• The two-day conference on the burning questions facing the movement
  takes place in a militant and revolutionary atmosphere!

• Resolution of the Two-Day Conference On the burning questions facing the movement
  New Delhi on August 7-8, 2004

• Call of trade unions:
  August 20 to be observed as "National Demands Day"!

• Displacement of people in the name of “development”:
  Who should be made to bear the burden?

• First summit of BIMSTEC held in Bangkok
  Another regional grouping for India

• Iraqi patriots intensifystruggle

• UN Security Council resolution on Darfur:
  Oppose imperialist interference in Sudan!

• A Timely Conference

• Assam killings must be condemned!

• Extremely high costs of health care

• Price rise increases insecurity for toiling people

The two-day conference on the burning questions facing the movement takes place in a militant and revolutionary atmosphere!

Nearly 200 delegates from different parties, mass organisations and groups, as well as progressive intellectuals participated in the deliberations of the Conference over the two days. On August 7, the delegates discussed the present political situation in the country around the theme "What has and what has not changed through the replacement of the NDA government by the UPA government?". On the second day, the participants discussed the question "What are the roadblocks to the struggle for workers and peasants rule and how can they be overcome?".

The Conference took place in a militant and revolutionary atmosphere, filled with optimism as well as with a sense of urgency to address the roadblocks confronting the movement. Without exception, every speaker expressed the necessity to forge political unity amongst all the fighting forces around an independent program of the toilers with the aim of advancing the struggle for worker-peasant rule. Representatives from various parties and organizations presented their views and argued their positions with the mutual respect and decorum that the movement demands of us.

The participants to the Conference came from Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Manipur. The All Manipur Union of Clubs sent a message of support to the Conference on behalf of all the fighting forces of Manipur, wishing the Conference all success in its endeavor. Messages of greetings were received from numerous parties, organisations and progressive individuals from all over India and abroad.

Those who spoke at the Conference included Prakash Rao - spokesperson of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, Comrade Rama of the CGPI, Comrade PK Ganguly - Secretary, CITU, Ajay of the Lok Raj Sangathan, Dr Pradip, Dr BS Negi from Samata Sangharsh Party, Guruji Hanuman Prasad Sharma - peasant leader and activist of the teachers movement, Comrade Arvind Singh of Bigul Dasta, Comrade Jagdish of Jan Pratirodh Manch, Comrade Anjani - Convenor, AIPRF, Delhi, E Saravanan - peasant leader from Tamilnadu, Comrade NK Rath -  Editor, Missile newspaper, Gautam Navlakha, Comrade RK Sharma of the Socialist Unity Centre of India, Prof Manoranjan Mohanty, Comrade Sheomangal Siddhantkar of CPIML-New Proletarian, Comrade Megh Das from Chattisgarh Mukti Morcha, Comrade Harish Tyagi from UTUC (Lenin Sarani), Comrade Hansraj Sharma - peasants leader from Rajasthan, Com Surjan Kushwaha, Comrade Sunil of Jan Pratirodh Manch, Prof. Vijay Singh of Revolutionary Democracy, Comrade Sucharita - women's activist and leader of Lok Raj Sangathan, Comrade Renu - women's activist, Comrade Dharmender - teacher and social activist, Comrade Saidul Rehman of the Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha, Comrade Raj Kumar - textile workers leader, Comrade Tarakeshwar Ojha, Comrade Govind Yadav - leader of Modern Foods employees, youth leaders and activists Comrades Santosh, Gopal, Dinesh Yadav; Comrade Bahadur Singh, Comrade SK Singh from Chattisgarh Mukti Morcha, and Comrade Vinod Kumar.

The conference passed resolutions to build the political unity of the toilers around a political program to bring workers and peasants to power. It declared its complete support to the fighting people of Manipur and resolved to vigorously step up, on an immediate basis, the countrywide struggle for the repeal of the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.

The conference unanimously rejected the agenda of "reforms with a human face" as nothing but a continuation of the anti-worker, anti-peasant and anti-national program of the big bourgeoisie.

