A national conference cum meeting was held today at Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi, on the conclusion of the first phase of Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan being run across the country for the last three months, on the question of imposing proper tax on the property of super rich, guaranteeing education, health and employment, immediately filling the vacant posts in government departments across the country, guaranteeing a respectable life for every person.
Groundxero | Nov. 12, 2024
A national conference cum meeting of Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan was held at Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi, on 10 November. The conference pitched for imposition of a Property and Inheritance Tax on super rich to solve public issues and demanded enactment of a Right to Employment law. The speakers stressed that there is no dearth of resources in the country and pointed to the need to end the monopoly of the capital. They said that today power and wealth in the country has become concentrated in the hands of a few and when this happens, democracy will also not be safe. Therefore, this movement for employment is also a movement to save democracy.
A 9-member steering committee was formed, and meaningful campaign will be run across the country for the right to education, health and employment and people-oriented economic policies.
New Delhi, 10 November 2024
A national conference cum meeting was held today at Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi, on the conclusion of the first phase of Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan being run across the country for the last three months, on the question of imposing proper tax on the property of super rich, guaranteeing education, health and employment, immediately filling the vacant posts in government departments across the country, guaranteeing a respectable life for every person.
The conference unanimously decided that the question of employment is linked to political economy. The question of unemployment affects a large part of the society along with students and youth. The conference believes that there is no dearth of resources in the country. Resources can be gathered if proper tax is imposed on the property of big capital houses and proper economic policy is made. These resources will guarantee education, health and employment to students and youth. Along with this, questions like restoration of old pension, permanent jobs and respectable salary to all scheme workers including Anganwadi, Asha workers and workers working on contract, legal guarantee of minimum support price for farmers and investment for co-operatisation of small and medium industries including agriculture and social security of citizens can be solved. In the resolution taken in the conference cum meeting, the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act 2003 made during the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was considered a law made in favour of big capital. Despite this, if proper tax is imposed on the capitalists, then there will be no need for this law of fiscal deficit.
The conference cum meeting will communicate with students and youth across the country along with other sections of the society and will run a meaningful campaign for the right to education, health and employment and people-oriented economic policy. In this dialogue campaign, conferences will be held in states, zones, districts and campuses. In the conference, a 19-member Committee was formed for running the employment rights campaign and it was decided to expand it in the future. Along with this, to help it, the formation of an advisory committee comprising of representatives of farmers, workers, women, employees, environment etc. movements, people-oriented economists, advocates and citizens was considered.
Till now, those who have agreed to be in the advisory committee include former Finance Secretary of the Government of India S. P. Shukla, economist Professor Prabhat Patnaik, Professor Arun Kumar, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, senior journalist Santosh Bhartiya, former president of Allahabad University Students’ Union Akhilendra Pratap Singh, economist Jaya Mehta, Umakant etc. Anyone who agrees with the four issues of the campaign will become a part of this campaign.
Addressing the conference, eminent economist Professor Prabhat Patnaik said that it is the responsibility of the government to guarantee a respectable life to every citizen of the country. If only 2 percent property tax and 30 percent inheritance tax is imposed on the property of a few corporate houses of the country, then every citizen of the country can be guaranteed five constitutional rights, which includes the Right to Employment, Right to Food, Right to Quality and Free Education, Health and the Right to pension for Old Persons. He said that this tax will guarantee social security and will increase the purchasing power of the people.
Professor Arun Kumar said that there is no shortage of resources in the country. The current situation has ruined small and medium industries and the unorganized sector, while most of the country is still working in the unorganized sector. In such a situation, if tax is imposed on corporate houses, then prosperity can come to the country. He said that the talk of Tina factor is meaningless because alternative policies can be made in the country and the sovereignty of the country can be protected.
Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan said that today there is a need to end the monopoly of the growing capital. He said that there are a large number of contract workers in the country who are not even getting minimum wages and social security. The government should make a law on the Right to Employment and guarantee employment to every citizen and if the government is unable to provide employment, then at least half of the minimum wage should be given as Unemployment Allowance.
Ex Students Union President of Allahabad University, Akhilendra Pratap Singh said that there is a need to change the old approach and work on praxis will have to be done according to the new situation. He said that today power and wealth in the country has become concentrated in the hands of a few people and when this happens, democracy will also not be safe. Therefore, this movement for employment is also a movement to save democracy.
Gandhi Peace Foundation Director Kumar Prashant said that the democratic sphere is being continuously weakened, it needs to be saved. Senior journalist Santosh Bhartiya, supporting the movement, said that the movement for employment is a movement to catch the pulse of the people and it will expand across the country. Nazariya editor Rehman underlined the need to spread it across the country.
The conference was addressed by farmer leader Puran Singh, National Coolie Front coordinator Ram Suresh Yadav, competitive students’ leader Anil Singh, D.El.Ed. Front’s Rajat Singh, tribal youth Savita Gond, technical youth leader RB Singh Patel, Kisan Sabha’s Vimal Trivedi, Secondary Teachers’ Union’s Surendra Pandey, Bhagat Singh Student Front’s Ipsita, Doctor Prabhat Kumar, Progressive Youth Forum’s Nisha, Rakesh, Jainul Abdin, Bagish Dhar Rai, Mohit Kumar, Major Himanshu Singh. Senior social worker Deepak Dholakia and socialist Vijay Pratap was also present in the conference.
On behalf of Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan,
Rajesh Sachan
Organizer Conference and Meeting
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