Reforms bypass aam aadmi

UPA REPORT CARD

Though paved with good intentions, the UPA path of attempting to reinvigorate the social sector in the country -- education, health, rural development, woman and child welfare -- has proved to be a thorny one.

There was an 84 per cent increase in outlay for education in the Gross Budgetary Support for 04-05 over 03-04 following the UPA government assuming power.

There was a 29.02 per cent increase in allocation for drinking water and a massive increase in allocation for rural development. However, the jury is still out as to the net effect of social sector initiatives taken by the UPA, one year later.

Though the rollout of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has been a success, some states have had a problem with counterpart funding.

The smaller states and Rajasthan have found it difficult to come with 25 per cent of the budgeted amount for programmes.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, criticising the 2005-06 Budget, said that while total allocations for the social sector had been raised, no thought had been given to the matching increase in the contribution of the state governments. Most other programmes cannot be termed a success.

The mid-day meals scheme for instance, is a casualty of information. There is no feedback on outcomes (as opposed to outlays, as the finance minister pointed out in his Budget speech).

The hike in allocation for rural development, primarily the Food for Work Programme, was a hefty Rs 2,020 crore.

However, implementation issues and ambitious perspective plans that have no relation to the reality on the ground continue to dog social sector spending, suggesting that increase in spending alone is not the answer to social sector problems.

On drinking water, the increased allocations were meant for covering uncovered areas. However, feedback coming in from the states shows that areas which were earlier covered are now becoming 'uncovered', indicating that what has been done is not adequate.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has turned water into a major mission, says that despite raising height of dams and erecting 250 more dams, financing drinking water, in which Gujarat has undertaken major steps, continues to be a problem.

In the health and family welfare sector, the real increase in outlays has come in the Budget for 2005-06. It is too early to assess the performance.