Political India: Engaging America

From The Hindu

CHENNAI: M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, on Wednesday warned against subsidising ecological suicide in the Indo-Gangetic plains. “We cannot afford that area to suffer. If you enter policymaking you should ensure that you do not give subsidies for what I call eco-cide, or ecological suicide,” he told students of the Madras School of Economics on the occasion of its Founding Day.

He added that this would apply to subsidies given “in normal years as a part of political favour-seeking.” However, in a drought year such as this year, support to affected people would be essential.

Highlighting recent and “increasingly alarming reports,” for example in Science magazine, Professor Swaminathan said the latest remote sensing technology has shown that the heartland of the Green Revolution, including the Indo-Gangetic plain, is in deep ecological distress. “But that is the region feeding the public distribution system,” he said, explaining that if natural resources are exploited beyond their rejuvenation capacity, that will lead to difficulties in agriculture.

Professor Swaminathan addressed the student body, faculty and guests on the occasion of MSE’s 16th Annual Day celebrations as chief guest. MSE also marked the passing of its Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Dr. Raja J. Chelliah, with Professor Swaminathan remarking that he personally knew how much effort Dr. Chelliah took to establish the School, including the academic programmes and infrastructure .

MSE Director D.K. Srivastava delivered the welcome address. Certificates were presented by Professor Swaminathan to students graduating with masters degrees and the course toppers.

Economists in Chennai

Pointing out that Chennai has been fortunate to have renowned economists such as Dr. Chelliah and Dr. Malcolm Adiseshiah, who established the Madras Institute of Development Studies, Professor Swaminathan said: “Such economists have not only made enormous personal contributions to the science and to policy formulation but also to institution-building.”

C. Rangarajan, Chairman of MSE and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, described the MSE as Dr. Chelliah’s ’child.’ “It was due to his vision and dedication that this institution has become what it is today.” Dr. Chelliah’s ambition was to set up an institution which provided excellent avenues for teaching and research in economics in this part of the country, Dr. Rangarajan said, and this has been fulfilled.

Advising economists graduating from the MSE to “marry collegiate economics with public policies,” Professor Swaminathan said agricultural development policies, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and policies in the area of food and nutrition security deserved more attention from policymakers.

Professor Swaminathan underscored the ecological importance of the NREGA, saying: “If you look at the NREGA guidelines, labour is to be used for the purpose of watershed management, water harvesting, soil conservation and a whole series of steps which will lead to building up permanent assets.”

Dr. Rangarajan touched upon prospects for the Indian economy as it emerged from the global financial crisis even as it faced a drought. “My own estimate for the current year is that the economy will grow at between 6 per cent and 6.5 per cent,” he said. But the distress faced in rural areas caused by output shortfalls and deficient rain should not be underestimated.

He said: “The financial crisis and the meltdown shows that India is integrated with the rest of the world,” and the drop in the growth rates for the present year from earlier years when it was above 9 per cent reflected this integration.

“The de-coupling theory does not hold good and globalisation cuts both ways, spreading distress as well as prosperity.”

Labels: C. Rangarajan, de-coupling, ecology, Indian economy, M.S. Swaminathan, Madras School of Economics, NREGA, Rajah Chelliah

From The Hindu

Assured livelihood: Recent audits have affirmed the contribution the NREGS has made to employment security. Photo: P. Goutham

CHENNAI: The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) has matured from its 2006 launch to the point where the concept of NREGS-II is now doing the rounds in policy circles. However, before this act of succession occurs, greater clarity is required on which features of the policy need to be refined to strengthen this lifeline for the rural poor.

M.S. Swaminathan, chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, outlines some of the policy attributes that the history of the NREGS would suggest are important. The Maharashtra government was the first to introduce an Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) in the 1970s, which guaranteed work at slightly below the minimum wage, he points out.

In 1980, the national version of the EGS programme was named National Rural Employment Programme (NREP) without the guarantee element included.

“The NREGS has taken the initiative of the 6th Five Year Plan to its logical end, namely converting NREP into NREGA. The aim of all such programmes starting with the colonial era is the development of permanent assets. NREGA, for example, aims to promote water harvesting, watershed management, soil conservation, land reclamation, etc.,” says Professor Swaminathan.

With the monsoon failing this year, the scheme has attained even more importance as a source of off-farm work during months that would have otherwise seen workers employed in agriculture. Recent social audits, such as those led by Jean Dreze and his colleagues, have affirmed the contribution to employment security the scheme makes in districts such as Villupuram, while acknowledging that implementation problems exist, including “mass fudging of muster rolls,” and “institutionalised kickbacks to private contractors,” in some cases.

