[Marxistindia] Resolution adopted at the 24th Congress of CPI(M)

[news from the cpi(m)]

Resolution

 

Recognise Basic Needs as Fundamental Rights

 

The 24th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) believes that
welfare schemes that provide essential public goods and services -like food,
shelter, employment, pensions, education, and healthcare-are not acts of
charity but are the fundamental rights of every citizen.

 

Every citizen has the right to access these essential requirements which are
the bedrock of justice and equality. Economic rights play a crucial role in
social progress and welfare programmes serve as investments in human
capital, creating a more productive workforce and driving long-term economic
growth.

 

The introduction of neoliberal policies has seen ideological and decimating
attacks on the social sector since their basic premise is that governments
should withdraw from these sectors and that health and educational
facilities should be privatised in the interest of the corporates. 

 

The BJP-led Modi government has intensified efforts to dismantle these
programmes and reduce subsidies. Prime Minister Modi has been at the
forefront of denigrating social welfare by branding such initiatives as
'revdis' (freebies), falsely claiming they harm the country's development.
This narrative dismisses the crucial role of social welfare in shielding
vulnerable sections from the adverse effects of market-driven, neo-liberal
policies pursued by the BJP central government.

 

Some of the cash transfer schemes introduced by the Modi government in place
of subsidy-based schemes will eventually lead to the dilution and then
dismantling of essential social security programmes, rendering the most
vulnerable sections of society more helpless than ever. 

 

This approach is a contravention of the Directive Principles of State
Policy, part of the Constitution itself, which mandates that the government
ensures a dignified life for all citizens, irrespective of caste, creed, or
other distinctions. Unfortunately, these are not legally enforceable and
there is a need to transform them into justiciable Constitutional citizens'
rights. 

 

Governments pursuing neo-liberal agendas argue that these rights cannot be
guaranteed because of financial constraints. This is a spurious argument
since the continuous reduction of corporate taxes combined with a refusal to
collect taxes that are legally due from corporates is an important part of
their fiscal policy. The BJP government has reduced these taxes in every
year of its existence. A rationalised tax structure would ensure delivery of
all essential services to all citizens. 

 

The 24th Congress of the CPI(M) calls upon the people of the country to
unite and mobilize for the struggle to secure these basic rights to food,
shelter, employment, pension, education and healthcare while resolutely
resisting the central government's attempts to undermine various existing
welfare programmes.

 

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