SECC blows 'myth of inclusive growth': CPI(M)

Stating that the data thrown up by the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) had blown the myth of inclusive growth, CPI(M) today asked the government to drop "fraudulent policies" and put in place a universal PDS system and also strengthen the rural job scheme.

The party said that the figures coming out of the survey pointed towards the need for reversing the economic policies followed until now.

"Data from SECC blows the myth of inclusive growth and shows conclusively that the set of economic policies followed have resulted in massive deprivation and denial of minimum standards of living to a vast section of the population.

"CPI(M) demands the government stop its fraudulent targeting policies, which throw out huge sections of the population that are deprived of the minimum requirements of food, housing and work,"

The party said that the Centre should put in place a universal PDS for food security and strengthen the MGNREGA, or rural job scheme, by increasing fund allocations. It also stressed on the distribution of land and sought permanent housing for the crores of landless identified by the survey.

CPI(M) said that the income figures emerging from SECC contradict the criteria of inclusion and exclusion.

Even the increased figure of 48 per cent of rural population being described as poor (as compared to the Rangarajan Committee estimate of 30.90 per cent) is still a "gross underestimation", the party said.

"For example, the survey shows 75 per cent heads of households in rural India had an earning of less than Rs 5,000 per month. By any measure of decent living, these are destitution lines, not poverty lines, but such households are not included in the criteria to define the poor," said CPI(M).

It added that "92 per cent were earning less than Rs 10,000 per month", and also noted that "more than 51 per cent of rural households depend on manual labour, associated with fluctuating incomes".

There is a need to analyse the SECC data further, CPI (M) insisted.

"However, these shocking figures of distress point to the need for a reversal of the policies that have created such a terrible situation for the majority of the rural population," the party maintained.

This picture emerges in spite of the faulty criteria for "automatic inclusion" and "automatic exclusion" which was adopted for the SECC and which had been criticised by the CPI(M) at the time as an instrument to divide equally needy and deprived sections so as to deny them of benefits of social sector programmes, it added.