Crores struggle to get safe water, quality edu, roads, healthcare

The poor and marginalised sections living in rural and tribal areas, mostly in interior parts, are denied basic amenities in spite of ample budgetary allocations under many Central and State specific schemes. Still there are many villages and hamlets where basic amenities are a day dream.

In modern life, basic amenities are an essential foundation for a decent living and it enhances economic growth and ensures a dignified life. The scope of basic amenities includes safe drinking water, sanitation, housing, all-weather road, electrification, fuel, connectivity, healthcare centre, school, playground, public library and recreational facilities etc. These are non-negotiable conditions for living a decent life, but over the last 70 years of planned development intervention, the Governments have neglected this aspect without any substantial achievement till date as it is evident from the death of people in cholera  due to lack of safe drinking water in various parts of Odisha. Unless these basic issues of the poor and the marginalised sections are not solved, it is difficult to ensure an inclusive growth in the State.

The long time negligence of the Government towards a section of people in a democratic setup questions our very concept of nationhood and the effectiveness of the ongoing development process. Basic amenities are linked to qualitative and developed human living and the modern State has to ensure this out of public fund through dedicated institutional arrangements. But this process has not produced the desired result. The negligence in public investment for developing basic amenities for last 70 years has widened social, rural and urban gap as a result of which mostly the rural poor are migrating to urban areas for a better living.

The living condition of common people reflects the socio-economic, political and environmental development of a country. Mercer’s Annual Worldwide Quality of Living Survey ranked Singapore as the highest ranking city in the Asia pacific region. The quality of living in Indian cities has been poor in comparison to global standards. Among the Indian States, the quality of living and availability of basic amenities are widely unequal. States such as Kerala, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh are comparatively better than others.

The 2011 Census shows a huge inequality in availability of basic amenities in rural and urban areas, besides inequality among different social groups. The availability of piped water, electricity and toilets are not provided to more than one third of the rural households as yet in the country. It shows our public investment in rural areas is not inclusive of the rural poor and the marginalised and it has failed to address the basic requirements of the common people to bring change in their living conditions.

The people in rural parts of the backward States such as Odisha are in the worst conditions. The Dalit and Adivasi hamlets, minorities mohalas, primitive tribal groups in forest areas, fishing community habitations in coastal areas, forest dwellers, small and marginal farmers, sharecroppers, agricultural workers, households with traditional occupations, milk farmers, mining and industrial areas and slums with casual mining labourers  mostly reel under lack of basic amenities. They have to struggle every day to collect water for daily needs and manage with the available minimum. They use open space for defecation, burn kerosene oil or locally available firewood for food preparation and lighting the house. Their habitations are in isolation and segregated without proper sanitary facility, animal shelter space, linking road, drainage line and waste management facilities. Their dependence on public space has been sinking day by day with changing rural settings.

The village forest, water bodies and other common space are getting changed and scantily available these days. The public amenities developed out of public fund are mostly available to dominant sections of the village and, by and large, everywhere social exclusion restricts the free access of the socially marginalised groups, inspite of civil rights laws.

The situation of women, children and elderly people and sick persons in family is worsening further. This has an overall impact over the working hour of the men and women in family for earning and other productive engagement. Globally, it is understood that any human development must begin with making available of basic amenities for life. But why our Government, corporate bodies and communities have not paid adequate attention to the basic human needs and still people continue to suffer is a big question. The corporate philanthropy or corporate social responsibility (CSR) in India has not done much in creating basic amenities for the deprived sections. The Companies Act 2013, clause 135 and scheduled 7, speaks about CSR. It has created scope of philanthropy by the corporates and spending for creating basic amenities, specially targeting the poor.

The communities in rural areas have to change their mindset relating to basic amenities. They should not wait for Government for a long time and where ever possible, the communities should build amenities on their own. It is found that mostly people spend on customs, cultures and maintaining traditions but usually they do not invest in basic amenities. The rural, hilly, isolated people should go for creating community assets such as water bodies, public toilets, community space for recreational events and plantation out of community fund. The political parties, CSOs, community leaders and others must get engaged with the community to bring a change in the quality of living. Like the Smart Cities, there has been attempt by the Government to build Smart Villages. But these villages should be inclusive of the people on the edge.

(manasbbsr15@gmail.com)