|
|
|
|
|
|
Round the World
Macron & Modi: SYMBOLISM & SUBSTANCE, By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri, 2 February 2024 |
|
|
Round The World
New Delhi, 2 February 2024
Macron & Modi
SYMBOLISM & SUBSTANCE
By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri
(Secretary General, Assn for
Democratic Socialism)
French President Emanuel Macron was the Chief Guest on the
75th Republic Day celebration of India, stepping in for American
President Joe Biden, who had declined the invitation. In addition to growing
proximity between France and India, Macron was perhaps reciprocating Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s presence at the Bastille Day celebration in Paris, on
14 July last year. Macron’s last-minute response to Modi’s invitation bespeaks
French willingness to stand by India in symbolism as well as substance of India-France
bilateralism.
Interestingly, France, although a member of NATO as well as
European Union, has been taking, at times, a strategic posture, independent of
the United States. That is why it aligns with India’s ‘strategic autonomy’ in her
foreign policy. New Delhi may not have common ground with USA and Russia, but
it is on the same page with France. Modi-Macron interactions resulted in a
joint statement that carries the convergence of perspectives like –
condemnation of terror attack in Israel, the need for humanitarian assistance
in Gaza and Ukraine, nuanced differences on the war in Ukraine, concerns over
the attack in Red Sea, attitude towards Houthis and Hezbollah’s etc.
What is of major interest is the reiteration of French
support to the newly-planned India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) during
the G-20 Summit last September. Macron, once again, applauded the leadership of
Modi, on successful conduct and conclusion of the Summit. Both leaders agreed
that project IMEC would be of great strategic importance and would
significantly enhance the potential and resilience of the flow of commerce and
energy between India, the Middle East and Europe. To many observers, it is
obvious that the proposed IMEC is an alternative to the Belt and Road Project
of China.
In the current volatile international political situation,
France and India have decided to stand by each other. This is quite an encouraging
development for both Paris and New Delhi as there is grave tension from Morocco
to Iran, in South-East Asia due to Chinese hegemony. In South Asia, Beijing plans
to encircle India by seducing her neighbours. China is ‘gobbling up’ Maldives
inch-by-inch, having gripped Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Sri Lanka
is resisting but as India is jittery, Colombo might also fall for China. For
India to resist Chinese expansionism, it needs strong partners and France is
proving to be one. Apparently, the French President instructed his officials in
multiple sectors to allow India ‘no limit’ in accessing its technologies and
know-how.
Scanning the agreements arrived at during Macron’s visit,
there were number of deals done. In principle, France decided to support India
in developing top-of-the-line defence platforms such as fighter aircraft
engines, nuclear attack submarines, underwater drones, all of which are to be
locally made. The idea is to make India self-reliant with a robust industrial
base. A Letter of Intent on defence partnership was signed between Union Ministry
of Defence and the Ministry of the Armed Forces of France. Another
unprecedented defence agreement for Space, which has not been reported widely,
was signed between the two countries.
From the available information, as President Macron was at
the ‘At home’ reception in Rashtrapati Bhawan, this important deal was signed
by the French Defence Minister Sebastian Locornu and India’s National Security
Advisor Ajit Doval on 26 January. This agreement will facilitate protection of
communication and surveillance satellites and will make the battlefield more
transparent in air, land and sea. This agreement will also help develop and
launch military satellites to protect the national security of both countries. Moreover,
this will not only protect the space assets of India but track the movement of
adversaries. Similarly, another important agreement was signed for South-West
Indian Ocean. This will build on joint surveillance missions carried out from
the French Island territory of La Reunion.
More important for New Delhi, it was decided to jointly
manufacture in India and to export the products to third countries. As an
example of collaboration in third countries, it was decided to set up a solar
academy in Senegal under the star-C programme of international programme of
International Solar Alliance, which was primarily jointly created by India and
France. Overall, in industrial defence cooperation, both countries would co-design,
co-develop and co-produce defence hardware for the air, land and the sea.
