The Hindu Business Line : Integrate agriculture, industry: Nirupam Sen

Kolkata April 10 The key to sustaining growth (State Domestic Product) in West Bengal is proper integration of agriculture with industry and this should not be done at the cost of agriculture. According to the State Industry and Commerce Minister, Mr Nirupam Sen, for agriculture to achieve sustainable growth, it should be correctly integrated with industry for creating the value chain.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the CII Annual Regional Meeting and session on `Sustainable growth in the East' here on Tuesday, Mr Sen said the fear of the farmer who is giving his land for industrialisation should be addressed properly, and "he should be assured that he will not be left out of the development process". Stating that the apprehension of the farmer cannot be ignored, the Minister said, "It will be unwise on our part to do so."

Describing this as the biggest challenge for the State Government, in the wake of the problems at both Singur and Nandigram, Mr Sen said both the Government and corporate sector need to jointly address this issue.

In the Singur context, the Minister said, "We are experimenting with the methodology of including those who have given the land in the development process (through skills development and training), and a strategy is being worked out."

Large infrastructure projects requiring massive pieces of land world-over, he pointed out, have initially always caused such `ripples' in society, and there is no need to be dismayed by this. Bengal, he said, was now poised for a change in its entire approach. Stressing on collective interest, he said the individual's interest too couldn't be ignored.

Earlier, in his special address, Mr R. Seshasayee, President of CII, said the economic progress sheet numbers for the East were very different from that of other regions, perhaps owing to historical reasons. Citing the growth paradigm changes and negating the `one cap fits all' theory, he said equitable growth was critical for sustainable growth across the country.

Pointing out that the `India Growth story' powered by the services sector had no parallel in the world, he said some parts of the country (especially the eastern region) still need to get manufacturing to be the driver for industrial growth.

Seeking a public investment approach to speed up growth in the East, Mr Seshasayee said infrastructure and public investment for skills development were the key to gainful employment. He urged the political leadership to demonstrate their readiness to address this squarely.