Garibi Hatao makes a come back

In a surprising development the Union government has decided to revive the three decades old Garibi Hatao or 20-point programme, initiated by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the mid-1970s as the country’s main poverty eradication programme. What are more surprising are the changes done in the original list of 20 points: land reform, a key feature earlier, is not in the new list of priorities.

On October 5 the Union cabinet chaired by the prime minister decided to restructure the existing 20-point programme (TPP) for the poor and deprived segments and bring back on its agenda "Garibi Hatao". The programme was personified by Indira Gandhi regime. In 1986 the programme got some focus under the Rajiv Gandhi government and few changes were engineered to make it effective. However since then there have been hardly any talks on the programme.

After the cabinet meeting the government clarified: "The 20-point programme is a package of social sector schemes and programmes having an important bearing on the poor and underprivileged." The new programme would come into operation from April next year. It is expected that the next fiscal budget will be tuned to this agenda.

What triggered the decision? Particularly at a time when the government data shows ‘tremendous’ achievement under the TPP. Going by the data of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (see table below), the TTP has achieved more than 100% targets during 2005-06. Certainly, political urgency is one reason given the upcoming assembly elections in states like the Uttar Pradesh. On the other hand, the slogan of Garibi Hatao had become clichéd. The programme has lost its mass appeal. A repackaged TPP backed by political focus is expected to work wonder.

Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, the information and broadcasting minister, clarified after the cabinet meeting: "It has not failed. But it has sufficiently scored." "However, the need for restructuring was considered inevitable as over the years several new policies and programmes have been introduced and brought within its (TPP) ambit," he said.

Looking things in current context, the decision comes at a time when the government is under pressure to slow down its economic liberalisation process. The Congress party president Sonia Gandhi has also hinted in no uncertain terms that the ‘aam admi’ must be factored into the liberalisation process. Add to it the intensifying pressure from the supporting Left parties to adhere to the common minimum programme that focuses on social sector policies and to make the economic development work for the poor. Government decision to revive the TPP is to emphasise this. Government’s commitments under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are being included in the restructured TPP.

The earlier TPP had more than 100 different components while the new TPP will have 64 specific areas and components targeted at SC, ST and OBC population. Its main components are food security, housing, clean drinking water and health for all. The list was last revised in 1986. Government has constituted a group of ministers (GoM) with external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee as the chairperson with 14 union ministers as members and the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman as special invitee to look into the restructuring of the TPP.

One interesting deletion in the new TPP is the agenda of land reform. Last year this sector scored the maximum (see table below). In the original TPP land reform was the key instrument to eradicate poverty. In the current TPP its deletion is surprising given that the government has been vocal in admitting an agrarian crisis. Besides, land reform started during early 1960s is yet to be completed in term of distributing surplus government lands to marginal and landless people. The prime minister’s consistent call to address rural poverty crisis will not be fruitful without the basic issue of land reforms being addressed.

20-Point Programme achievement during 2005-06 fiscal
Government score card points at unbelievable achievements