A Memorandum of Agreement between Tata Advanced Systems Ltd
(TASL) and Airbus was signed to set up an assembly of civilian helicopters in
India. A Declaration of Intent was signed between Union Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare and the Ministry of Labour and Solidarity of France for
cooperation in the field of health and medicine. There was a renewal of
agreement between the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the
Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion of France on the
cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development.
For Indian students, good news is in store. President
Macron declared that he would like to have 30,000 Indian students by 2030. He
said, “When this target is met, I will be the happiest President”. There would
be special Classes Internationales for Indian students to learn French,
necessary for admission into various colleges and universities. Macron said that
this was a new initiative called French for All, French for Better Future. France
will continue to offer scholarships to meritorious Indian students to be able
to study there. So far, India is the largest beneficiary of French
scholarships. Furthermore, France will offer five-year short stay Schengen Visa
for alumni of French educational institutions.
Modi spread a red carpet for Macron by receiving him
personally in Jaipur and asking his Foreign Minister to accompany Macron from
his arrival to departure. Macron landed in Jaipur and was taken to Jantar
Mantar, a world heritage site since 2010. Modi and Macron had tea at a Jaipur
teal stall on 25 January, where Macron paid for it by using the UPI. Both had a
road show from Jantar Mantar to Sanganeri state with a stopover at Hawa Mahal.
Macron was impressed by the huge turnout of people to greet them as well as the
pro-incumbency of Modi government weeks before the elections.
Overall, Macron’s visit was a success from the Indian point
of view as well as for Macron who is trying to re-establish his political
popularity after a shaky start to his second term. The reception and the
publicity he got from India may stand in good stead for him back home. However,
a closure look at the two-day visit of the French President shows a lot of
symbolism as well as some substance. Interestingly, quite a few observers argue
that any warmth and goodwill coming India’s way is a function of the defence
deals that India makes with those countries. France is India’s second largest
arm supplier and of course, has been the closest partner in Europe.
While there may be multiple interpretations of India-French
relations including the latest visit by French President, which, in fact, is
the third one by Macron, France is a solid partner of India. At the end of the
day that is what should count for New Delhi in its undeclared rivalry with
Beijing. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
|
|
Environmental Balance & Growth: POPULATION MAIN CONSTRAINT, By Dr S.S Chhina, 1 February 2024 |
|
|
Spotlight
New Delhi, 1 February 2024
Environmental Balance &
Growth
POPULATION MAIN CONSTRAINT
By Dr S.S Chhina
(Senior Fellow, Institute of
Social Sciences, New Delhi)
India surpassed China in the
race of population on March 3, 2023, and is still growing at the rate of 0.68
per cent annually. If not checked it would become a nation of 1.66 billion by
2050 and have a cascading effect on both environment and development.
While the United Nations report
on population puts India as a nation of 1.42 billion against 1.41 billion of
China, the country is bearing three times more burden than its neighbour. Note
that density of population in China is just 148.58 per sq.km as against 431.11
of India. Even in the past, four decades ago, India was over-burdened because
of the lack of resources, whereas China has plenty. Geographical area of India
is just 2.4 per cent of the world, whereas the population constitutes about
17.7 per cent. Even the water resources are only 4 per cent of the world.
Since 1980, the era of Sanjay
Gandhi, India could not adopt a policy to address this big rise in population.
There were proposals such as the two-child norm, but these were not pursued.
Looking at the burden on the resources, the country needs to adopt a prudent
and effective policy to control population, otherwise it would continue to
create havoc instead of it becoming a blessing.
The perpetual rise in the
import of food articles including pulses, and oil seeds and wasting trillions
of foreign exchange on the one hand, and depleting average size of holdings
even below to one acre on the other would, further thrive its constraints to
import and the real development for prosperity stands discarded. Looking at the
availability of water as a necessity of life, the scenario is most discouraging
and would emerge as a major problem in the future.
In 1950, the per capita
availability of water was 5300 cubic feet, whereas in most of the countries it
was below 2000 cubic feet. But with the rapid rise in population, it became
only 2300 cubic feet in 1991, which is still not satisfactory. But in 2020 it
depleted to 1500 cubic feet, and still declining. According to experts, the
countries which are having per capita water availability below 1700 cubic feet
are under lot of stress. Today, not only in cities but even in villages the
water shortage is reaching alarming levels.
