People's Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
No.
31
August 01, 2010
|
Vol. XXXIV
No.
31 August 01, 2010 |
Chronic
Problems Demand Welfare Role From Govt
WE welcome
the convening
of this 55th meeting of the National Development Council (NDC). The
main items
of agenda are: (1) Mid-Term Appraisal of the 11th Five Year Plan
2007-12, and
(2) Issues Pertaining to Urbanisation, Agriculture, Left Wing
Extremism, Water
Resources, Tribal Development, Interface between Power Generation and
Availability of Coal, etc. It gives us an opportunity to express our
views on
the major issues that are so vital to our people and society.
AGGREGATE
AND
SECTORAL
GROWTH
The Eleventh
Plan aimed at
an average growth rate of 9 per cent per annum. Our economy exceeded
the
expectation in the first year of the Eleventh Plan, but the momentum
was interrupted
in 2008-09 due to the global financial crisis. The growth rate in
2008-09
declined to 6.7 per cent but rebounded to about 7.4 per cent in
2009-10.
According to the latest available data, the estimated rate of growth of
GSDP of
West Bengal would reach 8.68 per cent in 2009-2010, with the growth
from
agriculture, industry, and services sectors estimated at 4.59 per cent,
7.49
per cent and 10.45 per cent respectively. It may be noted that the
growth rate
of GSDP for
POVERTY
AND
UNEMPLOYMENT
The basic
objective of the
Eleventh Five Year Plan of West Bengal is to follow an all inclusive
growth
approach for improving the living standards of the masses, particularly
of the
marginalised people. Poverty and unemployment rate are two important
indicators
to study the conditions of people over time and across regions. The
chronic
problems of unemployment and poverty in the country, accentuates the
required
welfare role of the government, which should be specifically oriented
to
address the basic issues affecting the common man. It cannot be denied
that
although there has been perceptible growth in certain sectors during
2009-10,
comparatively speaking, the adverse effects of the recent worldwide
recession
are still acutely present in the economy. It is pertinent to highlight
that the
policy of globalisation led to marked rise in unemployment. According
to the
latest data and analysis of the Expert Group of the Planning Commission
undertaken in November 2009, the percentage of people living below the
poverty
line in the rural areas is still as high as 41.8 per cent compared to
the
official estimate of 28.3 per cent (2004-05). The phenomenon of jobless
growth,
with an alarming drop in employment opportunities, is noted with
growing alarm
in the organised and government sectors. It is imperative to firm up
definite
targets and effective strategies for increasing employment in
agriculture,
small and medium industries and the services sector.
UNCONTROLLED
INFLATION:
NEED
FOR
UNIVERSAL PDS
Another
greatly unsettling
problem of the country in recent years is obviously the uncontrolled
price rise,
leading to sharp increase in prices of food and essential commodities.
According to price data published by the government of
Against this
backdrop of
rising inflation and the periodical natural onslaughts of droughts,
cyclones
and floods, a large section of population has major difficulties in
meeting
their basic minimum needs. It is suggested that the ideas of checking
inflation, generation of employment and comprehensive creation on
income for
the common people may be translated into reality by expanding the
welfare role
of the government and making it more effective. To protect the common
people
from the ravages of inflation and to control the process of inflation
itself,
it is imperative to introduce, from the level of government of
EDUCATION
For expansion
of
opportunities of education, priority has been attached to access to
primary
education for all children (5+ to 8+) and the net enrolment ratio
reached 99.25
per cent in 2009-10. To reduce the dropout rate among students, along
with
enrolment of children in the primary schools, the midday meal programme
has
been implemented at the level of primary schools through the
involvement of
self-help groups. It may be highlighted that the dropout rate at the
primary school
level has fallen to 6.85 per cent in 2008-09, lower than the dropout
ratio of
the country as a whole (7.8 per cent).
The Right to
Free and
Compulsory Education for Children Act, 2009 has come into effect from
April 1,
2010. Under this act, various statutory obligations have been imposed
on the
state government. Particularly the state government has to improve the
infrastructure of all schools to bring the same in line with the
requirements
laid down under the act within a period of three years. Similarly, new
schools
have to be set up and a large number of sanctioned posts for teachers
are to be
created to meet the requirements under the act. The state government
also has
to bear the school tuition fees and other charges for 25 per cent of
the total
number of students enrolled in private and unaided schools. But no
provision
for financial empowerment of the state government to bear such huge
financial
requirements to meet the statutory obligations under the act has been
made.
National Development Council is requested to recommend allocation of
funds to
the state governments to meet the requirements under the act.
