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YOJANA

Lest we Forget the Other Panchsheel....

W
e all know that Jawaharlal Nehru enunciated the five principles for the conduct of
international relations which is known as Panchsheel. However, it is relatively unknown
that Nehru also formulated another set of five fundamental principles to draw a framework
for the development of the tribal people. This is contained in his preface to the book titled ‘ A
Philosophy for North Eastern Frontier Area (NEFA)’ written by the renowned anthropologist Verrier
Elwin whom Nehru greatly admired and respected. The cornerstone of Nehruvian vision of tribal
development is based on the need to respect the tribal rights in land and forests. It cautions against
the imposition of the thinking and values of the outsiders on the tribals and argues that they should
be allowed to ‘develop along the lines of their own genius’. These principles lay a clear emphasis
on retaining and respecting the autonomy of the tribal social and cultural institutions. These ideas
are in consonance with the Article 244 of the constitution which mandates the preservation of the
tradition and culture of the Scheduled Tribes and the autonomy of the scheduled areas.
The history of the marginalisation of the tribal people goes long back. In the colonial period a number of constitutional
provisions were enacted which effectively deprived the tribals of their traditional rights over land, forest and other natural
resources. The Indian Forest Act of 1927 introduced the principle of ‘res nullius’ which implied that any property which
does not have a documented legal owner can be appropriated by the government. Using this principle large tracts of land
were handed over by the British to the Forest Department which was created to implement this rule. Similarly, the concept
of ‘Eminent Domain’ that owes its origin to the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 gives the government the first right to acquire
any land for public purpose. This has also been criticised for taking away the traditional rights of the tribal people over
land and natural resources.
It is a fact that the tribals have faced displacement and deprivation to facilitate various developmental projects such as
setting up of industries, mining operations, construction of big dams etc. According to some estimates close to 10 million
tribals have been displaced and lost their livelihoods on account of such developmental activities undertaken in the country.
The modern nation states indeed ‘divide their territories into complex and overlapping political and economic zones,
rearrange people and resources within these units, and create regulations delineating how and by whom these zones can be
used’ to achieve certain goals but safeguarding the rights of the indigenous people, protecting their culture and livelihood
has been accepted as a fundamental duty of the state.
In India too, the provisions like the Fifth and Sixth Schedules of the constitution provide a historic guarantee to the
adivasis on the right over their land and have been hailed as ‘constitution within constitution’ so far as tribal rights are
concerned. The Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), gives substantive powers to the tribals with regard
to natural resource management and self-governance. The Forest Rights Act also grants community rights over common
resources apart from the individual rights to integrate the conservation and livelihood rights of some of the poorest of
the poor people of the country. The recently promulgated Land Acquisition Act prohibits the acquisition of land in the
Scheduled areas without the consent of the local institutions of self-governance and thus seeks to address some of these
concerns about the right to land and livelihood of the marginalised people.
Marshall Sahlins has called the hunter-gatherers, aboriginal and indigenous people the ‘Original affluent Society’ who
lived the ‘Zen road to affluence’ with finite and few but adequate material wants for a dignified life. In contrast the modern,
western ‘Galbraithean way’ to affluence is based on the great wants of man to be satisfied with limited means. Let us not
try to bridge this gap through the suffering of the tribal and the marginalised people since a tear long suppressed can turn
our glitzy dreams into nightmares.  q

YOJANA January 2014 3

 YOJANA

Bridging the gap

I
ndia’s growth story during the six and half decades of Independence has been
remarkable, with India emerging from an underdeveloped nation to one of the largest
economies. Despite many ups and downs in the global economy, India has been able
to hold fort and reached a growth rate of 7.5 per cent in the last quarter. Recent report
by the World Bank has projected India as the world’s fastest growing economy. As per
the report, India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow at 7.5 per cent in
2015-16 followed by further acceleration to 7.9 per cent in 2016-17 and then to 8 per
cent in 2017-18. The economic indicators show a significant improvement in growth
figures over the last one year.
President Pranab Mukherjee, while addressing both houses of Parliament at the start of the
budget session described “Inclusive growth covering the poorest of poor” as the government’s
top priority. This emphasis stems from the realisation that there has been a gap between the
pace and pattern of growth in India. The country’s progress on various fronts has not been
translated into overall improvement in life of poor and marginalised sections of society. India’s
135th rank on UNDP’s Human development Index substantiates this fact. In India, a need has always been felt to broad
base economic growth and share the benefits of the growth process to make it more inclusive. The concept of “Inclusive
growth” was first envisaged in the Eleventh five year plan document which intended to achieve a growth process with
broad-based improvement in the quality of life and equality of opportunity to all. Twelfth plan document highlighted this
agenda more emphatically with specific focus on reducing poverty, improving health and education facilities and livelihood
opportunities.
Inclusive growth means economic growth that creates employment opportunities and helps in reducing poverty.
It includes providing equality of opportunity and empowering people through education and skill development.
The Government has launched several initiatives to ensure this by bringing excluded sections of the society into the
mainstream and enabling them to reap the benefits of faster economic growth. One of the major steps in the direction
of bringing about financial inclusion, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, PMJDY, has yielded impressive results within
ten months of its launch with 98 per cent households having a bank account. MUDRA Bank, SETU, Skill India Mission
are strong measures expected to create skilled workforce and provide livelihood opportunities. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan
Jyoti Beema Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Suraksha Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana have been introduced with the
intention of creating sustainable security net in the country. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act (MGNREGA), has improved the standard of living of people and has been able to check migration to a great extent.
Kisan Card, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), National Agriculture Market (NAM) are aimed at
benefitting largely the agrarian community, an important indicator of socio economic wellbeing of the country.
However with a diverse population of 1.2 billion, the biggest challenge is to take the levels of growth to all sections of
the society and to all parts of the country and this is where the role of appropriate technology comes into play. Digital India
programme launched this month proposes to address these challenges and use technology effectively and efficiently for
the benefit of people by delivering governance and services to the last person. The mission aims to use technology to bring
about complete transformation in the basic sectors of education, health, agriculture and manufacturing thereby improving
general quality of life. With Indian economy now headed in a new direction with a broad objective of “Inclusive Growth”,
it is poised to secure to its citizens, the equality of status and opportunity in real sense. q

