7-point economic proposal to deal with Covid-19 crisis stokes controversy, redrafted

group of economists, intellectuals and activists on Saturday redrafted their seven-point ‘Mission Jai Hind’ proposal to deal with the Covid-19 crisis after one of their suggestions of treating all resources of the nation and citizens -- cash, real estate, property and bonds -- as national resources triggered a controversy. Some of the plan’s signatories also opposed the idea.

The controversial part was changed to say the government “must explore emergency ways of raising resources going beyond the usual set of taxes and levies to cope with the problem of funding large relief packages”.

The group also proposed universal access to ration, free healthcare, employment guarantee, compensation for job losses, a moratorium on interest payments, and transportation of stranded migrants.

Swaraj India national presiits dent Yogendra Yadav, who is one of the signatories of the plan, said the contentious clause 7.1 has attracted undue attention and interpreted to mean a call for nationalisation/expropriation of private property.

He called this far from their intention while hoping the focus will remain on the plan outlined “address health, economic & humanitarian crisis”.

In a series of tweets, historian Ramachandra Guha, another signatory, said he did not endorse the clause 7.1. “The Mission Jai Hind Statement that was sent to me had this broad statement of principle as clause 7.1, which I approved, namely: ‘All resources within the nation are national resources, available for this mission’,” he tweeted.

Maitreesh Ghatak, a professor at the London School of Economics who also endorsed the proposal, said the controversial point had raised “some legitimate questions about what we mean”. “It is not intended to be confiscato tory or to advocate large-scale nationalisation. All it means is that in crisis situations... the government has to explore emergency ways of raising resources going beyond the usual set of taxes and levies,” he tweeted.

Guha called the reformulated point “extremely appropriate” and added all controversy should now be set at rest.

In a press release, the group said the government’s stimulus package announced this month to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has “virtually” ignored the urgent need for economic support to ordinary citizens whose lives and livelihoods have been shattered.