NEW DELHI: By school examination standards, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government has failed with the People's Report Card giving it only 30 per cent marks. Worse still is the comment in the People's Report Card that the Government "was not just ignoring but violating the mandate of the people that brought it to power."

Based on a survey conducted by 500 grassroots and development organisations across 20 States, the People's Report Card was released here on Thursday. This assessment comes two days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh placed the UPA Government's `Report to the People 2004-2007' in which he claimed that "the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) has been substantially implemented" while holding the belief that by the end of its tenure, the current dispensation "would have delivered more than we had promised."

The people's verdict titled `Promises Are Not Enough!' is to the contrary as not even half the work the UPA took upon itself has been completed though the Government is well into the second half of its tenure. The Government has been given an aggregate of 30 per cent for its performance in education, health, employment, discrimination (on the basis of caste, gender and religion), decentralisation through panchayats, and peace and security.

Addressing a function to mark the release of the report, convenor of the `Wada Na Todo Abhiyan' (do not break your promise campaign), Amitabh Behar said: "Largely the people continue to be angry and discontent. It is evident that our insensitive government needs not only engagement but also agitational politics and street action to keep its promises."

Demanding that the commitments made in the NCMP be converted into visible action in a time-bound manner, the People's Report Card has made ten policy demands to end poverty and social exclusion.

These demands include universal access to education though the adoption of the Right to Education Bill, 2005, with suggested amendments and allocation of 6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product for education; universal access to the public health system by allocating 3 per cent of the GDP to the sector and effective implementation of the National Rural Health Mission; and ensure the Right to Work by rigorously implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act across the country with the involvement of elected local bodies.

Other demands are enactment of the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005, with suggested amendments and strengthening the implementation of the Land Reforms Acts; introduction and enactment of the Women's Reservation Bill; comprehensive central legislation on reservation in the private sector for Dalits and adivasis; and enactment of the Communal Violence Bill, 2005, and repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

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