Poverty Alleviation Programmes in India remain mere show pieces until and unless they are backed by political will’. Discuss with reference to the performance of the major poverty alleviation programmes in India. (CD Mains TS)
Approach:
- In the intro, mention the constitutional backings for various schemes regarding vulnerable sections.
- In the 1st part of the main body, mention some of the cases where government intervention for vulnerable did not yielded expected results and the schemes and programs suffered failure.
- In the 2nd part of the ain body, discuss the reason behind such failure. Keep the focus on the main demand of the question here:absence of their awareness and active involvement at all stages of the policy process.
- In the end, give way forwards keeping the main demand in mind.
Answer
The Directive Principles of State Policy puts certain obligations on the state to provide social welfare schemes for the vulnerable sections of the society. Such schemes are conceptualized at ministerial level and implemented at grassroot level.
Indian government has often been criticized for inadequate implementation and last mile delivery of such schemes. One of the major reasons is that there is a lack of involvement of stakeholders in the policy making for whom the policies are being made, in all the 3 stages of the policy process- policy formulation, implementation, evaluation.
Some examples of the issues with the schemes and how active involvement is missing:
Example 1
- Despite the central government’s minimum support price scheme, it failed to support the marginal farmers.
- In 2018-19, just 12% of the 33 million farmers who were growing wheat availed of the government’s minimum support price (MSP), or the price at which it promises to buy 25 crops from farmers, regardless of their prevailing market price.
- The rest were sold in mandis, whose access was usually controlled by middlemen and where market prices are often below government MSPs.
- This is a case of lack of awareness among the farmersand also price is not fixed based on the consultation with the farmers.
Example 2
- The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme (BBBPS) is a flagship programme run by the central government to ensure the survival, protection and education of the girl child.
- The programme has failed in few districts because of lack of policy implementation, diversion of funds and the failure of monitoring mechanisms. This is a case where stakeholders are not involved in policy monitoring process.
Example 3
- These are some of the common trends witnessed in the poor implementation of many schemes such as ICDS in Bihar, NREGA in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, Mid day Meal in Madhya Pradesh, Health Insurance Scheme in Maharashtra, Old Age Pension scheme in Chhattisgarh and Bihar and the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Program in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh among others.
Example 4
- In 2013, in the Mid-day Meal tragedy in Bihar, 23 children were killed after eating contaminated cooked food, the flagship government scheme which provides lunch to nearly 120 million children in India every day facing lack of monitoring and hygiene, and also huge corruption.
- The public distribution system has suffered because of lack of identification and verification of the specified people.
- Today, if we analyze we will find the entire nation has only 35% of cards distributed among the BPL families under BPL card scheme. But the quota is coming in full to all the covered states.
Why implementation of these schemes is hindered:
- Inefficiency of executives:Reason of inefficiency can be attributed to improper monitoring, lack of accountability, corruption and misalignment of incentives.According to CAG Report 2013, MNREGA scheme failed in Bihar and Karnataka due to misappropriation and subversion of funds.Insufficient monitoring by the central government, misalignment of incentives which encourage rent seeking activities and finally, a lack of accountability which distorts the management of funds.Infrastructural issues:Lack of adequate facilities across sectors like health, education, transport, etc further deteriorates the chances of success of welfare schemes.It can be said that there are several factors that hinders last mile delivery of welfare schemes in India. However, sometimes there are flaws in policy design stage as well.Design flaws:It can be said that there are several factors that hinders last mile delivery of welfare schemes in India. However, sometimes there are flaws in policy design stage as well.
- Inefficiency of executives:Reason of inefficiency can be attributed to improper monitoring, lack of accountability, corruption and misalignment of incentives.
- According to CAG Report 2013, MNREGA scheme failed in Bihar and Karnataka due to misappropriation and subversion of funds.
- Insufficient monitoring by the central government, misalignment of incentives which encourage rent seeking activities and finally, a lack of accountability which distorts the management of funds.
- Infrastructural issues:Lack of adequate facilities across sectors like health, education, transport, etc further deteriorates the chances of success of welfare schemes.
- It can be said that there are several factors that hinders last mile delivery of welfare schemes in India. However, sometimes there are flaws in policy design stage as well.
- Design flaws:
- It can be said that there are several factors that hinders last mile delivery of welfare schemes in India. However, sometimes there are flaws in policy design stage as well.
- Political bias in schemes:Certain schemes are announced considering the political gains and not overall national interest. For ex: farm loan waivers across states were criticized by bankers as such practices are not good for the country’s credit culture.Beneficiary identification:Use of SECC 2011 data which does not truly reflect the ground reality. Sometimes, those in need are left out.Hence, the design flaws in the welfare schemes cannot be neglected. Both implementation and design of schemes are equally relevant.There is the example of exclusion in the ‘flawed design’ of the contributory Atal Pension Scheme.
- Political bias in schemes:Certain schemes are announced considering the political gains and not overall national interest. For ex: farm loan waivers across states were criticized by bankers as such practices are not good for the country’s credit culture.
- Beneficiary identification:Use of SECC 2011 data which does not truly reflect the ground reality. Sometimes, those in need are left out.
- Hence, the design flaws in the welfare schemes cannot be neglected. Both implementation and design of schemes are equally relevant.
- There is the example of exclusion in the ‘flawed design’ of the contributory Atal Pension Scheme.
Way forward
- There are examples of successful implementation of schemes when the overall goal is collectively shared among the citizens. Government adequately tackled several diseases such as polio, malaria and HIV when the target was well publicized and clear.
- The policies are made in ministries but implemented at state, district and village level. Hence, there is a need to strengthen grassroot governance. Also, proper feedback should be channelized to the policy makers to modify the systemic flaws.
- Apart from participation of citizens, the need of the hour is to simplify procedures, incentivize performance, reduce red-tape and make the best use of technology to achieve the desired goals.
Good governance does not occur by chance. It must be demanded by citizens and nourished explicitly and consciously by the nation state. It is, therefore, necessary that the citizens are allowed to participate freely, openly and fully in the planning process of schemes meant for them. The efforts of the present government on the principle of “Reform, Perform, Transform” seems to be in the right direction.
