The government needs to stop India’s avalanche slide into a widely divided society, made worse by the pandemic
On January 17, 2022, Oxfam International presented its annual global “Inequality Report”. Title inequality kills, the report calculated and presented a quantum increase in the wealth of just a few, as well as the impoverishment of millions of working people. During the novel coronavirus pandemic, the report shows, more than half of the world’s new poor are from India; 84% of Indian households have lost income, 4.6 crore people have fallen into extreme poverty. In this period, the richest 142 people have more than doubled their wealth to more than Rs 53 lakh crore. This is clearly happening by design, and can only be corrected if our policy makers reverse their structure of giving the poor a word of mouth while creating policies that support the rich. One of the most important places to show commitment to equity is the Union Budget; And inequality should probably be discussed before and after the budget of every union and state in India.
this is the guiding light
There is also a constitutional mandate to reduce inequality. In India today, some of the most basic human rights that allow people to survive are under threat. It is the sacred duty of the government to abide by the constitution and ensure the distribution of these rights. The policy making “duty” of all governments is to follow the Directive Principles of State Policy – Part IV of the Constitution. The budget is one of the most important annual exercises in state policy, and it is the Directive Principles that should be a guiding light. In the context of inequality, Articles 38 and 39 mandate a policy path. Among other important principles, Article 38(1) states: “The State shall endeavor to promote the welfare of the people by securing and preserving a social order in which justice, social, economic and political, shall inform all. institutions of national life.” Article 39(c) states: The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards ensuring— (c) that the operation of the economic system results in the use of money and the means of production. There is no normal damage.
Speaking of ‘duties’
Therefore, a rights-based policy framework must be followed by the Indian state to protect the poor and marginalized. But the Prime Minister advocates that people focus on their duties and stop demanding their rights. On January 20, 2022, at the launch of the Brahma Kumaris’ year-long program (as part of the government’s celebration of 75 years of independence), the Prime Minister announced, “In the last 75 years, we have only talked Rights, fighting for rights and wasting your time. The talk of rights may be true for some time but completely forgetting one’s duties has played a huge role in keeping India weak. The irony is That the prime minister was not referring to his own duties.
Reducing inequality should be a top priority in a country like India. Today this principle is being reversed. The Oxfam report does not specifically examine the rising wealth of India’s billionaires. Let us look beyond this 0.000001% of our population, and for budgeting purposes, look at their analysis of basic social services – specifically those that affect the survival of the poor.
India should be one of the only countries in the world where health budgets have declined during the COVID-19 pandemic – and that too by a whopping 10% in the last year. Social security expenditure has come down from an already pitifully low 1.5% in 2020-21 to 0.6% of the Union Budget in 2022. It is at the end of budget allocation where people are deprived of the most basic services and rights and unable to survive. , The social security pension for the elderly, disabled and widows has been withheld at ₹200-₹300 per month for almost 15 years. The government says that they do not have enough money to index them according to inflation. In contrast, policy makers have increased their own salaries and pensions by 28% in the last year through DA hikes, and have given themselves a bonus of 3% – just for one crore central government employees and pensioners. Total social security pension budget for 3.3 crore beneficiaries with an increase over the cost of the exchequer.
The prime minister’s outrage against “rights” probably explains his lack of support for the implementation of rights-based laws. Yet, during the pandemic, his government also had to turn to the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to save millions of Indians from hunger and premature death. After increasing the allocation in the first phase of the pandemic, the allocation was stopped, and budget cuts were made in the 2021-22 budget. The government said it would supplement whenever needed. However, it is clear that supplements come extremely badly, causing widespread distress, and under MGNREGA, the legal guarantee of work on demand.
During the recent 18-day “Jawabdehi Yatra” in the state of Rajasthan, we came across thousands of cases of not getting ₹2 per kg of wheat to the needy people. The reply to complaints and appeals filed in writing is that the portal is closed and no entry is now allowed. The priority list of households under the NFSA has been stabilized in absolute numbers based on the percentage determined from the 2011 Census. In the last 11 years, population growth of about 10 crore eligible beneficiaries has been excluded. Therefore, about 12% of legally entitled people – even children from existing “priority homes” – cannot get subsidized food grains. Using digital codes to block even the law-mandated appellate process is a living example of harsh multidimensional inequality, showing why the Oxfam report’s headline “Inequality Kills” is poignant and true.
children and education
The pandemic has also produced a generation of children who have forgotten what formal education is. Many teenagers from poor families have already joined the team. The education budget has been cut by 6% during this period. Relying on online learning coupled with budget cuts amounts to the institutionalization of endemic multidimensional poverty.
The list can go on and on. As we await the Union Budget 2022-23, will this trend reverse? There will be much discussion among affluent analysts cautioning against social sector spending, calling them “welfare and charity”. Programs such as the Food Security Act will not receive the amount of allocation required, even if food stocks exceed 90 million tonnes. People’s Action for Employment Guarantee (PAEG) has estimated that around Rs 2,64,000 crore would be required to guarantee 100 days of work for the currently active job cards. Even half the amount is not likely to be allocated for MGNREGA. Social Security pensioners will continue to face hunger, humiliation, illness and death. One can hope that if nothing else, their lakhs of votes in the crucial state elections will give these families some basic rights. But, in polarized elections, the basic needs of the disorganized and the voiceless are easily overlooked.
data generation time
Policy makers will tell us that resources are scarce. Oxfam says that the combined wealth of India’s 142 billionaires has increased by a whopping Rs 30 lakh crore just in the pandemic period. Jan Sarokar, a network of over 30 social sector movements, has suggested that the top 1% of our population will receive a 2% property tax, and a 33% inheritance tax, estimated at ₹11 lakh crore per year, for basic support. rights of the social sector. Such suggestions are already being ridiculed by market fanatics. Which way will the government go?
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s response to most international reports has been to claim flawed methodology and analysis. It is time to introspect, generate strong data and face the truth. Budget is a policy that matters to everyone. Unfortunately, there is little hope that this government will stop this avalanche from turning into a completely divided society. It is perhaps up to society to stand up and ensure that we remain true to our constitutional commitment to building a more just and equal society. This is our most fundamental duty.
Nikhil Dey and Aruna Roy are social workers of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS). views expressed are personal
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