Prior to 1970, though 70 per
cent of the population was engaged in agriculture, the country was compelled to
import food, thus not only spending huge amount of foreign exchange but putting
burden on the purse strings. The green revolution ushered in the late 60s, was
based on more and more use of chemicals, albeit staggering results were
obtained on the yield front and dozens of chemicals had to be resorted to every
year because of the application of the law of diminishing marginal returns in
agriculture.
The chemicals started
penetrating air, water, and soil and subsequently food. The toxins of these
chemicals remained as residues in food and are causing ailments. The
application of chemicals has become a constraint only because of the huge needs
of food that is the result of over burden of population on land.
The burden of population had
created an imbalance in the natural environment. The application of chemicals
or fertilizers require adequate irrigation water to yield best results so the
areas where the ground water was available easily, tubewells were installed to
pump out the water. In Punjab and Haryana 60 per cent of irrigation is
dependent on ground water. In 1960, in Punjab there were only 5000 tubewells,
whereas at present this number has risen to 1.4 million, pumping out water day
and night.
The water level has depleted to
over 150 feet in most of the areas. Water has become undrinkable in some area
because of the penetration of chemicals along with depleting water table. So
many birds have extinguished along with very useful micro-organism in earth,
which were helpful to raise the level of fertility. The rain circle has been
disrupted, and now untimely and unseasonal rains are frequent, causing damage
to the crops.
While India adopted planning
for development in 1950, top priority was given to agriculture instead of
industry, although the country was much backward in industrialisation. This was
largely because of the scarcity of food for an over-burdened population. India
thus remained much behind in industrialisation, and industrial goods had to be
imported, which caused the slow growth of industry impacting employment. Today the number of unemployed is about 80
million.
The priority to generate
employment, industrial goods and services, social security and moreover the
need to shift population from farming to non-farming professions was discarded
due to the constraint of feeding the billions and farming took centre stage.
The country also remained far behind on the front of providing social security
as the main factor for consideration was food, given the huge and
over-populated country. Other social evils, particularly child labour, raised
its ugly head as unemployment or under employment forced families to get
maximum earning hands.
Population is a natural
resource of the country, but if it is not productive, it becomes a burden. Even
the unemployed in large number require to satisfy their daily needs, where the
country had to depend either on foreign imports or had to discard those needs.
Unemployment, over-crowding, shortage of houses, child labour, among other
social evils in the society etc. are the off shoots of this huge size of
population.
There are two popular theories
on population. The first, the Malthusian theory of population, that states that
if the population would not be controlled by artificial means, then the natural
checks such as famine, epidemic, floods etc. would check this rise. Similarly,
the optimum theory of population states that the size of population is optimum
for the country, where the per capita output is maximum. According to both
these theories, the size of population in India is much higher than the optimum
and must be addressed at priority.---INFA
(Copyright, India News &
Feature Alliance)
|
|
Religious Tourism: BIG BOOST AFTER AYODHYA, By Dhurjati Mukherjee, 31 January 2024 |
|
|
Open Forum
New Delhi, 31 January 2024
Religious Tourism
BIG BOOST AFTER AYODHYA
By Dhurjati Mukherjee
Religious
tourism, which has always attracted both domestic and foreign tourists, is
expected to get a big boost in the coming years. There are expectations that
this will attract more and more tourists. Spiritual tourism has evolved as a
concept and is significantly contributing to the overall revival of India’s
tourism industry. With the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, demand
trends indicate increased interest for the destination from customers across
segments with an uptick of 150 per cent.
According
to the research wing of State Bank of India expects the total expenditure by
tourists, both domestic and foreign, in Uttar Pradesh may cross Rs 4 lakh crore
mark by the end of this year. SBI Ecowrap estimates that Yogi Adityanath
government earn an additional tax revenue of Rs 20,000-25,000 crore due to a
huge spurt in several tourists during fiscal year 2025.
