How to Nail the Naxals?

24 jawans killed in Naxal attack in Silda!
Naxals break truce..kills Cop!
Naxals hijack train!

These are a few of the headlines that hit the newspaper in recent times.

Home Minister says that Naxalism is a major internal threat and the Prime Minister repeats the same in some conference.The chief Ministers of the affected states as well as MHA ( Ministry of Home Affairs) promises strong action against the Naxals.But what is the solution?Is an out and out armed attack the solution? ( Like the Sri Lankan government attacking the LTTE?)Or is it peace talks that is the solution?

I think neither will work.And here is why?
Let me talk about something different for a moment.

The Finance Minister might have quoted Gandhiji to say "Just as the universe is contained in the self, so is India contained in the villages".

The government routinely announces big budget programmes to uplift the rural poor and provide them with infrastructure,but they remain promises on paper.The  nine flagship schemes and Bharat Nirman programme alone have a total outlay in excess of Rs 1,40,000 crore.But still one is encouraged to doubt  whether it will really change the condition of India’s poor. This  thought emanates from the country’s mediocre record in the implementation of various development programmes at the ground level, where a concoction of inefficient government machinery, corruption, and asymmetric information problem has been rendering development programmes ineffective over the years. The harsh reality is that India does not possess appropriate systems of governance or practices in public service delivery that can efficiently reach out to the poor and ensure distributive justice.

The young prince Mr Rahul Gandhi’s observation that while 10 paise of every rupee spent for the poor had reached its target during his father’s time, today the same amount reaches the intended beneficiary only when the government spends Rs 10. Therefore, the leakage is 99 per cent. If we go by his formula, a mere Rs 1, 400 crore, or one per cent of the total, will be the actual benefit accruing to the targeted population from flagship schemes and Bharat Nirman.

Let us for a moment wonder who the beneficiaries of the programmes are.It is the famous Below Poverty Line ( BPL). Distribution of BPL cards itself has come to epitomise corruption as most well-to-do families in the rural areas possess BPL cards.The failure to select the right beneficiaries, or an adverse selection in economic terms, is rampant at the panchayat level and leads to the exclusion of deserving beneficiaries from the purview of development schemes.The Networks in rural areas comprising local elites, officials and elected representatives that manage information on different programmes ensure that development schemes do not deliver to the targeted beneficiaries.

The much practized method of announcing and allocating more funds for rural programmes at national level without closing the gaps downstream results in the programmes being a mere eyewash as they leave nothing for the intended beneficiaries.

The Government should have ensured that effective monitoring and distribution mechanisms are in place before undertaking to increase developmental funding .The near complete failure of development schemes in achieving targets is in fact a pointer to the level of alienation of the real stakeholders from governance and policy making in India, which inherently follows a top-down model.Historically, policymaking has remained the exclusive domain of a few informed and powerful citizens. It is a matter of concern that policies and programmes, both at the Centre and States, are designed and implemented without adequate consultation with, or participation of, the real stakeholders from rural areas such as the poor, small farmers and women.Even existing avenues like Gram Sabha, a platform where the villagers can raise their needs and the Governments can disseminate information on development schemes, are unutilised.

If the development schemes have to deliver for the poor in India, the Government has to tackle the systemic problems by introducing efficient participatory methods of designing and implementation of schemes and distribution of public funds. Hence, it is imperative to democratise development programmes by ushering in higher levels of accountability. the need is to put in place an exclusive mechanism to conduct concomitant review of the development schemes and programmes while they are being implemented

The objective should be to put in place a concrete mechanism to cleanse the system off its current deficiencies, emulating the work of the Election Commission of India in the past two decades. Unless something similar or better is in place, the poor of this country is going to realise repeatedly that the promised bounties are nothing but chimera.The UID programme headed by Mr Nandan Nilekani could be one step in this direction.But with a country with such a huge population and a pool of talent,I wonder why the government cannot speed up the process,rather than wait a long 5 years to achieve the results ( might be the government's age old fascination with the 5 year old programme).

Now coming back to the topic.Who are the naxals?The Government would dub them an anti national,anti system element that is aimed at creating disturbances in the country.Or the media might call them brutal assassins who massacre innocent men,women and children,destroying valuable public property.But is it the truth?
I read an interview about an Naxal leader of West Bengal.He is an well educated youngster who believed in the state and the government mechanism.Until he was frustrated by the negligence of the government in providing basic amenities to the people.And people who peacefully protested the lack of development were greeted with the high handedness of the police.Innocent people were killed,women folks raped and killed,children were orphaned..all in the name of protecting law and order.A friend of mine who recently went to Chattisgarh told me about the life in such places.No roads,no water,no electricity..in fact no development.

Once the Government ensures that the development of the rural areas happen and there is a thriving economy,the Naxal problem will automatically be wiped off.It is only through economic measures that this problem can be solved once and for all.And this will not just solve the issue of Naxalism.It will in turn fuel the economy,the economic growth of the nation and make it a superpower.Also this will ensure that fewer people migrate to the cities thus reducing the pressure on the already stretched urban infrastructure.In effect,this will impact the overall growth of the nation.

More police personnel and more atrocities on the naxals can only worsen the situation.Hope sense prevails on those concerned in the higher ups sooner than later.


(With generous inputs from the article of Mr Pramod Dev M.an independent researcher based in new delhi.)