearted support for the enactment of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

The policy priorities outlined in the Common Minimum Programme of UPA government begin with a pledge to “immediately enact a National Employment Guarantee Act”. This commitment is particularly significant in the light of the employment crisis in rural areas. A well-designed National Employment Guarantee Act will go a long way towards protecting rural households from poverty and hunger. In addition, guaranteed employment would contribute to many other social goals including the slowdown of rural-urban migration, the empowerment of women, the protection of the environment, the revival of gram panchyats.

No doubt, implementing a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act is likely to involve a substantial financial burden. However, as a former finance minister, former prime minister and concerned citizen, it is my considered view that this burden should not stand in the way of this visionary and far-reaching initiative. The economy is doing well and the time to share the benefits of economic growth with the underprivileged is long overdue.

It is of course important to ensure that funds are well used and that the employment generation programme is corruption free. The best safeguard in this respect is to implement these programmes in a decentralised manner and to enact a strong Right to Information Act together with the Employment Guarantee Act.

Since you are keen that the common minimum programme (CMP) should not remain an empty promise, we trust that this central commitment of the CMP will be honoured without delay. You can count on my support in this respect.