It asserted the resolve of the fighting forces of India to work out mechanisms to forge the political unity of the toiling people around a common program.

It declared its resolve to work for bringing into power, as an immediate necessity, an anti-imperialist, anti-fascist, and anti-war government as part of the struggle to establish worker-peasant rule in India.

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Resolution of the two-day Conference On the burning questions facing the movement
New Delhi on August 7-8, 2004

NOTES that

A large arge number of organisations and individual activists from different streams of the movement of the toilers and tillers have actively contributed to enriching these deliberations;

Such an exchange of views, carried out in an atmosphere that facilitates open airing of different views, is the demand of the times;

There is consensus among the participants that the replacement of the BJP-led coalition by the Congress-led coalition in power has neither changed the orientation of the economy nor the class nature of political power;

Hence the movement of workers, peasants, women, youth, the nationalities, hill peoples, tribal peoples and the displaced peoples, for the right to livelihood, a secure home, food, water, electricity, education and health care, and to halt the privatisation and liberalisation program, needs to be stepped up;

The movement against the communal and fascist offensive, against state terrorism and draconian laws including the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, POTA, TADA and ESMA, as well as the policy of encounter killings and rape of women by the state security forces, needs to be escalated;

The anti-imperialist and anti-war movement needs to be strengthened, to ensure that India does not join the imperialist wars for the redivision of the world now going on in the name of "war against terrorism";

It is essential to oppose Indian imperialism in South Asia, as well as other imperialist powers with US imperialism at the head, as an integral part of making South Asia a zone of peace; and there is a need to forge and strengthen the fighting unity of the toilers of all countries of South Asia; and

Having noted the above, this Conference RESOLVES that

There is urgent need to ensure that the movement in defence of livelihood and rights is not sabotaged by the bourgeoisie through its tactics of divide and rule and "reforms with a human face";

There is urgent need to bring about convergence in different streams of the anti-fascist, anti-imperialist and anti-war movement;

There is a need to break the illusion that only one party of the bourgeoisie is fascist or communal, or that one is the "lesser evil", and to ensure that the fighting forces do not get divided on this issue – both the BJP and the Congress Party are instruments that the Indian big bourgeoisie has used and will continue to use, to attack the vast majority of Indian people and pursue its imperialist course against the various nationalities within the Indian union as well as against the people of other countries;

There is urgent need to build the political unity of all the fighting forces, irrespective of differences in ideology, in struggle around the common demands of the movement.

Therefore we, the participants of this Conference, commit ourselves to

Organise further exchanges amongst the activists in the movement of the Indian people, including communists, to achieve our goal, which is to establish an anti-imperialist, anti-fascist and anti-war government on an immediate basis, which will break all military ties with US imperialism, punish those guilty of communal crimes, scrap all the black laws, dismantle the apparatus of state terrorism, halt the privatisation and liberalisation program, issue a moratorium on debt service payments to finance capital, and begin the reorientation of the economy to fulfil the needs of the exploited majority; and

Work for a new state power and political process a workers and peasants republic which will ensure that the toilers and tillers, the different nations, nationalities and tribal peoples inhabiting India, will be the decision-makers and masters of their own destiny.

On State Terrorism

This Conference on the burning questions facing the movement

NOTES that

The brutal rape and murder of Thangjam Ningol Manorama, a 32-year-old Manipuri woman, by the forces of the 17 Assam Rifles stationed in Kanglei Fort in Imphal, has shocked the conscience of the people throughout India;

The entire people of Manipur, including the organisations of Nagas, Kukis, Meiteis and other communities, including the Meira Peibis, have engaged in mass protests and been facing the wrath of the Indian State since 11 July;

Thousands of women and men, youth and students have been brutalised and arrested in the ongoing protests;

The Members of the Legislative Assembly of Manipur, cutting across party affiliations, have unanimously supported the demand of the people for immediate withdrawal of the fascist Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which has been in force in Manipur since 1980;

