RESPECT MAHATMA GANDHI FOR HIS SPIRIT MORE THAN HIS NAME – By N.S.Venkataraman
Government of India has now introduced a revised rural job scheme, fine tuning the (MGNREGA) Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ,which has been under implementation for nearly two decades.
The MGNREGA scheme provides 100 days of guaranteed rural jobs, predominantly benefiting those living in rural areas.
The revised scheme is named as VB-G RAM –G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grrmin) ). As the revised scheme involves several structural changes and improvement such as increasing the guaranteed days of job from 100 to 125, financing pattern, the scheme involves strengthening the unemployment allowance providing penalty for delaying the wages etc. Since considerable changes are in the revised scheme, it has become necessary to change the name of the revised scheme , to clearly distinguish it from the existing scheme namely MGNREGA.
As has been the trend in recent time in India, critics and opposition political parties have protested against the implementation of the revised scheme. In the parliament, when the Bill was introduced, instead of providing an opportunity for members to discuss the merits and demerits of the schemes and evolve a consensus view, the opposition political parties indulged in unacceptable ways of protest like sloganeering , tearing the bill and throwing it. Such behavior prevented what could have been a much needed knowledgeable debate. In the process, the countrymen have been denied an opportunity to listen to alternate view points.
The revised scheme is required , since it has been found that the existing scheme had a few shortcomings, which partly prevented full benefit of the scheme reaching then people and the country. Apart from the complaints that there have been sort of corruption in the implementation of the scheme by providing false statistics with regard to number of people benefited , poor productivity in the actual work carried out and lack of clear focus on the nature of jobs provided in the scheme. Further, it was also said that the workers available for employing in the hard working agricultural field has come down sharply , due to people opting for MGNREGA scheme where the work is comparatively less intense and less supervised.
The revised scheme has focus on water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood related infrastructure, extreme weather mitigation, which are much needed relevant areas.
The critics have objected to the revised scheme , largely on two grounds namely change of title of the scheme without Mahatma Gandhi’s name and the financing pattern where central government would fund the scheme upto 60% and 40% have to be borne by the state governments. In the MGNREGA scheme 100% of the funding was done by central government.
Mahatma Gandhi was not only a freedom fighter but also the social reformer with deep commitment to the cause of truth and probity in private and public life. One of the cardinal principles of Mahatma Gandhi was total implementation of prohibition. Mahatma Gandhi believed that widespread drinking habit amongst people is the root cause for several social evils and family disruptions. Unfortunately, Mahatma Gandhi’s prohibition policy has not been implemented today in India, except in two states namely Gujarat and Bihar. Further, corruption free administration and governance has become conspicuous in present day India. There are so many other views of Mahatma Gandhi that have been now ignored or disrespected both in the government departments and by the people.
At the same time, Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday and death anniversary are observed by several type of postures such as garlanding of statues ,conducting prayer meetings and so on. In short, lip respect for Mahatma Gandhi rather than committed and honest respect is largely seen in India .
In such conditions, the insistence of the critics that Mahatma Gandhi’s name should not be deleted in the revised scheme appears to be a hypocritical view. There are hundreds of buildings, memorial structures and statues as well as streets and lanes bearing the name of Mahatma Gandhi all over India and deleting the name of Mahatma Gandhi in one scheme need not be considered as disrespect to Mahatma Gandhi.
What is required is greater respect for Mahatma Gandhi’s spirit and advocacy than what is prevalent today, instead of focusing on just his name , which is a cosmetic way of looking at Mahatma Gandhi.
It is high time that political discussions in India on concerning social and economic issues must become more thoughtful and matured than playing for public gallery with distorted and misinterpreted observations.
When political discussions are no more of the desired standards, it obviously means that the level of thought process and priorities of politicians in India are much less than desirable level which inevitably mean lower standards in political culture in the country. Discerning observers think that such condition is a matter of high concern.