In the fields
of higher
education, for expansion of the opportunities of education and research
and
improvement of the academic standard, along with necessary expansion of
the two
newly established universities, namely, West Bengal State University
(Barasat)
and Gour Banga University (Malda), steps taken are – establishment of
Sidho
Kanhu Birsha University centred around Purulia and Bankura,
strengthening of
the campuses of the University of North Bengal at Jalpaiguri and
Rabindra
Bharati University at Siliguri, initiation of the process for
conferring the
status of a university upon Presidency College and playing a
facilitating role
in the upgradation of BESU to the level of National Institute of
Science and
Technology. In addition, a centre of
In order that
students can
take part in the production process, special priority has been accorded
to
expansion of vocational and technical education at all levels. With the
target
of setting up of vocation training centres in secondary and higher
secondary
schools in the state, 2000 additional training centres will be set up
in
2010-11; 25 new IITs will be added to the existing 89 IITs.
In the sphere
of madrasah
education, 112 junior high madrasahs have been upgraded to high
madrasahs and
196 high madrasahs have been upgraded to higher madrasahs in 2009-10.
75 junior
high madrasahs will be upgraded to high madrashas and 100 high
madrasahs will
be upgraded to higher madrashas during 2010-11. A new campus for women
will be
set up for
HEALTH
In health
sector, priority
has been accorded to decentralised health care and development of
infrastructure of the subcentres within each Gram Panchayat and
improvement of
services in the subcentres located at the headquarters of the Gram
Panchayat.
It is found from the latest state-wise data (2008), published by the
government
of India, that as a result of the measures taken by the state
government, the
death rate in the state has fallen to 6.2 per thousand, which is not
only lower
than the all-India average (7.4) but also the lowest among the states.
The
infant mortality rate in the state has fallen further to 35, which is
much
lower than the all-India average (53). Birth rate in the state has also
fallen
to 17.5, which again is much lower than the all-India average (22.8).
In the
year 2008 the total fertility rate in the state has fallen to 1.9,
which is far
below the all-India average (2.8).
LEFT
WING EXTREMISM:
DEVELOPMENT
ISSUES
In
The state
government has
announced a surrender-cum-rehabilitation package for naxalities
(Maoists) in
accordance with the guidelines issued by the government of
The
government of
AGRICULTURE
AND
IRRIGATION
Over the
years, the
lingering uncertainty and retarded growth in the agricultural sector
has
contributed to the price rise factor. As a result of comprehensive
steps
starting with land reforms, extension of irrigation facilities and
improved
production techniques appropriate for common farmers, the rate of
growth of gross
state domestic product (GSDP) from agriculture in 2009-10 reached 4.2
per cent
in
Inadequate
coverage of
irrigation and drainage aggravates the problem of productivity.
Although in the
union budget of 2010-11, there has been inclusion of centre-state joint
schemes
in irrigation and drainage for the state, the share of the irrigation
sector in
the total central plan outlay was, unfortunately, only 2 per cent, as a
result
of which the proportion of irrigated area of the country, particularly
in
connection with foodgrains, has still not exceeded 45 per cent
(government of
India Economic Survey, 2008-09, Statistical Appendix). This has led to
the
inevitable neglect of investment in fertilisers and regrettable
dependence on
imports.
In the sphere
of major
irrigation projects, accepting the demand of the state, the government
of
I would make
special
mention here about the post-‘Aila’ mega scheme of reconstruction and
improvement of Sundarban embankments planned to be executed at an
estimated
cost of Rs 5,032 crore. This project is extremely important for saving
the
ecologically fragile Sundarbans and for saving millions of people
living there
from the threat of violent cyclonic storms. So far the state has
received only
Rs 187 crore against the project. Since the project has to be completed
on war
footing, the government of
LAND
REFORMS &
LAND
DISTRIBUTION
In the
predominantly
agricultural economy of
INFRASTRUCTURE
DEVELOPMENT
Weakness in
infrastructure
is the most important constraint for growth of the economy. For
increase of
production in agriculture and industries and generation of employment,
sustainable improvement of infrastructure is obviously crucial. In
2010-11,
construction of 15 new bridges will start in the state. In case of
improvement
of 650 km of road, taken up during the first three years of the 11th
Five Year
Plan, work has been completed in respect of 270 km. It is expected that
500 km
of road will be brought under improvement work during 2010-11.
URBANISATION
AND
JNNURM
The
percentage of urban
population in
The
government of West
Bengal agreed to procure 1300 buses under JNNURM for Kolkata and
Asansol as a
part of stimulus package of government of
RURAL
BANKING
SERVICES
AND
RURAL
CREDIT
Rural credit
has become a
casualty because of the change in the government of
It is
suggested that the
facilities for banking services should be made universal. For this
purpose, it
will be necessary to have a bank branch or business correspondent in
every
village. Agreeing with this view of the state government, the RBI has
issued a
directive that in order to extend within
the next two years the facility of banking services to every village of
the
state where the population is more than 2,000, a bank branch will be
set up
and/or a business correspondent would be appointed. This should be
implemented
at the earliest.
