Reaching Unreached - Still a myth after 68 years of Independence

Reaching Unreached - Still a myth after 68 years of Independence

CHALLENGES TO GOVERNMENT:

Welfare & Development seem to be two focus areas for any Government that is adequately resourced (for example, funds flow, investments, industrial growth). The challenge to the Government is in balancing these, while also sustaining growth, fostering inclusive development, addressing socioeconomic imbalances, all in an increasingly complex political environment. Leadership in a true democracy is expected to tackle these head-on and in an equitable manner. Efficient revenue collections, industrial growth, process innovation, optimization of intellectual resources, increased global trade, enabled IT/Financial services, and service sector growth, are some enablers of success for an economy like China. A similar commitment in the world's largest democracy India is a much bigger challenge but provides an opportunity for a leader with vision & commitment.

REVENUE SOURCES:

Sales Tax (VAT) & State Excise ( liquor sales) are two important revenue sources of any state, other than percentage share in central taxes such as service tax, excise duty, income tax etc.  It is undisputed fact that many cases of single women, orphan children, malnutrition, school dropouts particularly in low income groups are due to liquor menace.  Though the department is named as Prohibition &  Excise , hardly any activity is taken up to promote prohibition. There are hardly any deaddiction centers promoted by the Government & NGOs run few centers, but their presence is insignificant. Though Gandhi Jayanti day liquor is not sold officially, it is freely available as the police are not serious about enforcement. It is minimum expected from Governments to conduct seminars, anti liquor drives etc on 2nd October in remembrance of father of nation. Like election commission & its network is controlling election expenditure, liquor sales during election period is controlled by excise department (people are well aware what it means).          

PROMOTING LIQUOR SALES TO OPTIMIZE REVENUES

As it is observed, Governments are announcing innovative policies to promote liquor sales  like one liquor shop for every 5000 population, promoting liquor in shopping malls, road side liquor shops for better reach, round the clock liquor sales etc. With these strategies, there is left no stone unturned to promote liquor sales and maximize revenues. As Ghee is added to the fire, companies are promoting liquor sales with cash incentives, gift for each peg/bottle, shop owners promoting door delivery approach (belt shops), promoting local fairs etc.  Even the communist ruled states are no exceptions to this. With all these activities, the entire supply chain is happy, as their revenues are maximized with pretty high ROI compare to any other enterprise.  No wonder, in future to sustain the growth rates, brains of highest order, may come out with innovative ideas like liquor shops based on consumption patterns and concentration on most vulnerable population.  It is a case in which for want of optimizing revenues, the people's health and welfare are put to stake. Kudos to very efficient tax/revenue collection system.

HOW REVENUES ARE SPENT?

Now the issue is where are these revenues going? Is it been spent on people's welfare?  Is the same innovative & efficient revenue collection systems are being followed in allocation & implementation of the welfare programmes? As it is frequently reported in media & CAG reports, public have serious doubts about the meticulous spending of public funds. The same brains of highest order working very efficiently on revenue side has to show similar or even more commitment towards welfare and ensure that the implementation strategy is immune from prevailing political systems. I am sure if the bureaucracy implement welfare programs with conviction, keeping equity, equality, social justice in view (constitution rights) without any bias, sooner the things will fall in line.

The larger welfare programs in a state include schools, health care, veterinary care, Agriculture/Horticulture, Food for work, public distribution system etc.  Public distribution system reach is fairly good due to historical reasons, even with large amount of leaks in supply chain. Field studies revealed that there are over 20% bogus/ non presence of ration holders in villages and dealers were enjoying the benefits. The recent introduction of e-pass & transparent procurement of sugar etc resulted in huge savings to Government.  The food for work program needs in-depth study to improve overall efficiency. Agriculture /Horticulture departments needs to reorient its role from subsidy seeds, fertilizers etc to productivity/production linked extension activities.

SERVICE DELIVERY

When it comes to service delivery in Education, Health & Veterinary services, uniform coverage of the area with physical infrastructure and human resources is essential. If the bottom up approach is followed, the social justice, equity & equality issued will be addressed effectively. If we look into ground realities, the picture will be totally different. In the areas where the powerful political leadership, road side villages, towns & cities the infrastructure, human resources are made available and remote & areas with lack of political clout are neglected. Bottom up approach is expected to follow, but often it ends with top up approach. It reminds me of a saying of a highly committed bureaucrat “Government works- it works for its Ministers, senior officers, and its staff. Once in while it thinks about people & it's commitment towards them". One has to internalize this saying and put pressure on Government to ensure service delivery with efficiency.  As it is popularly said " even mother will not feed without asking", how do we expect Government to take care of people, without people's participation.

