[GJM] Call For Issuing Interest free debt and debt free money for realising MDGs and EFA goals

[Muhammad Mukhtar Alam]

Dear Lysa,Amitabh, Jagada bhai, Ashok bhai, Anil jee, and all in the Coordination Committee of Wada Na Todo Abhiyan,
   
  Greetings for peace, 
   
  Congratulations for story . I wish to get in focus the cause of transforming the finance sector for addressing the root cause of deficits in budget for education and health and such other areas that need priority attention. 
   
  Last years budget analysis of NCAS has a interesting analysis on the sources of revenue and allocation patterns. Payments for debt servicing included around 25% of the reciepts.I am sure, we recall the digrams for this in the beginning of the document. If we delete this payment, we would have lots of money for meeting the recommendation of the Kothari Commission. We know that despite all the guidelines of the planning commission states and central governments have been able to allocate 6% of the GDP for education. Even the next plan projections for higher education limits itself to provide unversal access to secondary education and the reason cited is resource crunch. 
   
  I will be happiest if WNTA takes up the issue of eliminating debt based financing for education and health..I would like to call for alongwith many in the movement for transforming finance sector (reforming money and finance) for issuing interest free money for education and health as we reach the midterm assessment assessement period for EFA goals and then MDG goals.Elaborate description of the reasons can bee seen in my paper circulated to the GCAP list in March 2006 and posted at my blogsite http://muhammad_mukhtar_alam.tigblog.org
   
  Global Justice Movement www.globaljusticemovement.net has been calling for monetary and economic justice with a demand for issuing interest free money for productive purposes. American Monetary Insitutute www.monetary.org is campaiging for reformed monetary act.International Simultaneous Policy organisation www.simpol.org  has included the policy for reforming finance sector as part of global action and adoption.John Bunzl is addressing /has addressed meetings in Mangalore and Bangalore recently. There are many other movements that are listed in my paper ( Note for GCAP and MDG Campaign). Tom Kennedy is organising usuryfree week. There are hundreds of Local Exchange Trading System network denouncing the use of paper currency..Susmita Barua is calling for interest free banking from a Budhdhist perspective. BD Sharma for years has launched the National Movement for Eradication of Usury.
   
  I would like to present this as Chairman of Labour League Foundation , that is a member of the coordination committee.
   
  Please do not take offence for copies to so many. 
   
  Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
  Chairman ,Labour League Foundation, Delhi

Lysa John <lysa.john at gmail.com> wrote:
  

Dear Friends,

I am delighted to share with you Tehelka's interview with 5 children from the 9 Is Mine campaign. The selection was made by Tehelka based on a list of contacts across groups that we provided, and the children were directly contacted for their response to the budget. 

I think you will fully appreciate their policy-speak, grasp over key issues, assessment of what the campaign has been able to achieve and their energies to take this effort forward - as represented in the text of the interview below, but do take a look at the April edition ( pg.22) for the full article.

Thanks also to Puneeta Roy (Tehelka) for pursuing this story.

Best regards,
Lysa John
Wada Na Todo Abhiyan


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

          'JUST GIVE US WHAT YOU PROMISED' 
  In response to the Budget 2007 allocations for education and health, five young campaigners from the Wada Na Todo Abhiyan — Joel, Priyanka, Ishaan, Jai and Jacqueline — speak to Puneeta Roy on the state of education in the country 
  Tell us about Wada Na Todo.
    Joel: Wada Na Todo is the Indian name for the Millennium Campaign against poverty, started by former un Secretary General Kofi Annan. It's a global movement, with a different name in every country. The wada here is the Common Minimum Programme of allotting six percent of gdp for education and three percent for health. 
  Ishaan: We started off with a few meetings here and there; we had people coming in from the un, and there was a stand-up campaign in which one lakh children participated to show their support for this cause. We also started a signature campaign, aiming for one lakh signatures. The first time we tallied it, it came up to two lakh. We've increased our target to ten lakh signatures now! 
  We also had a Parade Day exactly a month before the Budget. It was a replica of the Republic Day parade, and it showcased all levels of society. Lots of social groups came and approximately 15,000 children attended the function. It was a reminder to the government that there was this promise they had to fulfils.
  In the context of this year's Budget, would you say your campaign has been successful?
  Priyanka: There hasn't been a significant change and I wouldn't say we expected to get the nine percent at one go. But we wanted to tell the government that we as children are not just sitting idle, we want our rights; we are the future and if you don't invest in us, the country can never develop. 
  Joel: You can see that in 2006-07 there was only a 0.55 percent expenditure on education and 0.2 percent on health. This year, there has been a 9.2 percent gdp growth, and they have given us only 0.65 percent for education, while it's still 0.2 percent for health. And they say the Budget's focus has shifted to health and education!
  Ishaan: They had to show something so they increased the amount of money by 34 percent in education and 22 percent in health. Which adds up to 0.8 percent of the gdp — that's not a very big difference. And we're asking for nine percent — they'll have to increase their resources by 600 percent or so! The government says it doesn't have the money, but it's all going to defence.
  Joel: They say the money they put in other sectors will trickle down, but I don't believe in the trickle-down effect. It never reaches the grass roots level.
  Jai: We've been in phase one of the Nine is Mine movement so far. We've been working to make children across the country aware, bring in children from oppressed areas, bring in dalit and adivasi children. The good thing about the budget is that they have at least recognised us as a lobbying force, asking for our own demands. Now they will have to take care of us in future. In phase two now, we're going gung-ho. It's just pure force we now have to apply. 
  Any messages for the prime minister or the finance minister?
  Jacqueline: Fulfil the Nine is Mine promise, and we will surely support the pm in whatever he works on.
  Priyanka: Enough of defence! Enough of economics! Let's look at people now.
  Joel: To the FM: we're not asking for much. Just give us what you've promised us. 
  Ishaan: To the PM: take care of us.
  Jai: To the fm: Thanks for recognising us, but do not underestimate us. In the next budget, we will be putting on more force in our demands and we would expect a greater increase in gdp allotments.
  Joel: Though we aren't vote banks now, we will be in the next two years. Don't take children lightly, give us two years more.
  Jai: P. Chidambaram even said that in the 2005 National Common Minimum Programme. They just have to recognise that we are also a very big force, asking for our demands. Youth is a major part of the country right now.
  Priyanka: If we are not developed, the country can never develop. 
  Jai: I would say that going from Developing India to Developed India, is not very far away.

      Apr 07 , 2007
                 
    

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WADA NA TODO Abhiyan
National Campaign Secretariat
C-1/E, Second Floor, Green Park Extension
New Delhi 110 016 INDIA
Tel: 91-11-46082371; Fax - 91-11-46082372
info at wadanatodo.net / www.wadanatodo.net
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-- 
Best regards,
Lysa John
National Campaign Co-ordinator
---------------------------------------------------------
WADA NA TODO Abhiyan
National Campaign Secretariat
C-1/E, Second Floor, Green Park Extension 
New Delhi 110 016 INDIA
Tel: 91-11-46082371; Fax - 91-11-46082372
info at wadanatodo.net / www.wadanatodo.net
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