Labour market impact

Wider economic effects, including a labour market impact, are also being observed across States: the supply of farm labour has, in some cases, dwindled, and this has been attributed to the NREGS. However, such claims must be seen in the context of two issues. First, the NREGS is designed to improve the labour market prospects of those living on the subsistence margin, and if farm owners need to raise the daily wage rate to compete for more labour, that will be a positive outcome for farm workers. Second, labour supply in many areas, including the Cauvery Delta, is, in any case, falling due to rural-urban migration, especially of younger members of the workforce searching for better-paid and physically less strenuous opportunities.

Any deleterious effects of the NREGS on farm labour supply can be minimised if, as Mihir Shah of the Planning Commission has argued, the government tries to bring about a convergence between NREGS projects and farm-related asset-creation works. For example, the NREGS could achieve convergence and synergy among numerous ongoing programmes in the fields of watershed development, water harvesting and so on.

Emphasising the need to increase technical inputs for the next phase of the programme, Professor Swaminathan suggests creating a technical consortium of experts drawn from agricultural universities. Additionally, “small and marginal farmers should be allowed to work under this scheme to develop farm ponds in their own farms, in order to enrich the aquifer and give crop life saving irrigation when needed.”

“Gender sensitive”

The revised programme should also permit women labour to work as organisers of crèches, daycare centres etc. “The programme must be gender sensitive,” he says.
Although the Finance Minister recently announced that more than 100 days of employment will not be provided, the drought or drought-like conditions found in many districts this year may require extension of the scheme.

In this backdrop raising the wage rate from its present level of Rs.80 per day to Rs.100 or more and increasing the number of guaranteed days under NREGS-II will signal the continued commitment of the government to a meaningful pro-poor agenda.

Labels: Cauvery, delta, EGS, Finance Minister, Jean Dreze, M.S. Swaminathan, NREGA, NREGS, NREGS-II, NREP

Support MSSRF in coastal systems research, Ram tells A.P.

From The Hindu

CHENNAI: The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) reaffirmed its focus on tackling social inequalities through scientific and action-oriented research as it celebrated its Foundation Day and the release of its 19th Annual Report on Friday.

Dignitaries and proponents of agricultural research and development in India felicitated the MSSRF and its chairman M.S. Swaminathan on the occasion, which coincided with his birthday.

Focus areas

Ajay Parida, Executive Director, MSSRF, outlined some of the important achievements of the Foundation to date. In a presentation covering MSSRF focus areas such as coastal systems research, biodiversity, biotechnology, eco-technology and food security, he said, “The focus of the foundation has been pro-poor, pro-nature, pro-women and pro-livelihoods based on technology and information dissemination.”

Reflecting the MSSRF’s emphasis on tackling social inequalities through scientific research, Dr. Parida pointed out the Foundation’s achievements in capacity building in biodiversity for Panchayat Raj institutions, promoting organic farming to boost farmers’ income, holistic management of watersheds, climate change initiatives and grass-roots training for farmers.

Pro-poor policies

Delivering the address of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who could not be present due to unforeseen circumstances, M. Singh, Principal Secretary to the government, said the MSSRF had continued to do “a great job under the able guidance of Dr. Swaminathan.” He outlined some pro-poor and pro-agriculture policies recently implemented in Andhra Pradesh such as Jalayagnam, for water conservation and management, the Aam Aadmi Bhima Yojana, pensions for the poor and the Rs.2 a kg rice scheme.

Independent review

Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu N. Ram, who is a trustee of the MSSRF, touched upon a recent independent review of the Foundation’s work by economists Uma Lele and Kavita Gandhi. Praising the integrity of the institution, Mr. Ram said: “Although the review identified some weaknesses and deficits, the Foundation has done very well overall.” It had delivered practical outcomes on the ground, he said.

The food security atlases that the MSSRF had brought out spotlight the failure of India to make a dent in mass deprivation, hunger and nutrition deficiencies, he said.

Underscoring the “need to strengthen the financial foundations of the MSSRF,” Mr. Ram appealed to the Government of Andhra Pradesh to further support the Foundation’s work in areas such as coastal systems research. The State might stand to benefit from the results of such research, he pointed out.

Formally releasing the MSSRF Annual Report, Mihoko Tamamura, Country Director, World Food Programme, said: “We would like to see continued leadership from the MSSRF as a great platform for heated debates on food security in India.”

Call for convergence

Acknowledging the support received from external institutions and his colleagues within the MSSRF, Professor Swaminathan emphasised that “we cannot afford incremental progress in agriculture.”

Given the nutritional emergency facing the country, the “stubborn” hunger figures and overall stagnant productivity rates, Professor Swaminathan argued that India needed to “produce a convergence between health, nutrition, food security and gender outcomes.”

“When we can develop nuclear submarines, why can’t we improve food security,” he asked.

Labels: biodiversity, biotechnology, coastal systems, food security, M.S. Swaminathan, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, N. Ram, World Food Programme, Y.S. Rajasekara Reddy