Civil society protests proposed cuts in budgetary allocations

Voices from ground and civil society leaders representing as many as 100 major campaigns and movements from nearly 20 states have come under a united banner to oppose the BJP-led Central government's proposed move towards reducing the budgetary allocations for social sector programmes in the current fiscal 2014-15.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2

Voices from ground and civil society leaders representing as many as 100 major campaigns and movements from nearly 20 states have come under a united banner to oppose the BJP-led Central government's proposed move towards reducing the budgetary allocations for social sector programmes in the current fiscal 2014-15.

On the third day of the People's Assembly, comprising activists, economists and community voices associated with struggles for food security, right to employment, education, healthcare, housing, land rights, dalit rights to name a few, they marched today from Ambedkar Stadium to Jantar Mantar, protesting the government's recent decision and cautioning that any such step would not only undermine their basic rights but also take away gains achieved over the decades.

"We are not being given our dues and if that was not enough, the government is cutting down funds. We want our jobs to be secured," said Shanti Chaurasia from Bihar's Samastipur district where she works under the Integrated Child Development Services scheme.

Calling for a public debate on the matter, Prof Jayati Ghosh of Jawaharlal Nehru University pointed out that the allocations in the social sector have been unacceptably low and to make it worse the government is arbitrarily slashing it further.

"This would mean limiting access of essential services by the needy. The government should refrain from carrying out such surreptitious moves and not bypass Parliament, media and citizens," she said.

Activist Medha Patkar condemned the current affairs of land acquisition and rehabilitation stating that it is nothing but a direct fallout of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious "Make India" initiative towards making India a hub for labour-intensive manufacturing,

Pointing at the woes of the unorganised sector workers, noted activist Baba Adhav questioned, "Why are people engaged in the unorganised sector being discriminated and not being given pension like the government officials?"