Welfare delivery: Observations from a Meerut village and a Delhi slum
By: Devesh Vijay.
Material type:
ArticlePublisher: 2016Description: p.820-844.Subject(s): Slums - India - Delhi | Slums
In:
Indian Journal of Public AdministrationSummary: A number of radical reforms championed by scholars in the Indian political system including devolution of more powers to panchayats, enlargement of rights to education, food, forests, land, public information and small pensions and insurance for the poor got implemented formally, in the past two decades, along with the partial liberalisation of the economy. The impact of these momentous shifts on the lives of ordinary citizens is, however, unclear and calls for intensive, long-term studies of villages and slums today. As a contribution, this article makes use of surveys, focus- group discussions, interviews and life sketches, constructed in two working class communities - an urban slum and a village - within the National Capital Region, in 1988-89 and again in 2014-15, to track changes in the working of the 'welfare machine' on the ground. The article shows that over and above structural problems of ingrained inequalities and institutionalised corruption, a policy mess reflected in multiple and contradicting schemes as well as failures of local bodies and delivery mechanisms gravely hamper functioning of welfare measures on the ground. It concludes with some policy implications in light of the gathered evidence which needs to be further corroborated and tallied with more long- term studies of the complex welfare apparatus at the local level. - Reproduced.
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Indian Institute of Public Administration | Volume no: 62, Issue no: 4 | Available | AR114081 |
A number of radical reforms championed by scholars in the Indian political system including devolution of more powers to panchayats, enlargement of rights to education, food, forests, land, public information and small pensions and insurance for the poor got implemented formally, in the past two decades, along with the partial liberalisation of the economy. The impact of these momentous shifts on the lives of ordinary citizens is, however, unclear and calls for intensive, long-term studies of villages and slums today. As a contribution, this article makes use of surveys, focus- group discussions, interviews and life sketches, constructed in two working class communities - an urban slum and a village - within the National Capital Region, in 1988-89 and again in 2014-15, to track changes in the working of the 'welfare machine' on the ground. The article shows that over and above structural problems of ingrained inequalities and institutionalised corruption, a policy mess reflected in multiple and contradicting schemes as well as failures of local bodies and delivery mechanisms gravely hamper functioning of welfare measures on the ground. It concludes with some policy implications in light of the gathered evidence which needs to be further corroborated and tallied with more long- term studies of the complex welfare apparatus at the local level. - Reproduced.
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