Global
brokerage firm Jefferies has predicted in a report that the Ram temple could
lead to “unlocking of India’s tourism potential” by attracting over 50 million
tourists a year. It said the grand opening of the temple “is a big religious
event. It also comes with a large economic impact as India gets a new tourist
spot which could attract over 50 million tourists per year. A Rs 85,000-crore
makeover (new airport, revamped railway station, township, improved road
connectivity etc) will likely drive a multiplier effect with new hotels &
other economic activities. It can also set a template for infra driven growth
for tourism.”
The Modi
government has started improving infrastructure and most of the pilgrim centres
are now a better place compared to what they were a decade ago. Data
reveals that there has been a 97 per cent growth in searches for spiritual
destinations on the platform in the last two years, and the searches for
Ayodhya from India increased by more than 1,800 per cent since the inauguration
announcement, with the peak searches on December 30, which was when the Ayodhya
airport was inaugurated.
According to figures released by the Ministry of Tourism in March 2023, places
of religious tourism earned Rs 134,543 crore in 2022, up from Rs 65,070 crore
in 2021. It can thus be presumed that spiritual/ religious tourism is a
significant player in India’s travel recovery after the post pandemic years.
Way back
in 2015, the government launched the ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual
Augmentation Drive’ (PRASAD) scheme of the tourism ministry and in 2016
focussed on developing pilgrimage sites across India for enriching the
religious tourism experience. It aimed to integrate pilgrimage destinations in
a planned and sustainable manner to provide a complete religious tourism
experience through better and easier transportation systems -- roadways,
railways and waterways.
Moreover,
the demand for visitors’ spiritual journeys is no longer restricted to
traditional pilgrimages but a combination of spiritual breaks with unique local
experiences and outdoor adventures like white-water rafting and night trekking
in Vaishno Devi, bungee jumping in Rishikesh, boating on the river Ganga, visiting
a heritage crafts village in Puri or learning a local art like Kalayaripayattu
in Kerala. According to SOTC, hotel occupancy in these destinations is almost
around 100 per cent on weekends and holy dates, while on average occupancy
levels stand at 60-80 per cent.
Coming
to Ayodhya, it has witnessed a surge in hotel construction and development.
Currently, the city has approximately 17 hotels with around 600 rooms. To meet
the anticipated increase in tourist arrivals, 73 new hotels are in the pipeline
with 40 of them already under construction, as per a report. Several renowned
hotel chains and hospitality companies, including IHCL (Indian Hotels Company
Limited), Marriott International, Wyndham, and OYO Rooms, are planning on
creating more hotels in Ayodhya. The hospitality projects are expected to add
significant room capacity to accommodate the growing number of tourists and
pilgrims that are expected to visit Ayodhya.
Phase I
of Ayodhya's the new airport is operational, becoming a milestone in
facilitating air travel to and from the city. This has been built at a cost of
approximately $175 million and has an annual handling capacity of 1
million passengers. Meanwhile, the town’s tourist footfall has already shot up
from nearly 3.5 lakh in 2019 to over 2 crore in both 2022 and 2023. Experts in
this sector feel that the Ayodhya-Varanasi-Prayagraj triangle could drive Uttar
Pradesh’ trillion-dollar economy dream. This could possibly surpass the
Delhi-Agra-Jaipur tourism circuit shortly.
In
popular tourist places such as Rishikesh, Varanasi, Ujjain and Vrindavan,
hostels are being set up to attract tourists along with improving
infrastructure. Recently the Jagannath Heritage Corridor was inaugurated by the
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Transformation of the iconic temple site
is intended to improve facilities for visitors and pilgrims. The revitalisation
of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor also led to a huge spurt in tourist growth.
It is
evident that even general tourism sites in many states are being given a
religious touch. Though this may be a good measure to attract more tourists,
specially in a deeply religious country like India, these centres need to have
other places of attraction such as museums, monuments, children’s parks etc.
The
pandemic has changed the perception of travellers and there has been a shift in
consumer behaviour. While spiritual tourism was once associated with the senior
citizen segment, over the past two years, there has been a significant uptick
in demand from multi-generational families, couples/honeymooners, groups of
friends and millennials as well. Reports coming in from Ayodhya indicate that
young people are visiting the temple in large numbers. Does it indicate that
Modi has instilled a religious fervour among the young generation?
