2. ECONOMY
2.1 GENERAL
2.1.1 A sound basis for economic development. This could be education, and related (publishing, software, restaurants) renting of accommodation and manufacturing articles that are needed in the bioregion.
2.1.2 Economy should be strengthened by following realistic goals rather than idealistic coz then failure to achieve those goals would be reduced.
2.1.3 Take care of all basic material needs for everybody and create opportunities for self-improvement
2.1.4 Create conditions that money chases us rather than we running after money.
2.1.5 Proper banking in AV. (dividend received, confirmations of expenses and credits adjusted bi-annually) Stop selling community property for personal gain and share it within the community after expenses are covered. (ie. Fruit trees in the garden etc)
2.1.6 To get a better economic system together.
2.1.7 An economy with two aspects: one internal, towards a collective abundance , and one for the development of the City, both aspects having a clear “set” of priorities.
2.1.8 Then there is this whole issue of “MONEY”…which seems to deteriorate as the years go by… As, I see it MONEY= Security…and people are mostly insecure, not just physically, but mentally as well as financially!!! And the community as a whole doesn’t provide you with the feeling that you will be taken care of! Right, from the start as a Newcomer, you are told that you have to take care of all your needs and community will not provide you with anything. We will not provide you with anything but we want all your money and all the work you can put in for the community.
2.1.9 Build economy on 3 pillars: Asset creation –cash, Basic needs – kind ,
2.1.10 Auroville’s money is kept in the bank to get the interest. I’d say that this insecurity blocks the free flow of money to Auroville.
2.1.11 There is “conversations with god” book 2 by Neale Donald Walsch, where suggested interesting ideas as how to change the economic system of the existing world. For the benefit of people and the world as whole.
2.1.12 Economy – prepare Auroville annual budget of receipts / expenditure.
2.1.13 Stop to consumerism inside the community
2.1.14 Separate work and maintenance
2.1.15 How to invigorate the economy?
2.1.16 Encourage decent life style (simple living) / working for AV.
2.1.17 To achieve a better balance between commercial units and service
2.1.18 Moving away from the private economy – more collective economy.
2.1.19 Economy. A major and important field for exploration, innovation and action.
2.1.20 Money is still the sovereign lord here. Every conceivable effort needs to be made by all of us to create a different economic environment in Auroville.
2.1.21 We need to move toward managing the assets of Auroville as if they were actually collective, rather than private, assets – with a view toward the good of the whole rather than the power and personal enrichment of those who are holding/controlling these assets. Includes land, houses, infrastructure, and commercial unit assets (including bank accounts). I’m not a communist and I don’t think “the people” should “seize everything and redistribute the wealth”. I think we need to learn how to model something in the world that is different than the global status quo.
2.2 NO EXCHANGE OF MONEY
2.2.1 No money exchange economy!!!
2.2.2 Adopt Ashram system of “prosperity”
2.2.3 No Money Economy, following Mother’s guidelines
2.2.4 Implement more exchange stores. Support everything that already functions without money, like health treatments and cultural events.
2.2.5 ‘Basic” needs for everyone.
2.2.6 Get to a new and real financial sharing/kind economy.
2.2.7 No circulation of money (collective economy).
2.2.8 Replacement of “maintenances” by supply of basic needs in kind for everyone who is doing useful work for the community.
2.2.9 Economy (including no exchange of money!)
2.2.10 No circulation of money.
2.2.11 No private property.
2.2.12 Basic needs covered by the community (Food, housing, clothing, etc…) for simple life style.
2.3 INCOME GENERATION
2.3.1 If Pour Tous sells many items at the same price than Pondy or higher, it should made a profit for the community.
2.3.2 Create and support a big, efficient and capable fundraising team with possibilities of travelling and making contacts.