The MLAs of Manipur have supported the popular and just demand for the immediate withdrawal of the 17 Assam Rifles from Imphal, and for punishment of the rapists and murderers;

The Prime Minister of India, far from respecting the democratic demands of the people of Manipur, has admonished the Chief Minister of Manipur for suggesting that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act be withdrawn;

The Prime Minister has declared that withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, withdrawal of the 17th Assam Rifles, punishment of the guilty and resolutions to that affect in the assembly, will "encourage secessionist elements in Kashmir and other states" and "demoralise the armed forces";

The Prime Minister has warned Chief Minister Ibobi Singh that he should not go by popular opinion and should not pass a resolution in the Manipur Assembly demanding the withdrawal of the Act or of the Assam Rifles;

The Prime Minister has suggested that the Chief Minister should resign if he cannot ensure "law and order" using the armed forces and the fascist law;

The Prime Minister has acted in this way after reportedly consulting with his own senior cabinet colleagues as well as the former home minister L.K. Advani, former defence minister George Fernandes, and the government's leftist supporters Harkishan Singh Surjit and A.B. Bardhan.

This Conference CONSIDERS that:

The struggle of the people of Manipur for withdrawal of the most fascistic act in India to date, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, and for withdrawal of Assam Rifles from Manipur, is absolutely just and deserves the support of all those who value democracy;

The Manipur Assembly has the right as well as duty to pass a resolution condemning Manorama's bestial killing, and in support of the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and the withdrawal of the Assam Rifles;

The Prime Minister’s response is a justification for continuing with state terrorism, and also for the crimes of the past, including the encounter killings of thousands of youth in Punjab, for the communal massacre of Sikhs in Delhi in 1984, and the genocide in Gujarat in 2002; and

The justification that the brutal violation of the rights of entire peoples is necessary for the sake of defending the unity and integrity of India is based on imperialist and colonial logic, and is aimed against all the peoples of this subcontinent.

Therefore this Conference RESOLVES

To continue the struggle for the dismantling of the instruments of state terror, as a necessary condition for the affirmation and defence of democratic rights and human rights in India.

To continue the struggle for the punishment of all those who have been guilty of unleashing state terror against the people, in Manipur and the rest of India.

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Call of trade unions:
August 20 to be observed as "National Demands Day"!

This was publicly announced on August 9, by the leadership of the AITUC and the CITU, following the declaration of the Union Finance Minister that the interest rate of the Employees Provident Fund will be fixed at 8.5%, down from the 12% six years ago. It must be noted that the Central trade unions as well as the employees associations of banks, railways, insurance, port & docks and other public services have for long being agitating for restoring the EPF interest rate to 12%. In fact, these Central trade unions had sent a memorandum to the government on August 5, 2004, requesting that the interest rate be pushed up to 12%. They were expecting a more positive response from the government.

The fixing of interest rates on special deposit schemes by the NDA government at 8% led to a real reduction in the savings of workers, as this was lower than the rate of inflation. On the other hand, the capitalists, especially the biggest of them, are getting bank loans at interest rates as low as 4% or 5%, despite many of them being defaulters. The overall policy of robbing the poor to feed the rich is increasingly being recognised for what it is, and is being vigorously opposed by workers through the length and breadth of the land.

The budgets of both the NDA and the UPA governments redistribute wealth in favour of the biggest capitalists. They appropriate most from the working class of town and country, and least of all from the big monopolies and multinationals. The handouts, on the other hand, are exactly in the opposite direction. In other words, the basic inequities in the economy are being further reinforced by the budget of the UPA government supported by the Left parties. It is but natural that all working class organisations are extremely agitated over this.

On August 20, the AITUC, CITU, Mazdoor Ekta Committee, UTUC (Lenin Sarani), TUCC, UTUC, AICCTU, and federations of employees and workers in banks, insurance, railways, telecom, postal, defence, petroleum and other sectors, as well as central and state government employees, will hold protest meetings on the occasion of "National Demands Day". Depending on their consciousness and organisation, they will raise demands against privatisation, for the reversal of the privatisation of MFIL, BALCO, and other privatised PSUs, in favour of workers of the so-called unorganised sector, and in favour of the unemployed, as well as democratic demands for the repeal of fascist laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, POTA and ESMA.