According to
the
assessment of Expert Committee (Dave Committee) about the need for the
credit
from the banking systems for agriculture and allied sectors, the
minimum annual
requirement of bank credits for these sectors in
NREGA:
THE FUND
FLOW
PROBLEMS
In promotion
of employment
opportunity, the NREGA is certainly a step towards recognising and
ensuring work
as a right of the people in rural areas. Our state government and the
panchayats
at the three levels have taken keen interest in implementing the
scheme. Our
expenditure under the scheme during 2009-10 was Rs 2100 crore, which is
nearly
double the expenditure in 2008-09. While implementation of the scheme
has
gained momentum, its progress is now getting affected due to
non-availability
of adequate funds. Large-scale unemployment and under-employment is not
only a
rural phenomenon. As it is also a problem in urban areas, we feel that
NREGA
should be also extended to urban areas. To reduce the problem of
unemployment
in urban areas, the state government has already decided to introduce
the West
Bengal Urban Employment Scheme during 2010-11, which should receive
appropriate
support from the GoI.
PENSION
SCHEMES
The National
Social
Assistance Programme (NSAP) has three component schemes, namely, the
National
Old Age Pension Scheme, the National Family Benefit Scheme (widow
pension), and
the National Disability Scheme (disability pension). The schemes
provide for
payment of pension at the rate of Rs 400 per month (Rs 200 by GoI and
Rs 200 by
state government). In our state, there are some schemes funded and
implemented
by the state governments, where payments are presently at the rate of
Rs 750
per month and it is proposed to be increased to Rs 1000 p m. In terms
of
benefits provided, we feel that Rs 400 per month is too meagre an
amount. We
feel that the amount of benefits under the central scheme should be
increased.
Another important issue is the age limit for eligibility under the old
age
pension schemes. The age limit for national schemes is 65 years, but
for the
state schemes it is 60 years. It may be noted that the Maintenance and
Welfare
of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 defines a ‘senior citizen’ as
a person
who has attained the age of sixty years or above. We feel that the age
limit
for the Old Age Pension Scheme should be reduced to 60 years.
TRIBAL
DEVELOPMENT
The
constitution of
POWER:
IMPROVING
AVAILABILITY
Electricity
remains a key
element of infrastructure, essential for delivery of targeted levels of
economic growth and social development. In our state, the demand for
electricity is likely to grow substantially because of the demand from
the
industry and expansion of rural electrification programme under the
Rajiv
Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana. Accordingly, the state is in the
process of
augmenting its generation capacity by more than 3500 MW by the end of
12th Plan
period. Two major central public sector companies, BHEL and NTPC, have
been
involved for setting up additional generation capacities at Katwa and
Santaldihi. Our distribution company, WBSEDCL, has been ranked as the
best
public sector distribution company in the country, but power
availability
suffers because of the disruptions in power generation. There have been
progressive additions to our capacity for electricity generation, but
the
balance between demand and supply is sometimes disrupted because of
non-availability of standard quality coal. In our country’s present
coal
availability scenario, sourcing of coal from captive mines is extremely
important to ensure availability of good quality coal. It is therefore
necessary to allot captive coal blocks to meet the coal requirements of
power
stations in the public and private sectors in the state. Such coal
blocks are
needed not only for the power generation units; they are also needed
for the steel
plants. We feel that the coal ministry should allot coal blocks to the
state
government through the state dispensation route to ensure timely supply
of
adequate coal to power plants and other industries. The state is also
facing
problems in getting the promised power from NHPC. An MoU was signed in
March
2003 between NHPC and the state corporation, by which 500 MW power is
to be
purchased by the state corporation from Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric
Project,
but power from the project has been allocated to other states without
taking
the said MoU into consideration. WBSEDCL, the state power utility
company,
would like to set up a hydel power project in
SUNDARBANS
NEEDS
SPECIAL
ATTENTION
We would like
to highlight
the case of Sundarbans which is the largest mangrove forest in the
world,
internationally recognised as a World Heritage Site and a Global
Biosphere
Reserve. The islands are also inhabited by several lakhs of people who
are
economically backward. I am thankful that the Planning Commission has
arranged
for a non-lending technical assistance from the World Bank for climate
change
adaptation, bio-diversity, conservation and sustainable socio economic
development
of the Sundarban area of
CONCLUDING
NOTE
The above
presentation
will establish that my government, during the initial three years of
the
Eleventh Plan period, has tried to achieve the national goal of growth
rate of
9 per cent per annum. As a welfare state, we have tried to make this
growth an
inclusive growth benefiting all sectors of the people. The focus of our
activities during these years was centred on alleviation of poverty,
reduction
of unemployment, making life more bearable for the common man in the
face of
rising inflation, expansion of facilities in the health sector to cover
majority of the people, expansion of infrastructure for education in
all stages
including setting up of a good number of universities and facilitating
the setting
up of institute of excellence, continuing land reforms, raising
productivity in
agriculture and allied activities, and creation of appropriate
environment for
promotion of industrial activities. Our effort has been to provide
employment
to these who are able to work and to provide assistance in the form of
pension
to those who are unable to work. We are hopeful that during the
remaining two
years of the eleventh Plan Period the momentum of growth will increase
further.
To maintain this growth momentum, however, it will be necessary on the
part of the
union government to take positive decisions on some of the issues
discussed in
brief in this presentation.