2.3.3 Individual guest house incomes need to be checked.
2.3.4 Corpus Fund Hording and Contribution in Kind
It has long been a standing practice of larger units to maintain a fixed deposit account of 100 Lakh rupees for operational purposes. This is necessary, we told, because units are forbidden to seek bank loans. Nonetheless when one of largest units receives 84 Lakh Rupees from interest alone, indicating 900 Lakh Rupee deposit has taken on a characteristic of hording and should be discussed at the FAMC. (OK griping is finished.)
More importantly is the long abandoned practice of units giving, as a contribution, 33% or 10% of turnover or whichever is higher, be reconsidered. The practice of ignoring the 10% of turnover regulation is the fact the units may be running at extremely high personal overhead expenses and or to be competitive, marketing at very low profit margin. In any case it would be a very considerate gesture if commercial units would contribute a percentage, say 2%, of their product to a revived and enlarged Saraswathi Store.
2.3.5 All personal assets/savings to be given to AV
2.3.6 Business expertise and consultancy for AV units and sharing of resources and contacts for export etc.
2.3.7 Units in AV to contribute according to profits and gross income, assess the income versus the quality of life and environmental impact to the community as a whole, encourage larger units to go further out.
2.3.8 To develop a budget, structure and vision, and possibly require expert consultancy in this field, on how to receive tourists.
2.3.9 To develop a budget and common vision & message on how to present Auroville to the outside world.
2.3.10 The Charter’s point of no private property must be respected and enforced if necessary. How is to be discovered, but Aurovilians who collect rent, profit etc. from guest houses, commercial units, etc. without properly contributing to the community must be made to do so. Transparent audits, or whatever is necessary must be employed. We all hope for higher consciousness to govern our communal acts, but this is not always the case. Therefore, some kind of checking and enforcement by proper accounting is necessary.
2.3.11 Auroville is presently a gift economy. However, this must be supplanted by income from entrepreneurial effort. The commercially talented stewards of such enterprising units must be dedicated to Auroville and the Mother’s Dream so that profits from these enterprises go properly to the community.
2.3.12 To recreate an ABC, not only to solve the problem from the units existing, as it came out in their last meeting, but to create a professional core group which can advise new units executive and see if their project is sustainable, if yes than some money should be lent if needed to start.
2.3.13 High yielding business unity
2.3.14 The founding of a centre for entrepreneurship, in order to let Auroville also takes benefit of the present economic up rise in India. It should be a gathering place for young entrepreneurs as well as a centre of knowledge-lectures on economy could be given by people in and outside of Auroville. It is a vital thing in order to stop this constant asking for donations (local, regional, national and international) – and therewith being constantly dependent on movements or groups outside Auroville.
2.3.15 Business (stimulation of enterprise in AV.
2.3.16 More fundraising ideas/events to raise money to purchase land –talks/advertising/ weekly write –up in new and notes – ideas/ways to conserve water — Contests among community – who decreases consumption the most.
2.3.17 Promote Auroville products or products commercialised by Aurovilian units: Promote its consume and commercialisation by giving financial support and marketing. Give more information about the existing products within Auroville. (what about a campaign of trying to be for one month consuming only AV products and products commercialised by AV units?)
2.3.18 To set definite ethics for all our inside commercial unity
2.3.19 To avoid Tamil Aurovillian as a executive – he having lot of relatives, so it spoil environment in Auroville community
2.3.20 Guest houses regulations Back the community.
2.4 DISTRIBUTION OF PROSPERITY
2.4.1 I agree that the maintenance of an Aurovilian which is already an issue, should be the first priority as it is really miserable for people who survive only on maintenance… for example mostly Indians (apart from the people who have come here after retirement).
2.4.2 Proper maintenance for all Aurovilians, can be in goods, free access to services or in cash
2.4.3 Food should be at least free to the Aurovilians in the Solar Kitchen. Maybe this is the first step which should be taken towards kind economy!!!!
