Socio economic reform: Progress in land, education reforms

Arnav Pandya

India has been following the path of economic reforms over the last two decades but this has to be accompanied by inclusive growth. Overall improvement in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the country would achieve little use unless the benefits are shared by an increasing part of the country’s population. All these steps should help more and more people to come above the poverty line and improve their standard of living and the various socio economic reforms need to be considered from this perspective.
Acquisition of land for various industrial projects as well as for housing and other purposes has led to a lot of friction between the land owners as well as the acquiring agencies or entities. The fair mode of compensation and the ability for authorities to compulsory acquire land has become the main points on which  there has been  a lot of friction across various parts of the country.  To bring clarity on the matter as well as lay down the guidelines to be followed the government has introduced the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement bill. If this is passed it will be a key act that will lay the framework for the acquisition of land across the country and the main benefit would be in the form of fairness in the whole land acquisition process. This would be reflected in the form of reduction in the number of disputes so that at the end of the day both the landowners and the acquirers end up sharing the benefits.
There have already been several steps taken in the field of Education with the passage of the Right to Education Act that provides every child in the country between the age of six and fourteen with the right to free and compulsory education. Getting the right education is the path to upward mobility in our society especially in the knowledge economy in the new millennium. Schools across the country will have to gear up to meet the challenge and this will also mean that they will have to improve the quality of education that is provided to the children. Ensuring that even students who are economically weak get the best education will pose challenges but the act is a step in the right direction. The future depends upon its proper implementation that can lead to a situation where a lot of deserving children will be able to pursue their dreams and improve their financial conditions in the years ahead.
The Food Security Act is another route that will lead to a reform in the manner in which the food distribution system currently works in the country. The problem of large scale production not reaching the intended beneficiaries and rotting away in public godowns while people go hungry is something that has to change. The goal should be that the needy should get food at affordable prices so that the entire state mechanism achieves the role that it intends to play. The introduction of the cash transfer scheme as well as the proposal for food coupons will ensure that it is only those who require assistance are able to access it in a proper manner.  Leakages in the system will be taken care of and hence the amount spent on food will show results. Also food coupons will give power to the people to determine the kind of food that they want to consume and hence they can choose what suits their requirements rather than being forced to take what is actually available. (The writer is a certified financial planner)