YOJANA August 2015 5

 YOJANA

Labour with Dignity

L
abour force has the capability to define the growth and development of any
country. It plays the most important role in any economic activity. It is in this
context that the labour welfare poses major challenge for the policy makers
in any country in terms of creating decent work environment and ensuring well being
and prosperity of its labour force.

Indian labour market has a sharp divide between organised and unorganised sector.
The small proportion of organised labour enjoys an advantage with stringent laws
and rules and regulations enabling them to fight for their rights. The major chunk
however consists of unorganised labour with almost no job or social security. Each
segment of labour whether organized or unorganized, industrial or agriculture, migrant
or non migrant has its’ peculiar issues and challenges to deal with. The unorganized
sector, whether in the urban areas or rural areas toils hard to help the rich earn huge
profit margins and accumulate wealth. Rural unorganized labour on the other hand ends up toiling for the land
owner for a mere pittance. The very name – unorganized – symbolizes their state of affairs with their plight
being reflected in terms of low wages, bad working conditions and uncertain employment prospects. Migrant
labour, moving away from their roots with family, bag and baggage, are found in places far away from where
they belong. As construction workers, road workers, household help, they are around us all the time. Women
labour constitute another major segment whose work is rarely seen or recognized.

With India poised to have the largest workforce in the world by 2025 it is imperative that labour issues are
given the attention and the importance that they deserve. Number of laws viz. Industrial Disputes act, Minimum
wages act, Contract Labour Act, have been introduced over the years to take care of various aspects of labour
welfare. Most recent ones being The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015, The Employees’ Compensation
(Amendment) Bill, 2016, The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016. Ministry of
Labour & Employment is now taking steps for simplification, amalgamation and rationalisation of Central Labour
Laws and replacing them with 4 Labour Codes viz. Labour Code on Wages Bill 2015, Labour Code on Industrial
Relations Bill 2015, Labour Code on Social Security & Welfare, and Labour Code on Occupational Safety, Health
& Working Conditions. Schemes like MGNREGA, Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
Mudra, Pradhan Mantri Rojagra Protsahan Yojana have been introduced to ensure social and economic welfare
of existing as well as prospective work force and empower them towards their own well being.

The Government being committed to make India the largest investment destination and the manufacturing
hub in the world, attempts are being made to look at labour reforms holistically with intention to make them
commensurate with economic growth and ensure labour welfare in it’s true sense.  q