People's Voice hails the decision of workers' organisations to boldly put forth their concerns, and calls upon all people to make this action a resounding success!

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Displacement of people in the name of “development”:
Who should be made to bear the burden?

In a particular social context, major public works like dams, roads, railroads, etc., can help to bring great benefits to people and to help them lead qualitatively better lives. However, in a society like ours dominated by a rapacious capitalist class and characterised by sharp class divisions and extremely great disparities in wealth, the reality is that the benefits of development are cornered by disproportionately few people. The burden on the other hand is borne by the society as a whole – for example, through the drain of public funds, long-term costs to the environment, etc. -- and especially by the people living in the areas directly concerned, who are never consulted about the projects and are shamefully left to face the consequences of displacement with virtually no help.

Let us look at the case of Harsud and the surrounding villages. Villagers who had tilled the fertile lands along the banks of the Narmada river for generations were given, if they were lucky, meagre cash compensation which could hardly provide them with a livelihood. The places they were shifted to were barren and rocky and unfit for cultivation. Instead of being resettled as units, they were dispersed over wide distances to begin life among strangers. As for the townspeople of Harsud, even whatever little compensation to which they were entitled began to be distributed only in April. They were forced to shift to a location called Naya Harsud before even minimum facilities like water and sewage, not to mention schools and other services, were available. Their entitlement to a place in the new “township” depended on their first destroying their own homes and shops in Harsud. Where are they supposed to reside till their new homes can be built? Obviously, on the roadside.

The story of Harsud and the surrounding settlements has been repeated in thousands of locations across India. It has been estimated that the displacement of people through the construction of dams alone in India has been more than 11 crores. Of these, more than 47% have been tribal people, one of the most oppressed and exploited sections of the society. In the case of the Tehri Dam in Uttaranchal, more than 10,000 families were uprooted. Out of a total budget for the project of more than Rs. 582 crore, only Rs. 94 crore was earmarked for rehabilitation. Over the course of more than 25 years since the project first began, the budget for the dam multiplied several times over but the budget for rehabilitating people remained the same. And, out of this so-called rehabilitation money came the expenditure on government buildings, the bungalows of the high officials and police officers, and so on! Moreover, for several years prior to the submergence of old Tehri town, government expenditure on facilities and services in the town dwindled to almost nothing, even though the townspeople had to continue paying their taxes.

In all these cases, the slogan raised by the authorities has been “Sacrifice!”. In the case of the people of Harsud, Chief Minister Uma Bharati, instead of sympathizing with their plight and taking measures to sort out the severe problems they face, merely urged the people to “sacrifice their all” for the sake of society. The issue is, in all these cases, the sacrifice is totally one-sided. It is always the poor and the working people, including the tribal people – those already living on the edge – who are expected to sacrifice, while the interests of the rich and powerful are well taken care of.

In a society dedicated to the well-being of all the toiling people, and not driven by the narrow interests of exploiting classes like the present one, the principle guiding public affairs will be the harmonising of the interests of the individual, the collective and the society as a whole. If a project is intended to benefit society as a whole, or some sections of people, the interests of those who may be affected must be given equal importance, and not just on paper. At present, even measures that could have been taken by the state to help those in distress have not been taken because under the present system this is viewed as an “extra cost”. Such a harsh and ruthless social system that condemns crores of people to hardship and ruin in the name of “development” must not be allowed to continue. The working people must take power into their own hands and build a new society in which people will be empowered to take decisions that affect their lives and which takes care of the interests of all.

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First summit of BIMSTEC held in Bangkok
Another regional grouping for India

The Bangkok summit discussed various measures for enhancing economic cooperation between these countries, including a proposal to reduce tariffs and work towards developing a free trade zone in this region of about 1.3 billion people by the year 2017. It also discussed measures for facilitating business travel, tourism and civil aviation among the member countries. This was also the first meeting of BIMSTEC in which terrorism and counter-terrorism cooperation was put on the agenda.

