Outlook: New Delhi: Friday, May 31, 2013.
Roy said now the minimum wages issue has not got
any kind of priority in the government's perspective.
"I think it's the reform agenda, it's the growth agenda which has got the
government's attention. Minimum wages may be seen as negative because the
industries and the big farmers are annoyed with MGNREGA as it has raised the
wage structure and given the workers a bargaining power.
"If the government sees it in negative, then it is definitely
anti-poor," she said.
Attacking ruling as well as opposition parties for
non-passage of Food Security Bill, she said the proposed law was "whittled
down" by the government.
"As the Bill is in Parliament, it is the obligation of the government and
the opposition to get the Bill passed which addresses the issues of poverty and
hunger in a country whose social indicator figures were even below the
Sub-Sahara African nations, Bangladesh and Pakistan," Roy said.
She was also critical of the government's attempt
to make new legislations, especially having any kind of sensitivity to economic
or defence areas, out of the RTI regime.
"It is a truth that most new Acts which have any kind of sensitivity in
terms of economic or defence areas are now fashioned in such a way that they
are kept out of the purview of the RTI.
"This is very dangerous because it means that whole chunk of the legislation
get immune from right to access to information," she said.
The activist said her next battle for RTI would be
to make sure that access to information was not hampered.
Asked about her next assignment after dissociating
from NAC, she said, "I want to shift from an advisor to activist. I want
to go back and concentrate on those issues which are still pending like Food
Security Bill and accountability legislations."
.JPG)
.JPG)
