The last week has been replete with disturbing signals in the socio-politico-economic sphere, especially so far as the State of Odisha is concerned. Reliable reports indicate that the unemployment rate in the State has nearly doubled to six per cent from below three per cent in 2013. Further disturbing is the fact that 84 per cent of households in villages in the State do not even get casual labour wage work, despite the MGNREGA scheme.
In cities and towns, as high as 55 per cent of the households have no single person earning any wage or salary. A Planning Commission note reveals that there is concealed and disguised unemployment and underemployment in the expanded sphere of self-employment.
Alongside are further revelations that huge amounts of unutilised budgetary allotment for the State’s developmental works stand surrendered. At the micro level, money available for the building of the premier cancer hospital is not utilised and is surrendered. Unauthorised diversions range from hundreds and thousands of crores.
And in Odisha, three infants are dead every two hours. Malaria and jaundice are threatening many lives. Swine flu is raising its head in a menacing manner. All these do not reflect a healthy trend assuring a better future for the State.
In the background of this scenario, the Council of Ministers has formulated the much-awaited land Grant Policy, 2015 for Bhubaneswar. Newspaper reports indicate that “The policy will look into the land required for housing by statutory authorities such as the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and the Odisha State Housing Board.
land carved out into suitable sizes in the capital city for residential and institutional purposes will be given through auction. News reports too indicate that cooperative societies will also be allotted land for housing. There seems to be an apparent ambivalence in clubbing residential, institutional and commercial purposes to be conditioned by the principle of “auction”.
The modality of auction for residential housing of all categories is not pragmatic and is manifestly pro-affluent. Adequately fine-tuning the policy to provide affordable housing, including those for the economically weaker sections of the community, seems to be of lesser significance. “Auction” is not a panacea for subserving of all the ingredients of public interest.
The Government has to share the burden of responsibility in the already artificially over-pitched real estate prices in Bhubaneswar. For an average wage earner, it is almost impossible to acquire a reasonable shelter in terms of housing. luxury and profit have inspired the builders in the private sector. The statutory bodies do not have an effective policy of housing and of allotment of such houses amongst the relevant income groups. If the intent of the present policy is to auction the land given to such authorities and cooperative societies, the policy would be repugnant to rationality.
The Supreme Court has already clarified in the Presidential Reference that “auction” is not the sole method of disposal and distribution of State largesse. The modality has to be conditioned by the social objectives that are meant to be achieved. The 2G spectrum and providing for affordable housing to the weaker sections of the community are not comparable activities.
There is definite lack of clarity in the formulation of the policies. Even in the arena of mines and minerals, the policy underlining the present rules is dominantly pro-rich and marginally protect the interests of the persons who may be living next to the resources and may have legitimate expectation of making a living out of the resources in their surroundings and neighbourhood.
There shall eventually be inevitable problems in the sphere of major minerals which are proposed to be auctioned under the new Ordinance regime. Determination of a price at which the licence of any kind is to be given and the conditionalities for making such a licence operationally feasible are interlinked but have been artificially dissected. Forest, environment and other regulatory clearances are conditions precedent for executing a lease or for effectuating the grant of any licence.
The Government still does not have a policy of formulating a comprehensive project and offering it to be operationalised once the bid price is paid. The method of functioning of the State and Central Governments do not have a mechanism through which a project with required clearances could be on offer as a comprehensive commercial proposal with the relevant clearances/conditionalities so as to be operational upon the requisite payment of the bid price as a composite “consideration” for the concerned project. “Auction” may generate some additional revenue without any corresponding expeditious decision-making to ensure that a particular project is operational without any avoidable delay in the gestation period.
All this requires a new orientation in the thinking of the decision-makers. The age-old legislations governing the fields require an overhauling, not merely tinkering and pruning as hitherto done through the amendments to the laws. Marginal reforms would not ensure fulfilment of the social efficacy of a project. No doubt, there would be a fillip to the revenue earnings by the governmental authorities.
The assessment of the socioeconomic impact, the cost-benefit analysis and a holistic appraisal of every aspect of the project, though essential, are gradually getting diluted in their implementations. The distorted system results in the aberrations of crony capitalism and in the enrichment of a few at the cost of the larger segment of the community.
The disparities in income and wealth are already causing social tensions and unrests. When administrative measures are likely to add to these maladies, there is every likelihood of a warning bell for all of us. Public opinion is not being adequately articulated in this direction. This requires immediate response from the citizenry through constructive assertions. And surely, this concerns all of us!
(The writer, a Senior Advocate, is a former All India Service officer, a former diplomat, a former editor and a former Advocate General of Odisha. jayantdas@hotmail.com)