The living conditions of the common people have not shown much improvement even after several decades after Indian attained Independence, G. Omkarnath, a professor of Central University, Hyderabad, has said.
He delivered a lecture on ‘Indian economy – trends’ at a programme organised by the Marxist Study Centre, at the Public Library here, on Sunday.
Prof. Omkarnath said that though development was taking place, the common people had no place in it. Political and economic systems should not be viewed separately. Though all citizens were given voting rights, there was no economic progress. He said that showing the GDP growth as economic development was not correct.
He said that the committee, which had studied changes in the lifestyles of the common people as a result of the Five Year Plans between 1950 and 1965, had noted the plans had not brought any change in the economic condition of the common people. The same situation was continuing even now. All the economists have agreed that primary education and primary health should not be left to market economy but should be taken care of by the government. He said that many people continue to be deprived of food, shelter and health.
The percentage of unorganised sector workers, which was 90%, before the introduction of liberation policies, three decades ago, has now increased to 95%. While industrial growth has remained stagnant, agriculture sector has declined. Local bodies have no powers and their autonomy was ignored. Local self-governance was neglected, he said.
Prof. Omkarnath alleged that instead of providing opportunities for economic development of the common people, governments were inducing them with free schemes and in the process the common people were losing their skills.
CPI State assistant secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was trying to mislead people into believing that its policies were right by changing the syllabus in textbooks.
Marxist Study Centre organiser B. Venkataramana, CPI leaders A.J. Stalin, Ch. Raghavendra Rao, M. Pydiraju, A. Vimala, M. Lakshmi, employees of public sector banks and students participated.
