More than 60 years after Independence the fate of the poor and rural people in India does not seem to be changing despite several measures initiated by governments in the states and the Centre. Lack of accurate data is one of the reasons listed for this. According to a parliamentary panel report, there is a need for sub-categorization of the minorities on the lines of rich and poor. Or at least identification of the minorities falling in the below poverty line bracket in the general BPL census held once every five years. In the absence of data on the poor among minorities, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on social justice has said the minorities affairs ministry would not be able to fix and achieve targets under schemes taken up to ensure equitable distribution of development benefits to minorities. It has asked the Ministry to expeditiously collect data of BPL persons among minorities. The committee's emphasis on the centrality on BPL data for the success of schemes has been described as interesting as it raises the question of the need to divide minorities along with their financial status to focus on welfare programmes for the poor. The panel has said Planning Commission had allocated Rs. 1,000 crores against the Ministry's demand for Rs. 1,340 crores for 2008-09, noting that the latter could only spend Rs. 120.23 crores out of the total allocation of Rs. 500 crores in 2007-08. The Ministry explained that less expenditure was incurred because if fresh expenditure was to be incurred, it would require fresh Cabinet approval for three schemes for scholarships and a multi-sectoral development programme. The schemes could not be operationalised in time for lack of these approvals. Rural development schemes are hampered in several other ways and for many reasons like alleged corruption, very slow pace of work and safety of men and material needed in carrying out the projects. Ask the UPA ally Communist Party of India (Marxist) and they will tell you that funds for rural schemes are shrinking. Highlighting the plight of the poor in rural areas, especially women, Brinda Karat of CPI(M) and Rajya Sabha MP has asked the Government to allocate more funds for rural development schemes. She has also favored lowering of productivity norms for minimum wages under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme so that more villagers could benefit. Initiating a discussion on the working of the Rural Development Ministry Ms. Karat said in Rajya Sabha that on one hand the Congress led United Progressive Alliance government had been boasting of a 8 to 9 % GDP growth and on the other, fund allocations for various rural development schemes was decreasing. It came down from 0.36 percent of the GDP in 2005-06 to 0.27 in 2008-09. Accusing the government of promoting an inspector raj while conducting a survey to determine people living below the poverty line, Ms. Karat said the entire process was a big fraud where the onus lay on a poor family to prove that they qualified for benefits under the scheme. Through this process, the government is trying to eliminate the poor and not poverty so that it does not have to share any social responsibility towards the poor. Ms. Karat added though it had merged various employment programmes under the NREGP, the government had failed to increase the allocation. It has doubled the number of districts covered under the programme, but the increase in the budget was a mere 33 percent. Similarly, the productivity norms involving earth cutting are being raised to save money. It also puts women at a disadvantage. Moreover, the timing of work has been increased in contravention of International Labour Organisation norms. Alleging that an influential lobby was behind these anomalies and was working to make life more difficult for rural folks, Ms. Karat said the Centre must make the allocations to the state governments instead of districts so that the money could be utilized more efficiently. She also asked the Government to strengthen women self-help groups and make sure that credit was readily available without any stringent rules and procedures. She said the number of landless farm laborers had risen from 22 per cent to 32 percent in recent years, while the achievements under Bharat Nirman were far below the targets. An earlier Prime Minister's dream project connecting different parts of the country including rural areas, that was to see completion by the end of this financial year, is yet another example of lofty ideas but no end results. The progress review by Planning Commission has shown that on National Highway Development Programme that includes the Golden Quadrilateral and part of North-South and East West corridor, there has been just 49 percent achievement in terms of four-laning targets for 2007-08. On the tolling target 55 percent achievement has been recorded. While NHDP I stretching across 7498 kms, that were scheduled for completion after several revised deadline -- in December 2007, continues to drag on, NHDP II across 6.647 kms has fared even worse. The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has indicted the Rural Development Ministry for not heeding to the Prime Minister's concerns regarding corruption in the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna and asked it to introduce appropriate mechanisms to check graft. PAC has recommended that the social audit modality under the UPA government's flagship NREGS be incorporated in PMGSY as well. This would act as an important safeguard against corruption by the implementing agencies at the village and block levels, the Committee has said in its 72nd report tabled in Parliament. In his address to the National Conference on Rural Roads last May, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had said that corruption and lack of quality assurance were major reasons for poor quality roads. Corruption in road construction projects has spread like cancer to every corner of our vast county. I sincerely hope we can implement both PMGSY and Bharat Nirman without this affliction and in a transparent and accountable manner, the PM had said. Only 24 percent of the targeted 1.4 lakh rural habitations have been provided connectivity up to March 2005, since the launch of the scheme in 2000. While one agrees that Rural Development Ministry has at least initiated some measures that need to be commended, it needs so further proof that there is a lot, lot more that remains to be done and done well. Shibani Dasgupta, NPA