The Hindu Business Line : Reality check in West Bengal

The CPI(M) leadership in West Bengal, and particularly, the Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharji, need to rethink their strategy for the economic development of the State in the light of the chain of events following the acquisition of land at Singur for the Tatas small car project.

They have to veer away from a posture bordering on some kind of fixation to viewing with sympathy the demand, raised first at Singur, and now at Nandigram, accompanied by tragic loss of lives, for a peasant-centric approach to land acquisition on behalf of industrial houses.

The entire groundswell of opposition to the handing over of agricultural land for industrial purposes, and in the process, throwing those dependent on it for livelihood out of their accustomed environment cannot be dismissed as a Saturnine ruse on the part of the Opposition parties to gain political mileage. It is folly to hope that by merely blaming it all on political scapegoats, the problem will go away.

Some of the constituents of the Left Front, notably the CPI, and even sections of the CPI(M), do not share the nonchalance being exhibited by the CPI(M) and the Chief Minister towards the agitation, which is showing every sign of spreading to wherever new industries or special economic zones (SEZs) are proposed to be set up by acquiring agricultural land.

Not the sole panacea

The writer of this column, who formulated the first ever industrial policy statement for West Bengal in 1971 as its Commissioner for Commerce and Industries, can say with conviction that industrialisation by itself is not the sole panacea for the State's ills of unemployment, industrial stagnation, urban decay, and rural backwardness.

He collaborated on a report (Uncommon Opportunities) of the International Commission on Peace and Food (ICPF), which pointed out that if only the full potential of hitherto unexploited agro-processing and agri-business is realised, it can assure full employment by creating 100 million jobs in the country within a decade, besides raising the quantum of exports to double what it is today. The President, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, too has been repeatedly emphasising this in his public statements.

To quote from the Prosperity 2000, the offshoot of ICPF's labours, "the cost of creating employment through this approach is by far the most cost-effective and affordable strategy. In fact, it can be accomplished with the available resources and without dependence on external resources by a reprioritisation of plan investments."

In West Bengal, development of wastelands, accounting for as much as five per cent of its total area, and their utilisation for commercial agriculture (including horticulture and floriculture) can by itself create enough jobs to absorb a significant proportion of the unemployed. It is a misconceived policy to hurtle headlong towards industrialisation at any cost, even if it means yielding to the pressure of industrial houses to demand as the price of investment maximum advantages and facilities as near the metropolis as possible. The Chief Minister should have tried harder to invoke the famed social responsibility of the Tatas to persuade them to take over and develop wastelands in a backward district, such as Purulia or Bankura, for their small car project.

The Left Front Government should also have taken the essential first step of getting an in-depth study made on establishing a balanced mix of agriculture and industry, and used that as a transparent blueprint for job-led growth.

Even now, it is not too late. It will still be well worthwhile for the Chief Minister to set up a Task Force chaired by Dr M.S. Swaminathan, who, incidentally, was the chairperson of the ICPF, to advise on the land use strategy for the State within two months.

This may also assuage the critics and help achieve economic development with a human face and in a manner that best serves the interests of the State.

B.S.RAGHAVAN

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