People8217;s Democracy

Funds for the poor

Politburo member Brinda Karat questions the methodology for poverty estimates used to decide fund allocation for poverty alleviation programmes: 8220;Unraveling the various aspects of the BPL Below Poverty Line system exposes a shameful story of deceit and political convenience with little to do with ground realities8221;. According to her, 8220;large numbers8221; of the poor had been excluded from the BPL category because of the methods adopted to identify the poor and decide on the poverty line. Referring to the Planning Commission estimates of poverty figures coming down, she identifies two anomalies: the divergence between the methodologies used by the Planning Commission and the ministry of rural development in making poverty estimates and identifying BPL families but which are nevertheless linked together to decide on state-wide allocations, and the absence of a uniform criteria across states to determine poverty levels. Karat points out that despite faulty criteria being used to define poverty 8212; which took no note of the fact that the consumption basket was outdated or that the nature of family expenditure had altered with time 8212; fund allocation for states were revised. But she says the Planning Commission 8216;arbitrarily determined8217; that if a state8217;s allocation were downwardly revised by more than 15 per cent, adjustment of a like amount would be made. 8220;These adjusted state shares decided without a scientific criteria in 1997 continue till today,8221; writes the CPM MP.

Farmers in Rajasthan

Giving details of the fight over water in Sriganganagar, Bikaner and Hanumangarh in Rajasthan in which Left forces led people8217;s action, the weekly says the state government has responded to the agitation with 8220;brutal repression8221;. It reports two deaths because of police action, of a woman kisan called Parameshwari Devi and earlier of another 8220;kisan activist8221; Chandu Ram Saran. 8220;The Vasundhara Raje government was adamant that the death was not due to police lathi-charge in order to escape paying compensation,8221; says the front-page report 8216;Braving repression, Rajasthan farmers fight on8217;. At the time the farmers made three demands 8212; release of water in keeping with the 2004 agreement between the state government and farmers of the affected districts; compensation to Chandu Ram8217;s family and a government job to a family member; penal action against the police officials involved in the lathi-charge. The report claims that the agitation is spreading to other districts even though there is 8220;inhuman repression unleashed by the BJP government.8221;

IT and CITU

Bosses in CPM8217;s trade union wing CITU may have tried to protest media reports on the formation of an 8220;association8221; in the IT sector saying this did not imply impending strikes, but it is evident they mean business. The new association had placed a charter of demands and Bengal CITU president Shyamal Chakraborty said IT managements had said necessary steps had been taken for the welfare of the employees. 8220;The CITU leader Chakraborty wondered that if this was really so, why should the issue of a charter of demands be raised as a kind of bogey in the media,8221; a People8217;s Democracy report says, indicating that the 8220;CITU-friendly8221; IT association is not entirely friendly. Chakraborty is quoted as saying that the IT employees8217; association was a 8220;confluence of ideas8221; between the IT sector employees and trade unions set up to offer 8220;security of their hard-earned rights8221;.

Compiled by Ananda Majumdar