It is interesting to notice that some quantum of inner democracy in the ruling party was displayed on the floor of the Odisha Assembly. The farmers in the State have been at the receiving end with the professed policies not serving their needs in an appropriate manner. There have been several cases of suicide, occasioned both by unaffordable indebtedness and lack of adequate State support to ensure appropriate remuneration for agricultural produces, especially paddy.
A former Revenue Minister and a senior leader of the ruling party SN Patro stated in the Assembly that in Ganjam, farmers are in trouble as there is no paddy procurement policy. The Collector says one thing, the Sub-Collector something else. When the Government is not able to deal with such an important issue, the only thing that can be said is that it has failed. The Digapahandi MlA also stated that similar is the situation in Rayagada district and some other pockets in southern Odisha.
The businessmen of Andhra Pradesh are buying paddy at a cheap rate from our farmers. This assertion indicates distress sale. Patro further stated. “Thousands of farmers are waiting at the mandis to sell their produce, but in vain.” Similarly, there have been allegations of under-pricing of paddy in Koraput, Nuapada and Bargarh. The BJD MlA from Khallikote also echoed Patro’s feelings. Tara Prasad Bahinipati of the Congress went further to state that many farmers had committed suicide owing to distress sale of their produce. Basanta Panda of the BJP alleged in the House that rice mill owners are ruling the roost and the Government is in their grip.
Alongside, intolerance and criminalities have reached their peak in the murder of a farmer in Niali block of Cuttack district for seeking information under RTI Act regarding utilisation of funds under a Government scheme meant to promote agriculture. The Speaker directed the Government to make a statement in the House. The Government’s response was on predictable lines: persons with criminal antecedents are reportedly involved; they shall not be spared and law shall take its own course pursuant to investigations by the Crime Branch.
The initiative of the Government to provide jobs to technical degree holders has not yielded any adequate response. The Minister for Technical Education, replying a question, stated in the Assembly that 129 technically qualified persons from the institutions in Odisha got jobs in various companies in 2014. In 2013, this figure was 319; in 2012, the figure was 221; in 2011, the figure was 451 and in 2010, it was at 904.
Going by an average calculation, only two per cent of the technical graduates, who registered for jobs with various employment exchanges, got postings in industries through Government help over the past five years. As per the Government statement, over one lakh technical graduates were registered with the employment exchanges in the past five years and only 2,024 of them could be provided jobs.
Illegal online transfers of NREGS funds to the accounts of fake beneficiaries in Balangir district have come to light through the admission of the district Collector. The Collector attributes this to the recklessness of the employees handling the fund transfer and there has been a leakage of login ID and password. While this could be projected as misdeed of hackers, suspicion is inevitably bound to be focused on designated Government employees, who are in charge of the task of NREGS fund transfers.
In Horticulture and Forest Departments, complaints of illegal transfers to the tune of rupees ten lakh are already a matter of concern. These departments, according to reliable reports, detected illegal fund transfers in October 2013, but the complaints before the police were lodged just a week ago. It is not unreasonable to suspect that the quantum of funds that may have been transferred in an illegal manner may be of a much higher magnitude.
A perusal of these events indicates a cumulatively declining concern for the rural poor. Most of the discussions at the higher levels of bureaucracy and the political executive have hitherto been focused on industry, mining, etc., concerning affluent industrialists. The alert citizen is entitled to question as to whether there is adequate concern for the economically weaker sections.
It is thereby alleged that an essential section of the society is not receiving due indulgence and attention. Announcement of policies or programmes by itself does not mean or ensure the effective and efficacious implementation thereof. Non-implementation or improper implementation of professed policies in very vital sector also results in either perversities in implementation of the policies or in the policies remaining unimplemented, confined to the documents they are printed upon.
There can be policy catharsis independent of a policy paralysis. A policy serves socioeconomic and politico ends only through its appropriate implementation, where the Government is burdened with the primary responsibility. But our experience demonstrates that there is much more announcement of intent and there is less of achievement of the social objectives and purposes of the very announcements or pronouncements. This requires immediate attention, especially in the agro-economic sector, which is already facing many impediments and distortions through a vicious circle.
Another aspect that should concern the Government is the study and analysis of the litigations that are pending against the Government, especially at the level of the High Court. It is not necessary that the Government must take an adversarial attitude in the court when an average citizen approaches the court with his grievances.
A cursory study of the pending litigations would indicate that many of them could be sorted out and not consume the valuable time of court, if there was a proactive attitude and orientation on the part of the Government. This problem applies equally to service disputes, commercial disputes and even conflicts touching newly-propounded policies. The system of filing a counter affidavit with the sole object of opposing the claims of an average citizen is not indicative of a pro-people positive policy on the Government’s part.
Many litigations are not required to be fought out but deserve to be sorted out. They are indicators of the aberrations in the arena of administration and as they could provide the clue to identify the maladies in the administration that drive an average citizen to knock at the doors of the court. Alongside, there is a hidden current in the attitude of some enjoying executive power to suggest to the persons to rush to court so that they don’t have to take a decision by duly applying their mind, so as to ensure that the social objectives of the policies are achieved.
To err on the negative side can thus be a safe ploy for inactive and non-decision-making elements in the executive. The increasing number of litigations is also occasioned by an apathetic, insensitive and pedantic decision-making process. It is time the Government looked into this aspect, which involves a sizeable quantum of nonproductive expenditure in the different forums of litigations.
All this requires a participative decision-making and an objective, proactive and positive attitude in the hands of the decision-makers. Amelioration of genuine grievances is part of the duty of the public authorities. Every public power is coupled with a public duty. But alas! our feudal society is caught in the vicious circle calling for an immediate intervention by all alert citizens, which ought to include those holding seats of power.
When jaundice is spreading out in many areas of the State exposing the unhealthy condition of public water supply and causing a grave public concern let not our other actions be also infected with a jaundiced attitude and outlook towards the disturbing events and trends that call for immediate remedial actions. Better late than never, a wakeup call has now to be given so as to ensure some fruitful actions in this regard in public interest by arresting the degenerations and by reversing the process. And this concerns all of us!
(The writer, a Senior Advocate, is a former All India Service officer, a former diplomat, a former editor, a former president of the Orissa High Court Bar Association and a former Advocate General of Odisha. jayantdas@hotmail.com)