YOJANA April 2017 5

 YOJANA

A Covenant for social protections

T here is much talk everywhere about India's demographic dividend with debates ranging from
how India's growing young population will make India a world economic leader sooner rather
than later to how the same young population may turn out to be a drag on the economy with
no employment opportunities to offer them.
In all this hype on the demographic dividend , one critical fact seems to has to be kept in mind
by our planners, economists and social thinkers is that India also has a rising population of the
elderly. It is estimated that India's elderly population will reach 173 million by 2026. Much of this
population will consist of the poor, underprivileged and women who will need some kind of financial
and psychological support. There are other vulnerable groups as well – like women, differently abled,
marginalized, unorganized labour- all of whom require some kind of support from the government to
sustain their lives. Social security is a covenant that promises support to these vulnerable sectors of
society, a covenant that cannot and should not be broken by a democratic government. Fortunately, our
constitutional framers had built in provisions for social security for various sections of the population
in Article 43 of the Constitution. And, successive governments have faithfully ensured the upkeep of the spirit of the Article.
Schemes like Indira Gandhi old Age Pension Scheme and Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme ensure social security
for the elderly. While pension was ensured for all government employees post retirement and was one of the key attractions of
government service, the private sector had no such facility. People who retired from the private sector had to be solely dependent
on savings made while in service. This meant that post retirement , if expenses like education to children or marriage of daughters
was to be incurred, this made a big hole in the savings and the employee was left with very little for meeting day to day expenses,
expenditure on health, etc. It was to resolve this problem that the government initiated schemes like the National Pension Scheme,
Atal Pension Yojana, Swavalamban, etc to ensure steady income post-retirement.
Farming is one hazardous occupation with success or failure of the crop dependent on vagaries of the weather, availability
/non-availability of water, pests, et al. Realising that the welfare of the farmer is a key to economic stability, the government
introduced schemes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Kisan Credit Card for facilitating funding
of various agricultural activities like buying seeds, fodder for cattle, fertilizers, etc. All these schemes are expected to ensure
security for the farmer in his duty of feeding the nation. Another related area is food security – i.e. ensuring food reaches the
millions of population who cannot afford to buy cereals and pulses at market prices. The Public Distribution system was started
to ensure that basic food products were available at subsidized prices. The PDS has now been linked to DBT to make sure that
its benefits reach the genuine needy person.
Other vulnerable sections of the population like the differently abled, women, marginalized and unorganized have also been
addressed in various initiatives of the government like the Inclusive India Initiative which seeks to facilitate equal opportunities
for the differently abled in nation building and Nai Manzil , USTTAD and Nai Roshni for the minorities and marginalised. The
government has recently proposed to bring in a Code on social security and welfare for labour which is expected to provide
social security for the unorganised sector. The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana have been introduced
to provide education security to the girl child. The Maternity Benefit Programme for pregnant and lactating women has been
approved by the Cabinet. Health insurance schemes have also been introduced by the government for various vulnerable groups
towards health security.
It is an understood philosophy of a democratic state that it cannot ignore the problems of its population. The government of
the country is duty bound to address the problems of its vulnerable sections. Social security is, therefore, one of the essential
factors in good governance. As John F. Kennedy said " “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the
few who are rich." A government that believes in governance of the poor and for the poor has necessarily to plan and execute
policies and programmes for social security of the vulnerable sections.

YOJANA July 2017 5

 YOJANA

Abode for everyone

A
roof over one's head is a dream that every human being aspires for. While the
rich and famous create palatial abodes for themselves, the poor man tries to build
himself and his family a shelter be it only a plastic tent.
Housing, at one time was never an issue in the Indian context. The joint family system
meant that there was one house for the entire family and all the family members lived in
the family home. The trend of migration to cities for jobs first raised the issue of a house
for a family. The advent of the nuclear family system further exacerbated the situation
with parents and children living away from each other. Rising concentration of people
in urban areas also resulted in an increase in the number of people living in slums and
squatter settlements. According to 2011 census, the urban population of India increased
by 91 million over a period of 10 years. The census projected housing shortage at 18.78
million in the beginning of 2012 with majority of it coming from economically weaker
sections (EWS) or Low Income Groups (LIG).
Affordable housing has, thus, become one of the biggest challenges of the present
times. Planning for a home has become imperative for the younger generation today who
are often forced to begin their career with the quest for a permanent home for themselves. Skyrocketing prices of land and
real estate in urban areas have made houses unaffordable. Ever rising rents, fleecing builders, unapproved land use, sub
standard building material etc have all widened the gap between supply and demand.
It is in such situations that the Government regulations play an important role. While the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation
and Resettlement Bill ensured proper and justified use of the land for various purposes, the Real Estate (Regulation and
Development) Act was introduced by the government to protect interests of home buyers. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
– Housing for All Urban has been introduced to solve the housing problem of the Indian middle, lower middle class and
below poverty level class of its citizens. PMAY-G aims at providing a pucca house, with basic amenities, to all households
living in kutcha and dilapidated houses, by 2022. On the financing front, while National Housing Bank regulates housing
finance companies, RBI regulates commercial banks and partially cooperative banks. The Credit linked subsidy schemes
have facilitated financing of houses even for those who could otherwise not afford them.
Infrastructure is another important dimension of housing. Adequate infrastructure facilities like roads, metro trains,
schools, hospitals, shopping areas and children's play areas are a must for making “Housing for all by 2022” a success.
Use of durable and environment friendly material in construction is equally important in today’s scenario. A design needs
to be such that it ensures that the house withstands the ravages of time and nature. Green technology can make the house
environment friendly and also obviate the necessity to use artificial coolers in the summer and heaters in the winter. Smart
cities Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) aim to address these issues by
promoting cities that provide core infrastructure and give the citizen a clean and sustainable environment and also address
issues of improved quality of services.
A stable home is an essential requirement for life and happiness of a family. And, it is the effort of the government to
ensure a better abode and thus a better life to the last person.

YOJANA September 2017 5