For India, this is the third regional grouping of which it has become a part in the last few years. It is already a member of SAARC, the group of 7 South Asian countries. It has also, after many efforts on its part, become a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the extended grouping of the ASEAN or Association of South East Asian Nations. Regional groupings are becoming a more and more common phenomenon in the present-day world, and many countries are part of more than one. Nevertheless, it can be questioned what are the motives of India in becoming a part of and encouraging the development of this particular group, BIMSTEC.

Although India is a part of the ARF, it is not a member of ASEAN itself, nor does it even have as close formal ties with ASEAN as China and Japan. It is clear that the Indian state would very much like to upgrade its ties with ASEAN, and that it is doing everything it can to bring itself closer to this club of relatively prosperous countries. By linking itself with a forum which already has two ASEAN countries, Thailand and Myanmar, it hopes to go some way towards bridging the gap that still exists between India and South East Asia. In fact, one of the key projects of BIMSTEC is building a road that runs from India’s North East to Thailand.

Another possible reason for encouraging BIMSTEC is to sideline Pakistan. The only two South Asian countries that are part of SAARC but not part of BIMSTEC are the Maldives and Pakistan. Theoretically, it is true that Pakistan is not a part of the Bay of Bengal region. But the actual importance of the Bay of Bengal to the activities of BIMSTEC seems minimal. Within SAARC, the Indian state has found that it cannot ride roughshod over the other countries and have its way much of the time because of opposition from Pakistan. By promoting a predominantly South Asian grouping which excludes Pakistan, the Indian state seems to be telling Pakistan ‘see, we can all get along better without you’. Far from helping to sort out existing problems in the South Asian region, this will probably only aggravate them.

In a more indirect sense, being a part of several regional forums is also part of the Indian state’s move to increase its standing in global politics, with an eye to, among other things, securing for itself a seat in the UN Security Council.

In itself, increased ties and cooperation with other countries in the neighbourhood cannot be seen as something negative. Nevertheless today these ties are being forged in a definite international context characterised by increasing tension, in which various powers are competing with each other for markets and influence, and in which smaller and less developed countries are often at the mercy of bigger and economically more dominant ones. For regional groupings and other ties to be really beneficial to the peoples, it is necessary to work towards a just and equitable order on a world scale, and towards the emancipation of peoples from exploitation and other forms of injustice within the countries concerned.

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Iraqi patriots intensify struggle

Pitched battles have been fought between the patriotic forces and the US military in Najaf. The US military has been mercilessly shelling the area around the shrine of Imam Ali, one of the holiest places for Shia Muslims. Scores of people have been killed in the fighting and the patriots have vowed to fight till the end. On August 11, the US forces were said to be preparing for a “final assault” aimed at finishing off one section of the patriots in Najaf. However the leader of this section has asked the people to continue fighting till the end, even if he is captured or killed. In many cities of Iraq, people have organised demonstrations and other actions to show their support for the patriots fighting in Najaf and condemning the actions of the US imperialists and the puppet Iraqi government. Thousands of demonstrators in the southern city of Nassiriya condemned the military action in Najaf. They called for the puppet Iraqi Prime Minister to step down, and set fire to the local office of his political party.

Military actions by the patriots also intensified in areas around Baghdad and Basra and in the western province of Anbar which includes Fallujah, Ramadi and Qaim on the Syrian border. Patriots also disrupted a key oil pipeline between the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk and the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. The explosion was caused by an improvised device placed next to the pipeline near the northern town of Bayji. Iraq's exports were running at a reduced rate as engineers repaired a sabotaged pipeline feeding the country's southern terminals, oil officials said. This is causing severe losses to the puppet government.