An
important aspect that needs to be pointed out is that promotion of religious
tourism is necessary as it has a multiplier effect in creation of jobs and
overall development of the region. But religious tourism should not mean just
promoting the Hindu places of worship. The Muslim and Christian religious
places as also those of other communities like Sikhs and Jains should also be
developed through a judicious plan.
However,
tourism in India does need to catch up still. The contribution of this sector
to India’s GDP is just around 6.8 per cent and India is positioned below most
of the emerging and developed economies. The last Union budget of 2023 had
allocated ₹2400 crore to the tourism sector, but it cannot be denied that
requirements are much more. It is, however, encouraging to note that the
private sector has been coming in a big way to invest in this sector, specially
manifest in the investments at Ayodhya.
Ayodhya it
is said could even surpass the Vatican City and Mecca in terms of the number of
visiting devotees, if infrastructure and stay facilities are upped on the same
trajectory over the coming months. On the first day alone there were 5 lakh
visitors to the temple. The Tirupati Balaji in Andhra Pradesh attracts 2.5
crore devotees yearly, similar to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, and the Vatican gets
about 90 lakh visitors annually. The other top destinations are the Vaishno
Devi temple in Jammu & Kashmir which gets 80 lakh people yearly, whereas the
Taj Mahal attracts 70 lakh people. Indeed, development of tourism, both religious
or spiritual, would bring in valuable foreign exchange and lead to economic
development.---INFA
(Copyright, India News &
Feature Alliance)
|
|
BJP Master Stroke: OPP NEEDS NEW LANGUAGE, By Poonam I Kaushish, 30 January 2024 |
|
|
Political Diary
New Delhi, 30 January 2024
BJP MASTERSTROKE
OPP NEEDS NEW LANGUAGE
By Poonam I Kaushish
The caste genie unleashed by our polity nearly three
decades ago is back in the heart of political discourse as vote-banks on caste
lines are easier to build. Post Ram Lalla idol’s consecration and call for
expanding “our consciousness from Dev
to Desh…beginning of a new chakra,” Prime Minister Modi played
another masterstroke by awarding Bharat Ratna to Bihar’s socialist OBC (Backward
class) icon and messiah of social justice late former Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur.
From “Ram kaaj” to “garib kaaj”
the BJP blended its Hindutva agenda with the social justice plank and hopes to make a big dent in the non-dominant backward
castes votes, especially EBCs (Extremely Backward class) by honouring Thakur. Specially, in Bihar where it has been unsuccessful in wooing the
community to its side thanks to sway of entrenched backward satraps Nitish and Lalu
who owe their rise to adroit political and administrative measures aimed at
EBCs.
Besides, this would not only help BJP
to counter effects of Bihar’s recent caste survey, offset Congress’s repeated
demand for nationwide caste census but importantly counter the two Yadav
community stalwarts Bihar’s RJD Lalu & family and UP’s Samajwadi Akhilesh’s
OBC politics by showcasing the Party as its champion including EBC’s and MBC’s
(Most Backward Class) by making a direct appeal
to them. Especially the non-Yadav cluster of about 200 EBC’s such as nai to which Thakur belonged.
True, even prior to this, the Party
was reaching out to Dalits and OBC but currently it hopes to consolidate all
Hindu votes under the Hindu inclusivity umbrella.
As it stands, BJP has the highest support of OBCs which has
grown exponentially from 7% in 1971 to 22% in 2009 and doubled to 44% in 2019.
The NDA received 54% OBC support in 2019.
As
Modi hails from this community, the Party’s claim of higher representation to
OBCs in ticket allocations and at the Centre alongside formation of Justice Rohini OBC Commission to address
their issues through the Constitutional framework have helped it get OBC
support. There are 28 OBC
Ministers in the Union Cabinet, 80 MPs and several OBC Governors including
President Murmu who is tribal.
Alongside there is a buzz BJP’s
larger strategy is to either snatch JD(U)’s Nitish back into NDA fold as majority
of these castes are presently in JD(U) or break up the Party and alliance
whereby BJP becomes a viable option for them. It rubbishes Opposition gripes as
sour grapes as it is not the first time an award is being given for the ruling
Party to take credit.
