BACK GROUND:
India is growing at an unprecedented rate. But there are concerns. How much of the benefits of growth are shared with the poor? How are we reducing the regional disparities in the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) between geographies?
Since Independence successive governments had evolved multiple schemes and the benefits accrued to the end user could have been far better had we followed the models adopted by other developed economies suiting to Indian conditions.
HOW CAN I CONTRIBUTE?
Goal Setting: Ensure India as a Super Power by 2025 A.D by transforming the status from a developing Country to a Developed Nation.
METHODOLOGY:
I will appoint a CEO and he/she shall constitute a team drawn from domain experts from various verticals for implementation under. the Public Private Partnership - (PPP) scheme.
In line with some of the developed economies, we should make education compulsory and mandatory for availing the social security measures promulgated by the government. Child labour and child/women abuse should be banned and offenders should be punished to the extent of loss of citizenship. Enforcement laws should be strict and should not be subject to
manipulation by the power centred communities.
As in developed country, every citizen will be provided with a social security card which will assures basic support from the Government for Education, Employment, Health care,
Unemployment doles and Housing facilities.
Stage one: The team shall adopt a "District" for implementation on a pilot and transform into "Poverty Free model District" .
In Stage Two: Learn and replicate best practices adapted to the rest of the state incorporating terrain specifics.
Further, in Stage Three, deploy the model all India to achieve the stated objective by 2025 A.D. to transform India into a "Poverty Free Nation"
PROMISE:
The model shall enforce a ban on child labour and ChildlWomen abuse. Ensure 100% literacy and compulsory free education for every citizen till the age of 16. Provide free vocational skill development for employment opportunities for the aspiring unemployed youth matching his/her profile. The scheme should offer free health care and medical facilities. The model shall foster a congenial climate for development of infrastructure growth and services sector for employment generation.
We should aggressively grow the agricultural economy through modern techniques to optimize produce and set up fair practices for marketing the produce to boost income levels for the farmer. The model shall use the whip and remove intermediaries at every level to sanitize transactions and ensure fair returns to the producer and customer. The model shall assure benefits of the scheme reach the last citizen sans bureaucratic hurdle and corruption. Eradicate cultural, religious, economic, social and governmental barriers in implementation. Ultimately every citizen shall be provided with a social security card to fulfil the promise and reap the benefits in total thereby eradicate Poverty.
AGENDA AND GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT:
Political economy must take centre stage in efforts to reduce poverty in word and spirit. The Government schemes should be created with a holistic approach, a singular objective of poverty eradication through schemes benefitting the masses without vested agenda of the agencies.
The Government needs to be more responsive to needs of citizens and become accountable for its performance. For accountability of Government, the model should create checks and measures to eradicate corruption and ensure the benefits reach to the ultimate citizen without adulteration.
The model must frame labour laws synonymous to modern economies; such labour laws shall be relevant to policies post liberalisation in the late 90's.
The model should endeavour to Increase access to bank finance to rural poor through micro finance and credits to small and home businesses.
On the education foray, the model shall encompass steps in increasing literacy level through effective and trained teachers imparting quality education. The syllabus should be relevant for career development for the unemployed youth. The infrastructure facilities must encourage the student to participate whole heartedly in academics. The model shall accord importance to extra curricular activities for all round skill development of the student.
Due recognition must be given to meritorious student to nurture a strong character and personality through dedication, involvement and fair practices adopted by the teaching fraternity at all levels of .to build a strong young India.
The model shall set up commissions to fix fair salary for each vocation and monitor the benefits reach the employee as done in western countries. Lastly but not of least importance, land reforms should be re-Iegislated should be non biased to the tiller
ACTION PLAN:
The model hall create an "Apex body" at the District level with "Public Private Partnership"(PPP) to design, develop and implement each of the above mentioned scheme with total transparency and control.
Through the Public Private Partnership program acquire land and build infrastructure for Schools, Industrial training institutes, Study centers, Libraries equipped with state of art equipment/ learning kits to deliver industry demand driven education. The teaching faculty should be trained with pedagogy techniques to impart education. Industry participation with education institutions will bridge the gap between academics and employment and synchronize education to industry demand for employment.
PPP should endeavour to build world class hospitals and health care organizations for industry best attention under the social health care schemes comparable to developed countries.
The model should usher world class engineering skills to promote all round development in the infrastructure space for employment generation such as Roads, Bridges, Telecom, Communication and Travel services, Public utilities in verticals like power, water supplies, sewage, postal. railways, surface transport, affordable air link services department among others. Development of services industry like Travel and tourism, logistics etc., should be envisaged to exponentially grow employment generation factor particularly in the rural markets.
Technology and skill transfer should be ushered through strategic alliances with international companies for chosen verticals to deploy industry best development activities at par with developed countries worldwide.
The model should draw funding support from Govt and Global institutions such as, World Bank, WHO, UNICEF, ILO, UNESCO among others
Besides, the discerning citizen should have access to cheap funds through state owned banks for each of the priority sector namely - Education, Agriculture, Industries, Tertiary, Health & Family welfare and other services organisations.
The model should set- up audit and review committee for optimum utilisation of resources· without leakages. The machinery instituted should review progress dispassionately at periodic intervals on a department wise itemised basis for price performance.
CONCLUSION:
During the last 40 years, economic growth was given more importance than income distribution and inequality. Service sector growth was one of the important sources of poverty reduction. We need to make significant strides in developing the infrastructure and services related industries which can catapult employment across industry verticals. The Implementing agencies and Government on one hand and the citizens on the other should fully integrate and co operate through a 360* coverage for transforming the Nation into a "Poverty Free Country".