NGOs say UPA Government failed on the ground

New Delhi, May 24: A meeting of over 100 Non-Governmental Organisations from across the country has slammed the two-year rule of the United Progressive Alliance at the Centre, saying it failed to keep most of its pre-election promises to the people.

''We had high hopes from this government but now it seems that forces of neo-liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation have taken it over completely,'' said Amitabh Behar, convenor of the meeting, called to review the UPA's performance on its Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

The two-day meet ended with a rally asking the government, among other things, to honour its promise of allocating 6 per cent of the GDP for education, 3 per cent for health, ensure 33 reservation for women in legislative bodies and protect slum dwellers and the homeless.

Had the government delivered on its promises on the education front as mentioned in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP), it may not have faced the country-wide agitation by medicos on the quota issue, researchers, experts and activists attending the meeting said.

They were here for the second annual Civil Society Assessment of the CMP and evaluated the government's performance on critical issues of employment, education, health and social equity.

''India would have had 3,000 universities, the same as in the United States, had the Government allocated 6 per cent of the GDP for education as promised. The protests and the controversy over reservations, then, would have probably taken a different turn as the number of seats available would have been several times more,'' said Vinod Raina of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti.

Experts criticised the government over killing of tribals at Kalinga Nagar in Orissa, the salva judum movement in Chhattisgarh, the displacement of people in Narmada valley and on issues linked to farmers' suicides and declining agricultural productivity.

While appreciating the enactment of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), Mr K S Gopal from the Centre for Environment Concerns, Hyderabad, said that certain provisions of NREGA did not benefit the poorest of the poor.

The minimum wages offered under the scheme are lower than those in many states, he said. Moreover, women are losing out on getting employment under the Act since only one job is being offered per household.

According to health consultant Ravi Duggal, there was need to refocus attention on immunisation for measles and DPT. The budget for these two diseases, which can be tackled effectively through immunisation, had been reduced considerably, he pointed out.

''The National Rural Health Mission is old wine in new bottle with no additional finances or people. It is necessary to increase the health budget to at least 3 per cent of the GDP''.

The CMP had promised that no forced evictions and relocations would be done. ''Yet people are being rendered homeless in all corners of the country. Unfortunately, even the judiciary has not provided any relief to those being thrown out on the streets,'' said Indu Prakash Singh from ActionAid India.

There was also little effort towards complete devolution of powers to local bodies and panchayats, the experts said.

The demands included extension of the NREGA to urban areas, higher public expenditure on agricultural research, increase in the minimum support price of crops, security to slum dwellers and the homeless, increased coverage under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana etc.

Development Alternatives, ANHAD, Dorabji Tata Trust, Ekta Parishad, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Hunger Project, Jagori, Indian Social Institute, Mobile Creches, Urmul, NCAS, Action Aid and OXFAM International were among the over 100 NGOs that participated in the meeting.

UNI