What has been government policy towards Inclusive Growth?
Inclusive Growth found heavy emphasis in the 11th and 12th year plan documents of erstwhile Planning Commission. From 2001 onward, almost all government policies and plans started emphasising the include growth. For easy understanding, we can divided the government policy of “including the excluded”
In due course, the government started evolving its policies towards inclusion of the excluded. The government policy can be divided into two parts viz. short term and long term policy.
Short Term policy
The short term inclusive growth policies are aimed at making available the bare minimum and essential goods and services to the most disadvantaged and marginalized section of the society. These include the food security scheme (National Food Security Mission, Mid Day meal scheme in schools); Healthcare (National Health Mission and related schemes such as UI –Indradhanush, ASHA & ANM etc.); Sanitation (Swacchh Bharat Abhiuyan); Housing schemes (PMGAY); Drinking Water (National Rural Drinking Water Programme); Education (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, RMSA, Model schools etc).
Long-term policy
The problems with the short term policies are that they are subsidy-based schemes and despite heavily drawing from national exchequer, they don’t make people self reliant, which is more sustainable way to inclusive growth. Thus, this part of government scheme is more focussed on providing demand based employment, providing tools and skills for self employment, promoting skill development and innovation missions, vocational training programmes etc. In recent times, skill development has been a key mantra for inclusive growth and development of the country.
The long term policies also empower the marginalized and inclusive growth can be realized only when there is a degree of empowerment that creates feeling of participation in all segments of society.