2.4.4 Free food for all, Solar Kitchen and other community kitchens should cook for free.
2.4.5 Reduce the price of products in AV to match Pondy’s or less
2.4.6 Improved maintenances
2.4.7 Require equal maintenance for all Aurovillian.
2.4.8 Economy – Better maintenance for Aurovillians based on cost of living (current).
2.4.9 There are some people like Barbara, Mallika… Who help many of us doesn’t charge anything but in the need to be paid. Can they get a constant money support from Auroville?
2.5 BECOME ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE
2.5.1 In economy: to point toward a self sufficiency and a strong development of the services and to get rid of the concept of individual maintenances. A distribution in kind could help us a lot. We could also if necessary consider the use of a complementary currency to help us on these steps.
2.5.2 Change the trend in the Auroville Economy: a) Channel all income and expenditure through the Central Fund. b) Support fully the services and encourage the exchange of services between them, without exchange of money. c) Support fully the Aurovilians working for Auroville in any field by providing services and in kind as much as possible. d)Cost price Pour Tous. e) Aurovilians working on commercial units to follow the same system as those working in the services. f) Centralise the income generated by visitors in guest houses, guest rooms, restaurants, etc. g) Creation of revolving funds to promote creation of new business. h) Make an annual budget at the beginning of the year. i) study on the commercial units: those that are not clearly profitable for AV should not be occupying the space.
2.5.3 New Economy -If we are to achieve a “new economy” then we better start defining what we mean by this term. The idea of no exchange of money is hardly new and has the reality in Auroville’s early years. I don’t think there are many who want to go back to what we had already lived through. Nonetheless there are those who may not have had this experience and need to go through it. It could be possible to have the Solar Kitchen open for three meals a day and those are wish to participate in a money free economy can dine there, for free, for all meals. As they are part of an experiment they will donate whatever funding they can and all will be provided for them. They will participate fully and therefore will need no private kitchen, no need to shop at Pour Tous, no trips to Pondy, or Chennai they will live in a world utterly free from the tiresome pressures of an economy born out of an old dieing world.
2.5.4 Evolve an Economy concept, which respects Mothers guidelines AND which achieves a steady growth towards self sufficiency and sustainability
2.5.5 Focus on education as a primary engine for economic sustainability of Auroville
2.5.6 The dream of self-sustainability for producing our basic needs must be energetically pursue
2.5.7 Reduce dependence on Govt. Grants or other donations and move towards self-sufficiency.
2.5.8 Alternative experiments for appropriate AV economy
2.5.9 Alternative means of exchange-additional needs, rewards + village
2.5.10 Sustainability. How to develop a city for 50,000 which is at the same time sustainable and self-supporting in terms of natural, financial and human resources? This is a major and complex challenge, which has to be addressed at every step of Auroville’s development and, however difficult, in every aspect of our lifestyles
2.5.11 The AV Council and Working Committee could help the project holders to evaluate the feasibility and financial possibilities of important projects. If a realistic evaluation is done in the preliminary studies, lots of frustrations and losses of energies, time, work and money could be avoided.
2.6 WORK
2.6.1 Work: a) Encourage more hours of work and a more efficient timings. b) Give advantages to Aurovilians who are more involved in work and particularly in work for the collectivity. c) One day a week work for the collectivity.
2.6.2 Incentive for priority to AVlian employment with decent wages, before creating salaried workers. For all to have the experience of collective cooking at Solar kitchen when the employees are out (Sunday)
2.6.3 The Youth of Auroville should be encouraged to give a few hours a week for communal duties. In fact, not only the Youth, but all Aurovilians, especially the self-supporting ones should do so.
2.6.4 Let AV start and run (i.e., do the work ) in some collective, productive work,
2.6.5 Job rotation, in order to create a more flexible atmosphere as regards work.
2.6.6 Voluntary work! (Let’s not forget…)
2.6.7 Eradicate unemployment in Aurovilian.
2.6.8 Re-analyze working hours in Auroville – be work efficient.
2.6.9 People should be encouraged to work more for the collectivity, not only during the newcomer period.
2.6.10 Don’t be ambitious, be always aware that