The actions by the Iraqi patriots and people show that the US-led imperialist coalition has failed miserably in quelling the wrath of the people. The imperialists had made a big noise about “handing over” sovereignty to an “Iraqi” government only a few weeks ago. However this government receives no respect from the vast majority of the Iraqi people, who regard it as a puppet in the imperialists' hands. The struggle of the Iraqi patriots and people must continue to receive active support from the freedom-loving peoples all over the world.

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UN Security Council resolution on Darfur:
Oppose imperialist interference in Sudan!

According to the government of Sudan, Darfur has for some time been an arena for criminal activities by gangs of armed bandits following prolonged drought in the area. It denies the imperialist allegations that the militias are acting on government orders. Earlier, the imperialists termied the unrest in the southern part of the country as a conflict between Muslims and Christians, while now, they are labeling the Darfur events as between Arabs and Africans.

The government of Sudan has appealed to the African Union and the Arab League to support the efforts aimed at solving the Darfur crisis, keep away foreign intervention and maintain Sudan's territorial integrity. Both these organisations have pledged their help to Sudan and come out against intervention and sanctions. Sudan fears that even if it implements the Security Council resolution, an excuse will be found by the Anglo–American imperialists to intervene militarily. It is perhaps no coincidence that the Darfur region is also rich in mineral resources such as uranium and copper, as well as oil.

The swiftness with which the UN Security Council resolution has been passed also points to the great inequity and injustice in the present arrangement in the United Nations. While the government of Israel has been indulging in blatantly illegal acts aimed at usurping the land and sovereignty of the Palestinian people, the US imperialists have used their veto to block any Security Council resolution demanding that the Israel government comply with international law. Though the overwhelming majority of nations in the General Assembly of the UN have demanded that Israel stop building its wall through Palestinian territory, the US imperialists have permitted the Israeli government to flout this demand with impunity. On the other hand, it is clear that they are using the unfortunate events in Darfur as an excuse to impose sanctions through the Security Council and lay the grounds to militarily intervene in Sudan. People’s Voice calls upon all to vigorously oppose the imperialist plans to intervene in Sudan.

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A Timely Conference

Sir,

This is to congratulate the CGPI for organizing a timely conference on the burning questions facing the movement in early August 2004. This comes at the time when the bourgeois camp is facing a tremendous crisis of its own. The objective reason for the crisis stems from the slowing down of the economy, and the failure on their part to convince the masses that the policies of the erstwhile NDA Government and the current UPA Government that they have formed are in a position to provide for the well-being of the masses.

Furthermore, the world bourgeoisie is itself in a crisis with the Anglo-American camp bogged down in the Iraq imbroglio, and elections looming on the horizon in their respective countries, which is likely to precipitate internecine fights and competition for control of the state. The other imperialist bloc, namely the European Union countries on the continent are themselves faced with slowed economies, unemployment and fiscal difficulties. These have been compounded by surging oil prices, which are bound to have an adverse effect on the global economy, and in the Indian context will have the effect of massive price rises. Concomitant to these developments will be mass protests and civil unrest in the country and the response of the state will be greater repression and iron fist.

It is therefore extremely important the progressive forces take stock of the situation and ask what the way forward is. It may be recalled that the history of the Indian post-independence period reveals that the Westminster system of parliamentary Government which was first controlled completely by the Congress party, the vanguard of the Indian big bourgeoisie, found itself in crisis, because of the rise of other parties that represented the interests of competing bourgeois interests. Inability of the system to reconcile the difference between such interests has led to the proliferation of parties, all of which echo the aspirations of this or that section of the bourgeoisie. The history of the period reveals that no parliamentary party is on the side of the toiling masses and none of them will ever be. Therefore, it is only illusion mongers who can suggests the solutions to the problems that the masses face can come from this political system. This political system is a means to ensure that conditions are favorable for the maximization of profits of bourgeoisie, with nothing but destitution and despair assured for the vast sections of the population.

All progressive forces engaged in struggles, be it the rights of dam oustees, tribal peoples, dalit toilers, laid-off workers can testify to the anti-people character of the Indian state referred to above. All the tendencies of the Indian state have stood out in even greater clarity in the current era of privatization, when any effort to oppose such moves have been met with massive state repression. It is therefore imperative that a broad based discussion take place among those who are on the side of the people and of progress to unite and put forward their vision of an alternative economic and political system. The CGPI conference is an important step in this direction.