BJP has also focussed
its efforts on non-dominant OBCs and MBC, which have been ignored by
Opposition. This strategy has helped it in 2019 general elections across all
socio-economic classes amongst OBCs, except middle class. Resulting in SP being
reduced from 35 MPs in 2004 to just 5 in 2019; RJD from 22 seats in 1999 and
2004 to zilch in 2019; RLD from 5 seats in 2009 to nil in 2019. Consequently,
out of every 100 BJP voters 49 belong to OBC community. A fact which bugs
INDIA.
A bolt out of the blue for
Opposition INDIA bloc, for Congress it is a double whammy. One, both Mamata’s TMC
in West Bengal and Kejriwal’s AAP in Punjab have decided to go it alone in
polls. Two, even though it tepidly welcomed the award, it dismissed it as “politics
of symbolism” and politically motivated with an eye on the upcoming elections.
“The country needs real justice and
caste census would be true tribute to Thakur,” said Rahul. While JD(U)’s Nitish
has rushed to lay claim over his legacy and
tried to take credit for Thakur’s tribute, RJD dubbed the decision as
driven by “BJP’s political compulsions and a gimmick’.”
Undeniably, the honour bestowed on
Thakur popularly known as Jannayak, who hails from EBC will impact the
political landscape as Parties are vying for OBC and EBC voters as they account
for 63% and 36% population in Bihar’s caste survey. Coupled with Ram temple,
tables have turned for INDIA bloc which has been sending out confusing signals
over the mandir. They will now have
to figure out a new language to respond to BJP’s direct appeal which Modi has taken
beyond the realm of religion to caste. It will need clarity on why it is keen
on displacing BJP.
Thakur belonging to a poor family left
an indelible mark on Bihar’s deprived section and is credited with not only the
rise of backward caste politics but was first to push for their empowerment.
Pioneer of the ‘Karpoori formula’, the two-time Chief Minister gave 26%
reservation to OBC’s and communities which eventually set the tone for 1990 Mandal
Commission recommendation and later caste census with its layered reservation
formula for EBC’s and MBC’s.
Known for his integrity, probity,
simple living he removed English as a compulsory subject as students from poor
families found it tough, introduced prohibition but with a soft touch.
Unfortunately he was pushed to the background by his disciples Lalu, Nitish and
late Ram Vilas Paswan whose RJD, JD(U), LJP emerged as influential political and electoral regional Parties.
At another level it is an example of
political hypocrisy in politics. Clearly,
in the Kafkaesque world where caste identity is sticky baggage, difficult to
dislodge in social settings and where caste vs
caste fight and decide one’s fate no Party wants to jeopardize its caste vote
banks. Wherein, the fight for getting the upper hand and votes has been reduced
to politics of optics and perception, underscoring present reality and exposes
the socio-political undercurrents at play.
Leading to rising tensions between castes over perceived
injustices and demand for quotas stem from unfulfilled aspirations of
employment and upward mobility. Simultaneously, quotas have failed to either
solve the job problem or promote inclusion.
In INDIA bloc’s thinking when caste
becomes central to livelihood issues which are centered on identification and
reservation, they feel there is a greater chance it will have greater electoral
pull than religion. Congress’s Rahul has already sounded the bugle “Jitne abadi utna haq,” to garner votes
and somehow dislodge Modi while Nitish has called for lifting 50% reservation
ceiling.
On the face of it, Opposition
leaders assert goal of caste census is OBCs welfare, Sic. It’s a ploy to divide
Hindu votes on caste lines to weaken BJP in 2024 elections. Said a senior
Congress leader, “Caste census would open another flank and create problems
for BJP. The axis would be pro-Modi vs anti-Modi and we will try to mobilise
OBCs. This will be Mandal 2.0, different from Mandal 1.0 which involved aggressive
OBC mobilization.”
Failing to realize politicisation of caste is a
double-edged sword. Caste needs politics as much as politics need caste. When
caste groupings make politics their sphere of activities they get a chance to
assert their identity and strive for power and position. True, none can fault
granting equal opportunities to all. But whether this would translate into
equal outcome is debatable.
