T20 Politics

The FDI issue showcased the deplorable levels of our political discourse as personal attacks and political convenience dictated the debate in Parliament, rather than its actual effect on farmers, retailers and employment. The electronic media is obsessed with TRP ratings and politicians resort to eye-catching tactics to take advantage of this obsession. Viewers, too, are responsible for the state of affairs as they have not cared to improve their taste, which is what sustains T20 politics.

Published in The Hindu on 13th Dec, 2012

Cash(Vote) Transfer Scheme

After reaping rich dividends from NREGA in the 2009 general elections, it was expected of the Congress to come up with something more effective for vote transfer in 2014. A cash transfer scheme requires careful scrutiny of all provisions and effective checks of leakages, especially in a country where there is large-scale poverty, illiteracy, corruption and political manipulation. The government must take a leaf out of the most successful cash transfer scheme in the world, Brazil’s Bolsa Familia, which has many provisions like transfer through government owned banks and public enlisting of beneficiaries.

What is worrying is the haste with which the UPA government is pushing the scheme without adequately addressing serious concerns raised by civil society organisations. In a highly patriarchal society like ours, the misuse of the cash by male heads of the family is a distinct possibility and needs to be addressed. Without an effective and transparent mechanism for selecting the beneficiaries, there is every chance of manipulation by the party in power.

Published in The Hindu on 30th November 2012