INCREASINGLY, government programmes for provision of basic facilities are being dismantled, in many instances, with the onus shifting to private/ voluntary organizations or private companies. Mid-Day Meal through Self Help Groups appear to be the exclusive form adopted in West Bengal. In Jharkhand, it was observed that in the name of 'Jal Sahiya', workers are being exploited to the hilt. They are responsible for building toilets in every household, for testing water quality in each household, etc., but no regular payment but for promises of some incentive of Rs. 75 per toilet and Rs. 15 per test which was never received. These revised schemes denied basic rights to those engaged in working at the grassroots by designating them volunteers and not regular workers and paying an honorarium instead of salaries. There are today almost 20 million such workers who are denied the status of being workers. Under the Modi government, the agenda has become even more open and explicit, as all policies and schemes are now to be pursued with the help of international finance capital under the garb of ‘national development’.

The private sector is being lured by providing huge incentives to capture these social sectors for commercial purposes. On the contrary, budget allocations for schemes like MGNREGA, ICDS, NRHM, Mid-day meal, national literacy mission, tribal sub-plan, scheduled caste sub-plan, drinking water and sanitation, to list a few, are greatly reduced only to maintain some skeleton service.