“It is a
class attack” –MGNREGA
Interview
with Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister of Tripura. By T.K. RAJALAKSHMI
ON November
26, Manik Sarkar, the four-time Chief Minister of Tripura, was in New Delhi to
take part in a protest organised by the Communist
Party of India (Marxist) against the proposed cuts in the budgetary provisions
for Tripura under the Mahatma Gandhi
National
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Tripura, the only State ruled by
the Left in the country, won an award for best
performance under the MGNREGS for providing the maximum number of mandays of
work. Manik Sarkar, a CPI(M) Polit Bureau
member, wrote
to the Prime Minister twice explaining the hardship the State would face in
view of the budgetary cuts. He received an acknowledgement
but no reply. Excerpts from an interview he gave Frontline:
The Union government headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems
to be keen on restructuring the MGNREGS. What are the implications of such a move?
As per the
provisions of the Act, it is a demand-driven scheme. Those who register their
names should be given work within 15 days. If the
authorities fail to provide work, then compensation has to be given. The
Narendra Modi government is changing the approach. This cannot be
changed through an administrative order. It is an Act of Parliament. I have
written two letters to the Prime Minister. The objective of
the Act is to reduce poverty, which will in turn check malnutrition and
migration from rural to urban areas. The decision of
the
government is not demand-driven but allocation-driven as per the budget. The requirement is Rs.60,000 crore for 100 days [of work]. In
2013-14, the Congress government allocated Rs.33,000 crore; in 2009-10, the
allocation was Rs.39,000 crore, and for 2014- 15 it is
Rs.34,000 crore. With this amount, only about 44 days of work can be generated. There are
reports about increasing the material-labour ratio, which will, without a
commensurate increase in funds, adversely affect the number of
wage employment. These steps will have serious consequences for the vulnerable
sections—the Scheduled Castes [S.Cs], the Scheduled
Tribes [S.Ts], the Other Backward Classes [OBCs] and the religious
minorities—and defeat the very purpose of providing them
protection against exploitation. We had hoped that the new government would
increase the wage rate, expanding the basket of eligible
works with a focus on the creation of infrastructure and productive and durable
assets in rural areas. But the steps taken indicate otherwise.
Tripura has managed to generate employment for an average number of 87
mandays. Will the budgetary cut impact
this record?
For the past
three years, Tripura has remained number one [in work generation under the
MGNREGS]. In 2011-12, we generated 86 mandays, in
2012-13, it was 87, and in 2013-14, we generated 88 days of work. The MGNREGS
is a demand-driven scheme and the
labour needs
are finalised jointly by the Central and State governments. The labour budget
approved earlier in the year for Tripura was estimated at
Rs.1,406.96 crore. This came down to Rs.652 crore, which is a decrease of 45-46
per cent. This is much less than what Tripura
received in 2013-14, which was Rs.943.66 crore. The reduced budget will affect
unfinished works, including infrastructure works.
Naturally, the workers will not get wages. It will create a lot of hardship,
including affecting the purchasing capacity. Even the market will
be affected. This will have an effect on the overall economy. While the budget
for Tripura has been reduced, the allocation to some States
such as Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu has increased
significantly.
Why is there so much dependence on the MGNREGS? Is the State not in a
position to raise resources or generate employment on its own?
Our kitty is
very small. We are dependent on the Central government. People are poor here.
We cannot tax them. Barring a handful of States, all
other States face a similar problem. I don’t know why they are not raising it
with the Central government. If they have any feeling for
their people, they will protest. But I am surprised they are silent. We are not
raising it out of any personal interest but for the sake of the
poor and common people.
Do you think the Act should be amended? One of the reasons given for
altering the labour-material ratio is that long-term assets are not being created. The government has launched
other anti-poverty measures such as the Jan Dhan Yojana.
The Act
should be strengthened in its existing form. The employment generated should
not be confined to 100 days. It should be extended to
200 days and the rate of wages should be augmented. The scope of work should be
widened. It is mainly unskilled work. If one opts for
skilled work, then the poor will not get work. The contractors will benefit. It
is true that employment cannot be generated every time by
cutting the earth. But it is not the right time.
Our labour
budget was approved in February. Because we exerted pressure, the Centre released
57 per cent of the funds. By now, the second
instalment for the remaining part of the financial year should have arrived. It
has not come yet. The non-release of funds will
create a
crisis in the rural areas as the agricultural season is over and the requirement
for wage employment through the MGNREGS will increase
in the coming months. The bulk of the money goes to the gram panchayats. The
plan of action is prepared by the gram, block and
district panchayats and approved by the Central government. They are the main
instruments and are vibrant in Tripura. They prepare
the plans with enthusiasm—whether it is construction of roads, drains and
culverts, reclamation of waterbodies or building anganwadi
centres. These are permanent assets. Road and irrigation works can help boost
the economy too. We have been creating permanent
assets. Regular checks are conducted by the administration at every level and
our Ministers, including myself, go to the grass roots and
meet beneficiaries. There is constant monitoring. Getting budgetary funds is
not our sole objective and practice. We get work done standing
at the worksite.
There is much
talk about the Jan Dhan Yojana. It is a good thing to have bank accounts. But
what is the use of an account if one does not have money to
arrange for food. Without food, will I go and deposit the money?
I have
inaugurated the scheme in the State, but I do not know how it
will benefit the poor.
The Left parties have been at the forefront of opposing the dilution
of the scheme and now other parties have started speaking up. A section of “experts”, however, doubt the
effectiveness of the scheme.
Yes, parties
such as the Congress should open their mouths. The Congress was forced to
launch the scheme during the United Progressive
Alliance’s first tenure [2004-09]. It is a different story how and why the UPA
launched the scheme, but there is no denying that it was
implemented by it. It was not serious [about its implementation]. That is why
the entire amount required was never released and less employment
was generated. The UPA never augmented the budget of the States and it was
never in a mood to encourage the scheme. The
experts represent a small group—the owning class, which is close to the BJP.
The attack on the MGNREGS is mainly a “class” attack
[attack on the working class].
(Published in Frontline.in)
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