Based on budget allocations at GOI & states level, every year, improvement of physical infrastructure, new institutions , additional human resources are added to the system to improve the coverage.  Through assembly bills, respective ministry based on logic is expected to allocate this infrastructure to districts.  The respective department’s heads in consultation with District collector is expected to prepare action plan by mapping the existing institutions, existing staff position, rating the physical infrastructure and recommend the new institutions with logic of reaching poorest of the poor, remote areas etc with improved coverage. You will be surprised to know the field realities. These officers often without the knowledge of collector approach the political system in order of priority (Ministers to senior MLAs of ruling party) and promise them with new institutions in their constituencies.  Once it's gone into their head, it is impossible for collector or secretary to insist on logical frame work approach. The result of which is skewed distribution of   institutions and poor / no coverage even after 65 years of independence.

CASE STUDY:

In order to get into insight of service delivery issues, Animal Husbandry is taken as a case study. As for a study conducted by IIMA,  20%, 10% & 0% budget is allocated for medicines & other services in A,B, C classified states. The free services are reaching people with voice irrespective their class and others buy medicines. In few cases, doctors visit farmer's houses for providing service and farmers compensate them in kind - groundnuts, jaggery etc. As the farmer is not valuing produce given in kind, he is feeling obliged to doctor? Had he paid even a rupee as service charges, he would have demanded quality service. In present situation he is offering produce worth much more & still begging for better service.  Progressive thinking CMs attempted to implement user charges to bring in accountability in supply chain, but it did not see the light due to obvious reasons.  

INSTITUTIONS MAPPING

In the blocks/mandals where powerful political system is prevalent there are institutions covering even less than 1000 breedable population  and in some areas the coverage is very poor with single institution covering more than 10000 cattle population. All the political influence areas & road side areas the staffing is more than 90 % & in remote areas it is less than 60%. You will be surprised to know that in municipal & corporation areas, the institutions sanctioned when they were villages are being continued and staffing is almost 100%.  In head office & deputations to other departments for obvious reasons the staff is filled on priority basis with a compromise at remote area & village institutions. Heads of the institutions often quote the shortage of staff as major reason for non achievement of targets, by totally concealing the facts about their staff distribution. If any logical thinking secretary touches upon the issue, he or she will be transferred in no time.

PEOPLES PARTICIPATION:

For whom the Government is working? Is it not the responsibility of Government to provide quality and efficient service to people, with bottom up approach, staring with poorest of poor, poor, remote areas etc.? Even after 65 years & many 5 year plans, spending of millions of crores of public funds, why still the coverage is skewed & poor and remote areas are not covered? Are our policy makers, intellectuals, bureaucrats are lacking the required skills? Is the guiding principles are not clearly stated in our constitution?  Are the people not responsible for the present state of affairs?

 At every level we have to question, remind the system about our rights and use the RTI tool constructively. Non Governmental Agencies have to play a vital role. They have to understand and realize that poverty is impossible to address by working in isolation, creating models in small pockets etc. Instead they reorient their approach and work on policy, advocacy & rights issues, by working with people and Government, NGOs can act as catalyst in development. 

CONCLUSIONS:

Still the question of reaching unreached is not answered? The answer is very simple and practical. Design a mission mode program like pulse polio to address welfare & development issues. Identify & complete mapping of all existing institutions & manpower. Relocate them in order of bottom to top approach, identify duplication, unnecessary institutions and scrap them. Plan for allocation of resources starting from bottom most. Bring in accountability in the institutions, slowly bring them into user charges mode. Think of connecting them with philanthropists/entrepreneurs with measurable indicators.

The Government resources may not be sufficient to cover entire population. But with clearly defined approach all remote areas, 90 % of vulnerable population will be ensured of quality services from Govt. institutions. In developed areas & road side villages Government is already having prime lands & infrastructure. Give them on lease to social entrepreneurs and ask them to run institutions on guidelines from Government. Government can share its budget with these semi private institutions; ask them to give free service to white card holders. The social entrepreneurs will also be happy with model as they are able to have access to good infrastructure with reasonable cost, Government branding, respectable livelihood in their own place etc. Once this model is in place Government can focus more on R &D, training, Multi specialty/super specialty facility linkage in all welfare program other than fulfilling its commitment towards poor & unreached.    

Let us work towards realizing the reams of father of our nation.

Jai Hind.

B Guruva Reddy –grbonthu@gmail.com

9866889246