Unending rural poverty

  I CONGRATULATE Mr T.N. Kaul for writing such a daring article highlighting rural poverty and the failure of the successive governments in removing it.

He is right that the successive budgets have been devoid of any pro-poor programmes and policies. It is really great that a retired diplomat is showing serious concern for the plight of poor farmers in particular and the people below the poverty line in general.

It is never too late! Other influential persons should also come forward and motivate the Indian ruling class that pro-poor programmes should not only be announced but also implemented with a great deal of sincerity if they wish to live in peace. They should not forget that “poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere”.

I agree with the writer that Panchayati Raj institutions should be involved in a big way in development programmes, and the role of the bureaucracy should be minimised. I would rather say that the 73rd and 74th constitutional Amendments should be implemented faithfully. Along with it, there must be devolution of financial and administrative powers to the Panchayati Raj institutions.

I, however, do not agree with Mr Kaul when he says that the BDOs and cooperative societies indulge in corruption. True, they are at the forefront, but hardly anyone indulges in corruption without the blessings of top bureaucrats and the ruling political masters.

So, if we want to start a cleanliness drive it must start from the top. It the top is honest the bottom will have no choice but to be honest. A firm signal is thus needed from the top.

I also differ with him that the gulf is widening between the rich and the poor in the rural areas and that too because of non-taxing the agricultural income. The ever increasing gap is that result of the development strategy and the so-called pro-poor programmes which are mainly targeted at the vote bank. The gap is more glaring in the urban areas. The agricultural income should be added to the other taxable incomes of individuals. The main problem, however, is the large-scale theft of all types of taxes, mainly in connivance with the departments concerned. And hence the mobilisation of resources going down and little is available for investment in development projects and social sectors, which are already suffering a serious neglect. The rural people, particularly the deprived sections, are bound to suffer deterioration and neglect because of the collapse of the education and health-care networks.

Mr Kaul is right when he suggests accountability of bureaucrats. Accountability is already there, but the corrupt and the guilty are rewarded in “Mera Bharat Mahan”.

RANJIT SINGH GHUMAN
Patiala

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Weaknesses in Tenancy Act

The long-term growth of the country depends on the proper use of the available human resources. Their development and utilisation is linked with their mobility and unhampered movement from one place to another. Economic thinkers and policy makers firmly hold this opinion that resource productivity can be augmented if their mobility is enhanced.

In the case of human resources, not only labour but also entrepreneurs and educated persons in the service sector are to be equally considered. That part of human resources which has a better intellectual and financial base needs to be encouraged so that its contribution to the process of growth and capital formation may be further increased. For this purpose they need to be better mobilised so that they may explore and utilise opportunities for the growth of their talent and implementation of their plans. But this class is being badly discouraged and its mobility restrained by the defective pieces of legislation such as the Tenancy Act which is biased in favour of the tenant class and gives them undue protection.

Property owners, residential or agricultural, who have created these assets with the use of their labour, skill and talent, feel handicapped and are made to stick to their properties, as if they move away from them in search of better opportunities they may have to face the problem of annexation at the hands of unscrupulous tenants.

In this way the potentialities of dynamic entrepreneurs and educated persons remain unused and under-developed.

Under these circumstances, sticking to such types of obsolete laws as have lost their relevance does not indicate economic wisdom. This certainly has an adverse effect on the growth of construction activity.

AASHITA DAWER
Chandigarh

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Encyclopaedia of Sikhism

With reference to Mr R.S. Dutta’s letter on the Encyclopaedia of Sikhism (March 16), I would like to share the following facts with the readers.

The first volume of the encyclopaedia was issued by Punjabi University in December, 1992, during my tenure as Vice-Chancellor. Its first copy was presented to the Chancellor of the university on April 20, 1993, with the following inscription: “Of the first edition of this epoch-making work the first copy is respectfully presented to His Excellency Shri Surendra Nath, Governor, Punjab, and Chancellor, Punjabi University”. I felt deeply concerned when the university described the copy presented to the then President of India, Mr S.D. Sharma, at the time of the encyclopaedia’s release ceremony on June 12, 1993, as the first copy.

It was the editor’s wish that the encyclopaedia should be released from Guru Gobind Singh Bhavan. It was, therefore, released by Mr K.R. Narayanan who was at that time the Vice-President of India. The editor drafted a long letter to Mr Narayanan which I personally carried to Delhi. Mr S.K. Sheriff, Secretary to Mr Narayanan, wrote to me on April 12, 1993, saying, “Your invitation shall be accommodated at the time when the Vice-President’s programme for the month of August is drawn up”.

Soon thereafter I relinquished charge of my responsibilities as Vice-Chancellor. Meanwhile, the university, overlooking all constraints of propriety, got the encyclopaedia released in Delhi by the then President of India. Since the release ceremony was fixed by the university in collaboration with Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan, the editor asked me to keep quiet lest raising of the matter in public should cause embarrassment to the President and those who had arranged the ceremony.

It was the editor’s wish that only two persons speak on the occasion of the release of the encyclopaedia by Mr Narayanan — Dr Attar Singh and the writer of this letter. He wrote to me about this on March 5, 1993, as follows” “I seek leave to suggest that an advance copy of the Sikh Encyclopaedia may be sent to Dr Attar Singh to prepare his essay for the release ceremony. If approved, a sum of Rs 1000 may be paid to him as honorarium”.

The editor perhaps thought of two of us for the reason that over the two decades when the work on the encyclopaedia was on he shared with us some of the entries as they were received and as they were rewritten, and we were also among those who, apart from Dr Bhagat Singh, a former Vice-Chancellor of the university, persuaded him to withdraw his resignation which he had submitted in protest against the state government’s objection to the university undertaking this project. Neither I nor, to the best of my knowledge, Dr Attar Singh was invited to the release ceremony. The editor, on request from me, had written a few words for the occasion. These words both reflect and contradict some known impressions about the editor’s personality. It will be worthwhile if the message is published by the university in the course of time.

The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism is a unique work in English so far produced by any writer in this important area of Indian studies. I was happy that Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab, blessed it on its recent four-volume release by Mr A.B. Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India, and described Prof Harbans Singh, its Editor-in-Chief, as a sage. Professor Harbans Singh was not only a sage but also a great encyclopaedist.

H.K. MANMOHAN SINGH,
former Vice-Chancellor,
Punjabi University
Patiala

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Tailpiece

If the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has its way, guess what it should be called.

Answer: Telecom Strangulatory Authority of India.

M. CHOPRA
Chandigarh