The report, "40% of BPL cards with the rich, finds the govt.study" ( TOI dt.27/12/07) based on the findings of NCAER confirms the open secret that the system put in place by the authorities fails to deliver assistance to the poor. That the government goes on with this failed system without bothering to plug the holes is most disconcerting. Another article on the same day, Self-help works by Ajai Nair and Parmesh Shah, gives some hope. They say that over 16 lakh SHG households in 7000 villages in the Andhra Pradesh purchase in bulk from the PDS system and in the open market to distribute the same to their members. Another article by Ms.Yamini Iyer highglights the fact that the governments of Andhra and Rajasthan have been able to institutionalize social audit for NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) with the help of civil society. She says that the audit culminates with a public meeting of about 500 to 1000 people where finding are shared with the officials and politicians. While an amount of over 60 lakhs of embezzled money been returned by local officials in full public view in the last five months alone in Andhra, the civil society organisations have been able to assure Rs.73 per day for workers including women. This is a piece of good news indeed.
It is clear that only such vigilance by civil society can help the poor to access what is meant for them. It is time that the central and state governments involve NGOs and the corporates in the national task of uplifting the poor with their cooperation both in formulating and implementing poverty alleviation programmes. It should be a partnership of the government (funds), the corporate sector (management) and the civil society (sympathy & understanding). Or is it just a wishful thinking ? (Dec.28,2007).
