The Oscar winning ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ must have stirred the
conscience of the ruling UPA and made politicians to sit up and watch,
at least on the screen, the plight of children living in slums. The
plan of action read out to the joint session of the Parliament by,
President Pratibha Patil, includes removal of all slums in these five
years of rule.



“My government’s effort would be to create a slum free India in five
years through the Rajiv Awas Yojana”. Thus the government has given a
five-year time frame after the award-crazy filmmakers portrayed utter
poverty and ugly living conditions in slums. No politician talked about
slums earlier, as they are vote banks.



Pratibha Patil’s mandate for inclusive growth of secular and plural
India is more an extension of party manifesto. In one word the agenda
presented was pro-‘aam aadmi’ (those below the poverty line – BPL). 
Most of the projects are a continuing process that brought the congress
led UPA to power. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has
proved to be what it promised – an effective social protection measure
and the largest programme in the world for rural reconstruction.



There were ten broad areas of priority all to be achieved in the next
five years including slum clearance. The most dramatic promise is the
National Food Security Act, which implements a law that says “every BPL
family in the country will be entitled to get 25 kg of rice or wheat
every month at Rs 3 a kg.”  Another one is enactment of ‘Women’s
Reservation Bill,’ providing for one-third reservation in Parliament
and State legislatures for women and fifty percent reservation to women
in the Panchayat level of administration, covering the rural sector. 



The oft-heard clichés like internal security, communal harmony and zero
tolerance for terrorism are also part of the priority agenda. “My
government had already prepared a detailed plan to address internal
security challenges to be implemented in a time-bound manner”, she
reveals. ‘police reform’ and early approval of the prevention of
‘communal violence’ bill too are a priority now, like they were in the
previous term. Sachar Committees’ report forms the base for the
appeasement of minorities. “Communal harmony shall be preserved at all
costs. The mandate that my government received was unmistakable in that
the people wanted the country’s secular fabric to be protected,” she
says.



As these flagship programmes need funding, it is imperative to focus on
infrastructure development, allowing foreign investment. If the sensex
pole-vault is any indication Prime Minister Manmohan Singh commenced
his second innings with a bang. It tasted great public support both at
the time of formation of government and also soon after the
presentation of this agenda to parliament.



All these goals can be achieved only when there is peace and
tranquillity around, which needs internal security as priority.
Internal and external terrorism are worrying factors. The President’s
mandate addressed this problem too. India’s North Eastern states are a
separate category to be tackled differently.

Bangladesh’ resolve not to allow its territory to be exploited for
hostile activities is not an easy task to achieve, because of the links
the terrorists have with ISI of Pakistan. The militancy in the North
East is also partly sponsored by them.  Added to that the China
syndrome is developing with its connections with Sri Lanka, as supplier
of arms; Nepal with support for its Maoist movement and Burma,
providing sanctuary and arms to the militants. New Delhi hardly goes
deep into the problem of Naxals, Bodos and other outfits, saying that
is the responsibility of state governments.

The other malaise that plagues the country is the rise in criminal
activities like kidnapping for ransom and all sorts of violence against
women. It is necessary for the government to instil confidence in the
law-abiding people and fear of punishment in those who break the law. 

In a recent survey conducted by a Singapore based organisation,
India is listed as the most corrupt country in Asia. Irrespective of
its grading validity, India is neck deep in corruption that begins with
the politicians and ends with aam-aadmi. Everybody operates in his own
sphere. The right to Information act (RTI) that is already brought into
force, proved inefficient to control this menace.

The government should create a moral way for accountability
according instant punishment to the guilty. The names of the corrupt
and cheats must be circulated to banks and government offices through a
network that effectively prevents them from indulging in any economic
offences.  

As pleaded by the leader of the opposition L.K. Advani, there is a
need to probe into sources where black money is stashed. For example
the Swiss banks. President Pratibha Patil said revealing her agenda
that her government was fully seized of the issue of illegal money of
Indian citizens outside the country in secret bank accounts and would
vigorously pursue with the countries concerned.

Armed forces will be fully enabled with modern technology and skills
to repel any threat from land, sea or air. The Unique Identity Card
scheme for each citizen will be implemented in three years for the
purpose of identification for the purpose of developmental programmes
and security.

It is a matter of satisfaction that the Indian economic scene has
not suffered the kind of shock that has been witnessed in almost every
other country of the world. India’s immediate priority must be to focus
on management of the economy that will counter the effect of the global
slowdown.


A public-private partnership in these sectors is one measure suggested.
By and large the programme set by the government is quite ambitious and
one hopes its fulfilment will surely turn the country around to a more
prosperous and hopefully a more ethical nation.