Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's address at the National Colloquium on poverty alleviation, food security, Right to Development

"I congratulate the National Legal Services Authority for observing the National Legal Literacy Day by organising this very important colloquium on a vital, socially important and relevant issue. Poverty Alleviation, Food Security, Right to Development and Social Justice are all important challenges for all our institutions. Development is not just about our increasing the rates of economic growth, but fundamentally it is about translating this into improving the quality of life of our people to create opportunities for all our people to lead a life of dignity and self-respect. It is about increasing our people's access to such basic needs as nutrition, health, education and gainful employment. There are two alternative approaches to achieve positive results in terms of realisation of these basic human rights - entitlement and empowerment. We need an optimal mix of these two alternative approaches. In a society committed to rule of law legal literacy is of course vital for the survival of our polity.

Ensuring income security, food security and social justice have been the underlying principles that have guided our development process for many years. Yet, the results so far fall far short of desired goals. Even the Approach Paper to the 11th Five Year Plan has identified these as key objectives of policy. Despite the emphasis on realisation of these basic human rights, the fact that the progress has been much less than needed or contemplated calls for in-depth analysis.

Over the years, we have taken several steps to realise these objectives. Education being the essential building block for development, elementary education has now been made a fundamental right under Article 21A of the Constitution. In order to make it a living reality, we have introduced an education cess to finance the expansion of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. In order to improve food security, mid-day meals have been mandated in all primary schools. India's mid-day meal scheme, which feeds more than 120 million children every day, is probably the largest in the world. It contributes not only to the right to food but also to the right to education and the right to health and promotes gender and social equity.

Most importantly, India is now among the few countries to have a nation-wide employment guarantee act. It provides a legal entitlement that only a handful of countries offer their citizens. It should not only provide employment but also check distress migration and most importantly, create productive assets for the community. More than 30 million rural families already have a "job card". This act is a fundamental step towards the realisation of the right to work and elimination of poverty.

The right to development in a way has been strengthened by the Right to Information Act. This act, enacted by our government, is one of the strongest such legislations in the world. It is also an essential tool of democratic participation, through which the boundaries of the "rights approach" to development can be further extended. It brings in transparency and accountability into the development process. The combination of the National Rural Employment Guarantee and the RTI Acts provides a very potent base for expanding the rights of citizens vis-�-vis the state in ensuring equity and social justice. This is particularly relevant for the poor and vulnerable. I am mentioning these things because I do believe that in the last two and a half years that our government has been in power, we have put in place a framework which makes it possible as never before in India's history to implement rights approach to the realisation of basic human rights though of course, I would be the last one to claim that all that is needed is in place. Clearly we have miles to go before we sleep.

I recognise that we have a long way to go for effective realisation of these basic human rights. The resource generation capacities of both the Central and State Governments have to be greatly improved to enhance the effectiveness of purposeful state intervention for the realisation of these rights. It is equally necessary to improve the quality of governance at all levels of public administration to curb leakages and plug loopholes. Wherever possible, emphasis should be laid on maximum possible decentralisation in the administration of development programmes to promote both efficiency and greater public accountability. The resources of civil society need to be fully mobilised to promote public-private partnership in the administration of grassroots programmes, particularly those focussing on employment, education, people's health, nutrition and sanitation. I can only say that in this matter we have made a beginning in this direction but a lot more needs to be done. However, the path is long and arduous and we have quite some distance to go before we can say that we have been able to translate these rights into living, functional reality.

In the realization of all these rights, both the National Legal Services Authority as well as their state counterparts, can play a very important active role. Despite the achievement of food self-sufficiency in the country over three decades ago, millions of children continue to be malnourished. NALSA can help the poor achieve their Right to Food through existing Government programmes by raising public awareness about the Supreme Court's judgment in this regard. We have a vast public distribution system but it is also a fact that the public distribution system is weakest precisely in those states which have high incidence of poverty. That is a measure of gap in the processes of development or in the processes of implementation of development programmes that we have launched. NALSA's legal awareness programmes should also help our senior citizens secure the various entitlements they now have, like the National Old Age Pension Scheme. This was a programme which the Congress government have put in place in 1995. But every month I receive several letters from various parts of the country that our people are not simply aware of this social welfare programme. Therefore, we as responsible leaders of the civil society have also an obligation to ensure that our people do become aware of what is available to them and what is their right in terms of facilities that are now a part and parcel of our development programmes.

It is only through a combination of entitlements such as mid-day meals in schools, universalisation of the ICDS, the employment guarantee and the right to information and through their effective utilisation by an aware and alert citizenry, that we can fulfil our developmental obligations to our citizens.

NALSA and its state counterparts have to help give voice to the voiceless so that their right to work is realised. They should assist social audits of the NREGA by working with people's movements, trade unions, NGOs and other civil society groups. Experience shows that entitlements are unlikely to be realised unless people are empowered to exercise their legal rights. This requires, among other things, a functional legal system as well as facilities for legal education and legal aid in support of deserving persons. For example, it is possible that many people are still not aware of their rights under the NREG Act, including their basic right to apply for work. Perhaps it is this lack of awareness that has contributed to the low level of applications for work so far.

It should also be our endeavour to ensure that Scheduled Castes and Tribes, women and Minorities realise their Right to Development and are able to deal with atrocities and the curbing of their civil, social, economic and political rights. NALSA and its state authorities have a challenge ahead to ensure that the perpetrators of such crimes are brought to book speedily, and that SCs, STs, women and Minorities have the courage to approach NALSA and its state authorities to take these crimes to Lok Adalats.

I would like your Colloquium to therefore, think seriously about innovative ways in which NALSA and its state counterparts can act to bring real meaning to the right to development of the poor and the voiceless. I wish your Colloquium all success."