Yep, I am back. Had taken a pretty long break... My hands were itching :). I am out of touch. Please forgive me if I am a bit rusty.
Yesterday, I was watching a popular news channel. It was unfolding the Singur controversy. For people who have missed it, Singur is a rural town in West Bengal where the Tatas want to set up their famed '1 Lac' car plant. The controversy is over the land. Farmers are not ready to forgo their land, but the state government is adamant to acquire it and hand it over to the Tatas. Violent protests have ensued and the town is facing a law and order problem.
As I explained to my mother, who was also watching the news along with me, I realised that this problem was not just specific to Singur, but it related to the whole country. Every developmental project has problems pertaining to land. The problems may be wide ranging-- From complaints of acquiring excess land to paltry compensation to compensation not reaching the deserving, etc etc.
But I realised these problems were only the tip of the iceberg. They can be solved through various means. But I feel the bigger problem is of a different kind. It is the scarcity of land itself. What will happen when every possible piece of land is industrialised? What next? What will happen to agriculture sector which employs more than 75% of our population? Where will the farmers go? Most important of all- What will we eat? All kinds of food we consume comes directly or indirectly from the farms. What will happen when farmer ceases to exist? I wonder whether that will be the beginning of the end.
The above mentioned scenario may seem a little far fetched for our generation. But it is bound to happen in some time if the same trend continues. The pace at which industries are growing is phenomenal. This acceleration of growth is partly due to farmers' dismay over their economic condition. The government's poor support system and low income forces them to sell their land and look for alternate employment. This leads to ills like mass migration and selective population explosion.
The solution? Well, I am not very sure. The way out may be to slow down on other sectors and develop and support agriculture based industries. That way, we can reduce the disenchantment of farmers and keep them motivated. After all, the principal need is to survive.
My mother, though, had a simple solution. She said that all the illegal lands of politicians, if seized, would be enough to build more industries than ever required. How I wish that was possible.
In essence, development, without any doubt, is a double edged sword. If used recklessly, it can destroy mankind in just one swipe.
Yesterday, I was watching a popular news channel. It was unfolding the Singur controversy. For people who have missed it, Singur is a rural town in West Bengal where the Tatas want to set up their famed '1 Lac' car plant. The controversy is over the land. Farmers are not ready to forgo their land, but the state government is adamant to acquire it and hand it over to the Tatas. Violent protests have ensued and the town is facing a law and order problem.
As I explained to my mother, who was also watching the news along with me, I realised that this problem was not just specific to Singur, but it related to the whole country. Every developmental project has problems pertaining to land. The problems may be wide ranging-- From complaints of acquiring excess land to paltry compensation to compensation not reaching the deserving, etc etc.
But I realised these problems were only the tip of the iceberg. They can be solved through various means. But I feel the bigger problem is of a different kind. It is the scarcity of land itself. What will happen when every possible piece of land is industrialised? What next? What will happen to agriculture sector which employs more than 75% of our population? Where will the farmers go? Most important of all- What will we eat? All kinds of food we consume comes directly or indirectly from the farms. What will happen when farmer ceases to exist? I wonder whether that will be the beginning of the end.
The above mentioned scenario may seem a little far fetched for our generation. But it is bound to happen in some time if the same trend continues. The pace at which industries are growing is phenomenal. This acceleration of growth is partly due to farmers' dismay over their economic condition. The government's poor support system and low income forces them to sell their land and look for alternate employment. This leads to ills like mass migration and selective population explosion.
The solution? Well, I am not very sure. The way out may be to slow down on other sectors and develop and support agriculture based industries. That way, we can reduce the disenchantment of farmers and keep them motivated. After all, the principal need is to survive.
My mother, though, had a simple solution. She said that all the illegal lands of politicians, if seized, would be enough to build more industries than ever required. How I wish that was possible.
In essence, development, without any doubt, is a double edged sword. If used recklessly, it can destroy mankind in just one swipe.
6 comments:
Welcome back abhi.. This is what I call "Back with a bang"! U r not rusty at all :)
In fact you hit bulls-eye (rather your mother did) with that politicians' land comment. And I entirely agree with essence of your post: too much industrialisation is also bad for the country. It doesnt mean we have to take a step back into medieval society or something. But "along with developing industries, develop agriculture too" is what the govt should realise.
Awesome comment by your mom. I'm still sniggering! :)
Well, regarding the solution, I have a few (I always do, don't I? It is easy for armchair economists to come up with ideas...after all, I don't need to prove that it works!)
- Land productivity: While we have the largest cultivable land in terms of %ages, the productivity is less than 1/2 that of China.
- Poor storage and transportation: You know about it - more than 30%of grain is lost to rats and in other ways.
Fix these two and we won't have to worry about decreasing agricultural land or decreasing agri-income.
But before that, I;d love to see your mom's suggestion get implemented!!! :)
Hey Gops,
Passing your appreciation to my mom :).
I agree with you. We have one of the least per hectare output of all countries. This is what I meant when I said that the government does precious little to farmers.
Your other soln too needs govt's proactive participation for success...
On top of all these, you acquire fertile land... Like rubbing salt over wounds...
development is indeed a double edged sword. May be when the oil and water reserves dry out, we will understand that
Good one yar ..
Well it is very difficult to find a solution for the problem u raised .
In the other way round , i used to think like this ...Pollution is increasing everyday as well as the population .why can't we take measures to save the earth .One side we want luxury and we go for vehicels and on other side destroying the environment
Hi Krishna,
Thanks for dropping by...
I totally agree with you that it is very difficult to find a solution for the problem...
However, I feel that farmers are the only people who are contributing for the betterment of our environment. The bare minimum we can do is not snatch the livelihood of these farmers.
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