Proutist Economic Development People ’ s Economy

1. Proutist Economic DevelopmentPeople’s Economy Dada Maheshvarananda  2004 Proutist Universal

2. The Right to Live! The first priority of all Progressive Utilisationis to ensure that every human being can live. “The minimum necessities of all should be guaranteed in any particular age.” – P. R. Sarkar “The degree of justice in a society can be evaluated by the way food is distributed amongst all of the citizens.” – Frei Betto Proutist Universal

3. Food Security in Venezuela • CEREAL CONSUMPTION in 1999 • Total domestic production: • = 2.16 million tonnes • Total imports: • = 2.16 million tonnes • The country is producing only 50% of the cereals it is consuming! Proutist Universal

4. The Five Minimum Necessities • Food (including pure drinking water) • Clothing • Housing • Education • Medical care Proutist Universal

5. Supplementary Needs • Sanitation • Electricity • Communication facilities • Local transportation • Irrigation water for farmers Proutist Universal

6. The Right to Work • Meaningful employment with fair wages is also a fundamental human right. • A just minimum wage must be set high enough so that people may purchase their necessities. Proutist Universal

7. Minimum Necessities to be Progressively Determined • Continual adjustment of the basic requirements. • Depending upon the available resources and scientific standard of the locality. • The standard will change with time and place. Proutist Universal

8. Economic Progress • Economic progress = increasing purchasing capacity • Guaranteed availability of basic goods and services • Stable prices • Progressive and periodic wage increases • Increasing collective wealth and productivity Proutist Universal

9. People’s Economy • This field of economics concentrates on providing goods and services to the people, including all minimum necessities and essential needs. • Analyzes individuals in relation to the economy as a whole, including: • living standard; • purchasing capacity; • economic problems. • Is concerned with matters such as production, distribution, storage, marketing and pricing of consumable goods. Proutist Universal

10. Classification of Commodities • People's economy deals with minimum requirements and people's subsistence problems, so it must take precedence over other parts of the economy. • Requires a federal government to classify all commodities (goods and services) into three basic categories: - essential; - semi-essential; - non-essential. Proutist Universal

11. Essential Goods • Needed to maintain an adequate standard of life: • clean water • most foods • most clothing • housing materials • textbooks and teaching media • medicines and related equipment • Cooperatives would produce and sell most essential commodities. • Add: • sanitation • electricity • communications Proutist Universal

12. Essential Services • Need to provide the basic necessities: • water and sanitation infrastructure • schools, colleges, universities and kindergartens • hospitals (especially emergency and basic needs) • electricity and energy infrastructure • communications infrastructure, etc • local public transportation • railway system • regulation of airspace for national airlines Proutist Universal

13. Provision of Essential Goods • Cooperative industries are the best means of organizing people in an independent manner so that they take collective responsibility for their livelihood. • Best form of economic enterprise that has a balanced adjustment between collective spirit and individual rights. • Involves getting things done between free human beings with: • equal rights; • equal human prestige (and mutual respect); • equal locus standi (eg legal standing) so that everyone's welfare is considered.  Proutist Universal

14. Provision of Essential Services • The local, state and federal government should be responsible for providing and/or regulating the basic infrastructure for these services through autonomous bodies set up for that purpose. • They operate as key industries. • Health care centres should be run as service cooperatives by the practitioners. • Ongoing considereation needs to be given to cooperatisation of key industries. Proutist Universal

15. Semi-Essential andNon-Essential Commodities • Semi-essential, eg: • some types of food, beverages and clothing • household items of convenience • books for leisure (but not textbooks) • most electronic goods of convenience • Non-essential: • any luxury goods • As the economy of a region develops, the number of different types of commodities in all three categories will increase and vary. Proutist Universal

16. Provision of Semi-Essential and Non-Essential Commodities • These can be provided by small private enterprises. • Small private enterprises would produce luxury goods and some semi-essential items. • But cooperatives are the best means of productions and distribution. • Prout always favours cooperatives. • Government in the Prout framework should coordinate / regulate – not be directly involved with – the production and distribution of goods and services. • To ensure guarantee of basic minimum necessities for all. Proutist Universal

17. People’s Economy and Human Rights • When human rights become the basis for structuring an economy, the result is people’s economy. • People’s economy will deal with the essential needs of the people in general. • Including production, distribution, marketing, shopping, storage, pricing, sales, freight charges, standard costing & all related activities. Proutist Universal

18. Constitutional Powers • The necessity of people's economy is to be reinforced by constitutional power. • Minimum requirements must be assured through guaranteed purchasing power which should be enshrined in the constitution as fundamental human rights or as cardinal human rights. • This will give citizens of the country power to sue a government if their minimum requirements are not met. Proutist Universal