Dear Friend
Another installment has become due as we enter the Ides of March:
- In recent years, there has been a tendency to make public services 'cost effective', specially for the rural poor. In so doing, a series of lowly qualified, lowly paid para-functionaries are being appointed by panchayats to deliver basic services. So, Shiksha Karmi for primary education, ASHA for primary health and Lok Sevaks for rural employment have been recruited in large numbers. The irony, of course, is that regularly employed primary school teachers and health workers are doing no work and yet receiving salaries 4-5 times higher than these 'paras'. And, when it comes to middle class, the service providers are well-trained and well-paid?
- The voice of the global civil society on issues of contemporary concern is unevenly heard or recognized. In a recent study on 'missing voices, it was found that voices of muslim civil society on global platforms are mostly missing. This is particularly true for muslim civil society from countries like Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE etc. Even the inter-state grouping of Islamic states OIC_ Organisation of Islamic Conference - does not 'hear' much from muslim civil society from these countries. It is not surprising, therefore, that loud voices of terrorists are getting equated with muslim 'non-state' actors in the public minds?
- The season of budget-making is upon us here in India. On the last working day of February every year, ritually, the annual budget is presented by the nation’s Finance Minister. The Budget is not merely what is ordinarily meant by the term budget; it is more than that. This year, the Finance minister has recommended that future allocations on health services will be prioritized on the basis of detailed district-wise health surveys. Good idea? But, surely, this is the job of Health Ministry, not Finance Ministry? And, how planning for health services budget is done in Health Ministry is now an open mystery? It has not yet done any district health surveys in 60 years?
- In a recent dialogue with political parties on strengthening devolution in the country, it became apparent that the discussions within major political parties rarely focus on the important policy issues. Even in major national political parties, let alone regional ones, no discussion has been held lately on the status of panchayats or municipalities. In the absence of such inner-party consensus on important public policy matters, it is amazing how any public policy is debated or legislated in parliament and state legislatures?
- As a part of the ritual on budget-making, the finance ministry typically presents to the parliament what is called an Economic Survey. Generally prepared and overseen by the Chief Economic Advisor, the Survey analyses the economic scenario and makes some policy recommendations. Most years, it is a boring exercise of 'government-speak'. This year, however, the Survey contains some interesting ideas. First, the role of the government as an 'enabler' has been discussed; this is in sharp contrast to government as controller, doer, regulator and provider? Second, there is explicit recognition that social relations have an impact on economic development; is this a reference to ideas of 'social capital'? This are welcome fresh thoughts in the formal economic policy-making in India, though they are pretty old elsewhere?
All the very best
Sincerely
Rajesh Tandon
President, PRIA
