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Aam Aadmi

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File:COMMAN.JPG
A Statue of "the Common Man" in Pune

Aam Aadmi (Hindi for "Common Man"[1]) is a term used primarily in India to refer to the average Indian. Aam Aadmi is the Indian equivalent of Average Joe. "The common man is marching ahead, every step of his makes India stronger" - the new slogan of Aam Aadmi.For an Aam Aadmi, his set of aspirations include three essential things: Food, Clothing and Shelter.

In any country, there are two sets of people Aam and Khaas. The daily wage workers, taxpayers, traders and retailers, salaried people, women and retired people are the different segments of Aam Aadmi. They need a special care in the budget because they deserve it.

Aam Aadmi aims at the happiness of common man. [2] The government must protect the common man by providing subsidies on food and fertilizer. However, there are high administrative costs of delivery in present subsidy scheme. The economists now opt direct cash transfers to reduce administrative costs.

Aam Aadmi was introduced in 2004 by the Congress-led UPA government. It aims to strengthen the Right to Information Act, National Rural Employment Guaranteed Scheme, National Food Security Act and Bharat Nirman Yojana [3] by way of economic and social inclusion of every underprivileged section of society. [4] No marginal groups are excluded from the development process. Women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes belong to the marginal groups. [5]

The Right to Information Act

The Right to Information Act 2005 is an Act to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities, in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority, the constitution of a Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. [6]

The Act specifies that citizens have the right to:

  • inspection of work, documents and records.
  • taking notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records.
  • taking certified samples of material.
  • obtaining information in the form of printouts, diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes 'or in any other electronic mode' or through printouts.

The Right to Information Act makes the common man up to date. His role in government's decision-making process has been redefined by the Act. The Right to Information Act is an effective tool to control corruption, make government accountable, and curb the arbitrary use of power.[7]The Act has now been amended to provide for disclosure by government in all non-strategic areas.

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

This Act came into force on February 2, 2006. The twin objectives of the Act are augmenting wage employment and strengthening natural resource management. As per the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, job cards are issued to the rural unskilled labour by guaranteeing work for 100 days in a financial year at a minimum daily wage of Rs.100. It is the largest programme in the world for rural reconstruction. [8] The scheme covered 604 districts in India in three phases and provided employment opportunities for more than 4.47 crore households in 2008-09. [9] The total outlay for the scheme is $8 billion during 2009-10.

NREGA creates transparency and accountability in governance. All NREGA beneficiaries now have accounts with banks or post offices. The scope of the programme is limited to unskilled manual labour. The scope can be extended through increased land productivity. Land productivity can be maximized through better convergence of NREGA with other programmes. [10] M.S. Swaminathan, Father of Green Revolution in India argues that there is a synergy between National Food Security Act and NREGA. [11] NREGA through its diversified programmes on human development helps to ensure food security for all. It is the realisation of Gandhi's dream to make India self-sufficient. The scheme has now been renamed as Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Gandhiji thought us how unskilled manual labour can be made use of for the betterment of society.

Food Security Act

Food security is essential for the common man to lead a healthy and productive life. The Antodaya sheme provides 35 kilos of rice and wheat at Rs.2 per kg. Whereas the National Food Security Act helps the poor to purchase 25 kg of rice or wheat per month at Rs.3 per kg. It calls for broader reforms in the public distribution system. Food Security Act takes into consideration the following three important aspects:

  • Food Availability.
  • Food Access.
  • Food Absorption.

Targeting the BPL families is one of the main issues in the implementation of the Act. In 2005 Planning Commission has made an evaluation of PDS schemes. They found that more than 50 per cent of food did not reach the poor families.

Bharat Nirman Yojana

Bharat Nirman Yojana is an action-oriented business plan for rural infrastructure.[12] It is an important step in bridging the gap between rural and urban areas and improving the quality of lives of rural masses. It comprises of projects on irrigation, roads (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana), housing (Indira Awaaz Yojana), water supply, electrification and telecommunication connectivity.

The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched on 25 December 2000. The primary objective of PMGSY is to provide good quality all-weather roads in all the rural areas where urban-rural road connectivity is very weak. [13]

Aam Aadmi is the image of common man. He is one among millions of illiterate population of India. [14] Whatever be the changes in the economy affects him the most. Inflation, financial meltdown and the resultant job loss are cumbersome for Aam Aadmi.[15]To put it otherwise, Aam Aadmi is always caught up in a vicious circle of poverty.

The Aam Aadmi Ka Sipahi

The Aam Aadmi Ka Sipahi (the Common Man's Army[16]) is a programme launched by Rahul Gandhi. It upholds the Right to Information Act and NREGA. The Aam Aadmi Ka Sipahi aims to popularize the UPA government's flagship programmes by the Youth Congress and train local youths in e-governance and use of computers. [17][18]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Aam aadmi back, with Jaiho". The Telegraph. 2009-03-14. Retrieved 2010-01-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  2. ^ Debroy, Bibek (2009-05-29). "Who's the aam aadmi". Indian Express. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  3. ^ Sexana, Shobhan (2009-12-27). "The rise of aam aadmi". Times of India. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  4. ^ Bhattacharya, A.K. (2009-12-30). "From Hindutva to aam aadmi". Business Standard. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  5. ^ http://www.blonet.com/2009/01/27/stories/2009012750070700.htm
  6. ^ The Right to Information Act, 2005 http://www.rti.gov.in/webactrti.htm
  7. ^ http://www.dgftcom.nic.in/exim/2000/rit.htm
  8. ^ http://www.india.gov.in/sectors/rural/national_rural.php
  9. ^ Official Website of NREGA
  10. ^ http://www.orissalinks/orissagrowth/.../bharat-nirman-programme
  11. ^ Swaminathan, M.S. (2009-06-01). "Synergy between Food Security Act and NREGA". Retrieved 2010-01-29. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Official Website of Bharat Nirman
  13. ^ http://www.india.gov.in/sectors/rural/pradhan_manthri.php
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ Patnaik, Prabhat (2008). "Conservation to the foe". Frontline. Vol. 25, no. 06. Retrieved 2009-02-01. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  16. ^ "Soldier tag for Youth Cong - Pro-poor Scheme launched". The Telegraph. 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
  17. ^ [2]
  18. ^ [3]

Further reading

  • Mishra,N.N.; Parker,Lisa; Nimgaonkar,V.L.; Deshpande,S.N. (2008): "Privacy and the Right to Information Act, 2005", Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 5(4), p.159.
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