FAST PUT OFF

FAST PUT OFF

15-AUG-ENG 6

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------The two-day fast held in Ara before the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO)—organized under the nationwide call of the All India Rural Agricultural Labourers Association (Khegramas) to press for a 10-point list of demands—has concluded. The participants included State Committee members Vijay Ojha, Kamta Prasad, Janardan God, Harishankar Sah, Mannu Paswan, Madan Paswan, Rabri Devi, Ravindra Paswan, Mahesh Paswan, Kundan Kumar, Ravindra Mahto, Dhanoj Kumar, Lalan Das, Veer Kumar, and Rajmohan Singh. The proceedings of the two-day event were conducted by labor leader Veer Kumar Yadav.

On the second day, Abhyuday, a CPI(ML) Central Committee member and Bhojpur District Secretary, broke the participants' fast by offering them sugarcane juice. Following the conclusion of the fast, a memorandum addressed to the President of India was submitted through the Ara SDO. The memorandum highlighted ground realities affecting the rural poor, such as issues regarding housing; strict eligibility criteria under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G); landlessness; and delays in fund disbursement, which leave many eligible families outside the scheme's ambit. It also cited the prevalence of *kutcha* (makeshift) houses, the lack of land leases (land rights), and recurring displacement due to climate-related disasters, all of which render these families insecure. Furthermore, it noted their livelihood dependence on seasonal agriculture and MGNREGA wages—the latter often being delayed—and how the lack of asset-based resources, skill training, and direct market linkages keeps these families trapped in a cycle of poverty and migration. 2. Constitutional and legal basis: Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees the fundamental right to a life with dignity, which the Supreme Court has interpreted to include adequate housing and sustainable means of livelihood; Directive Principles under Articles 39, 41, and 43 mandate the State to secure the right to work and housing.

Housing: The scope of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin should be expanded to provide housing sites and homestead land to the landless rural poor.

5. Pending housing units should be completed expeditiously, ensuring quality, climate-resilient construction equipped with toilets, water, and electricity.

◦. A grievance redressal mechanism should be established at the block level to ensure time-bound resolution of complaints. Due to current inflation, the existing allocation under PMAY-G is insufficient for constructing a permanent house; therefore, the amount should be increased to ₹5 lakh. A housing colony scheme for the homeless should be launched in every block. 5. Ensure 200 days of work under the rural employment guarantee scheme in all rural districts, along with the payment of minimum wages within 15 days. 6. Grant land rights, forest rights, and access to common lands to ensure sustainable livelihoods; tribal rights over water, forests, and land must be protected. 7. Ensure the right to food—including essential nutrients—for all the rural poor, and halt any moves to reduce the number of beneficiaries. 8. Launch a 'One Nation, One Pension' scheme providing ₹5,000 per month for all the elderly, widows, and persons with disabilities.

9. Stop the imposition of rural taxes on rural services. 10. Enact a 'One Nation, One Minimum Wage Act'; denying minimum wages should be treated as a criminal offense for both government and private entities.

11. Impose a complete ban on the privatization of school education! Upgrade all government schools to the standard of Navodaya Vidyalayas.

12. Enact comprehensive legislation for migrant workers. 13. Demand strict enforcement of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Present at the fast were CPI(ML) Central Committee member and Bhojpur District Secretary Abhyuday, Town Secretary Sudhir Singh, State Committee members Qyamuddin Ansari and Sangeeta Singh, District Office Secretary Dilraj Pritam, AISA Secretary Jaishankar Prasad, INOUS District Secretary Niranjan Kesari, and AILAJ leaders Amit Kumar Bunty, Balmukund Chaudhary, Sahil Arora, Santvilas Ram, and Shivbachan Yadav.