Sincerely,
A. Narayan
Bangalore

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Assam killings must be condemned!

This event comes at a time when widespread street protests and a remarkable unity among political and social organisations have taken place in Manipur leading to the partial withdrawal of the hated Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Manipur. Acts of this kind in neighbouring Assam can only benefit those who wish to seem the extension of the powers of the state and in imposing more draconic laws on the people at large.

It is clear as daylight that the national question has been far from solved in modern day India, especially in the regions of the North-East and Kashmir, to name specific examples. It is equally clear for all to see that those who carry out acts of sabotage and attack unarmed helpless people are contributing to compounding the problem. All progressive forces must unite behind the banner of a comprehensive and principled settlement of the problems that face the nations, nationalities and tribal peoples of India. At the same time, they must condemn such acts of wanton violence which provide the state with excuses to postpone lasting and democratic solutions to the long standing problems.

Sincerely,
G. Rajan
Chennai

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Extremely high costs of health care

A recent study by two researchers of the costs of health care in Chandigarh has revealed that, on an average, every family is spending nearly 10 percent of its family income on health care. What is more, while the average family expenditure on health care was 7.34 percent in the urban areas, it rose to 24 percent of the family income in the relatively poorer households in the villages and slums of this Union Territory. And how did the family finance this expenditure?

The data shows that for all of Chandigarh, 26.46 percent of the funds came from the past savings and borrowings of the households. This proportion rose in the villages and slums, reaching 46 percent. In the case of the poorer sections in the villages and slums, 20 percent of such expenses was financed by borrowings. While the poor have to borrow to take care of their health, it is to be noted that overall, the government contributed less than 30 percent to the health expenditure of families. With increasing privatisation of health services, and deterioration of government health care, this burden is only going to worsen.

What is needed is a drastic transformation of the health care system. Quality health care has to be available to everyone. It must be provided for by the government, and living and working conditions that enable a healthy life must be ensured to all. These are among the most basic necessities for a decent human existence, and it is a matter for condemnation that these are being denied to our people in these “modern” times.

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Price rise increases insecurity for toiling people

The attack on people’s well being and economic security is increasing every day, sometimes brazenly and sometimes insidiously. Since the UPA government came to power, petrol, diesel, cooking gas and kerosene prices have been greatly increased. Oil companies have been given a free rein to increase prices as and when they please, and, as if on cue, they have increased the administered prices of petrol and diesel twice in two months!

Price increases of petrol, kerosene, diesel and cooking gas have directly exerted pressure on the living conditions of the masses of working people of town and country. The steep increase in diesel prices is having and will have a cascading effect on the prices of all commodities by increasing transportation costs.

The latest news reports confirm that food prices have shot up in June-July. While wheat prices are up almost 10%, maize is more expensive by 19%, and cooking oil prices are up by 5-9% in just one month. The prices of all economy brands of cooking oil are expected to go up by Rs 4 per Kg in the next one month if there is no improvement in supplies. And this may well be the case: with large parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat affected by scanty rainfall, the groundnut and mustard crops are expected to be adversely affected.

Meanwhile, the Public Distribution System has been almost completely dismantled, through the introduction of "Targeted PDS" in the mid-nineties by the then United Front Government. For the majority of working people, who fall outside the category of the "poorest of the poor", while the prices of commodities in the ration shops are not lower then those in the open market, the quality certainly is! And for the "poorest of the poor", for whom the "targeted PDS" is allegedly intended, what they get is sub-standard food grains – that is, even if there are any rations shops in their area, and even if they have the resources to purchase these sub-standard foodgrains.

The UPA government made pious declarations in its budget presentation as to how it would pursue "reforms with a human face" in the interests of the poor. The results of the first two months of this government show that the measures it has implemented as well as the economic laws governing the system are leading to an increase in poverty in every sense.

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