Questionably, will not caste further fractionalize national
politics? Will the run-up to 2024 elections be fought on caste basis? What the BJP
and Opposition come up with will have consequences not just for INDIA bloc’s
electoral fortunes but future of polity itself. Will they take the bait? The
run-up to Election 2024 just got interesting. ---- INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
|
|
Grappling Farm Sector: DESI REMEDY, MORE FUNDS VITAL, By Shivaji Sarkar, 29 January 2024 |
|
|
Economic Highlights
New Delhi, 29 January 2024
Grappling
Farm Sector
DESI REMEDY,
MORE FUNDS VITAL
By
Shivaji Sarkar
The
agricultural sector anticipates a significant shift towards a ‘desi farm
economy’ and increased budget allocations in the upcoming fiscal year.This
prospect is not merely wishful thinking; it aligns with the objectives outlined
in the 2017 Niti Ayog paper, which aims to double farm income.
However,
the recent budget for 2023-24 witnessed a reduction in allocations from Rs 1.33
lakh crore to Rs 1.25 lakh crore, marking a decrease of Rs 8 lakh crore or one
percent. This reduction is noteworthy as the agricultural sector received only
2.78 percent of the total budget, down from 3.78 percent in the previous fiscal
year.
In the
2021-22 budget, allocations were initially set at Rs 1.33 lakh crore but were
later revised to Rs 1.18 lakh crore due to unspent funds. The 2023-24 budget
indicates a Rs 3 lakh crore increase, primarily directed towards interest
subventions, signalling a concerning rise in farmers’ debts.
Finance
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares an election budget, and as matter of
convention it limits the introduction of new measures. However, considering the
crucial role of the agriculture sector, accounting for over 54 percent or
approximately 78 crore people, it deserves special attention. The Economic
Survey for 2023-24 highlights a decline in public spending in the sector to 4
percent in 2022-23, following prolonged farmer protests against market reforms.
Despite
the repeal of the three farm bills, corrective measures are essential to ensure
farmers’ independence from large-organised business sectors. The Indian farm
sector is grappling with severe economic distress, exemplified by over 296,438
suicides by farmers during 1995-2013 and 100,474 between 2014 and 2022.An
average growth of farming family incomes had an average growth of 0.44 percent
between 2011-16, according to Niti Ayog.
The developed world shows that
small farmers are out of agriculture and have not been able to increase farm
incomes. The US itself has a mere 1.5 percent in agriculture and facing
difficult situations. The current climate scenario further
exacerbates challenges, with the potential for drought-like conditions and a
decline in rabi yields. The dependence on rain-fed agriculture remains a
concern, mirroring trends in neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh,
and Pakistan.
Agricultural
production, particularly wheat, has faced setbacks due to unexpected weather
patterns. In March 2022, a heatwave led to an 11 percent lower-than-anticipated
wheat yield, contributing to a decline in production. Similarly, heavy rainfall
in October 2022 and subsequent years affected various crops, highlighting the
vulnerability of the agriculture sector to climate fluctuations.
Price
volatility in essential commodities like potatoes, onions, garlic, and ginger
further compounds the challenges faced by farmers. The Reserve Bank of India's
firming up of interest rates adds to the burdens faced by both the farm and
industrial sectors.Despite the worsening climate situation, the budget for
National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) has seen a
reduction from Rs 50 crore to Rs 41 crore undermining efforts to address
climate challenges in farming.
The total wheat production in
the country has been steadily rising at 3 percent CAGR between 2014-15 and
2021-22. As per the Indian Meteorological Department, certain areas in India
experienced a heatwave in March 2022. The maximum temperature was 33 degree
Celsius, 2 degree more than normal. As per a study by the US Foreign
Agricultural Service, wheat yield in March 2022, in wheat growing areas was 11
percent lower than anticipated. Wheat
production declined by two million tonnes in 2021-22.
Similarly, in the first two
weeks of October 2022, crops such as paddy, cotton, blackgram, vegetables,
soybean, and bajra were affected across five States due to heavy rainfall. The year
2023 has not been different.Fluctuating yields of Vegetables like potato,
onions, garlic and ginger are causing price volatility. This season also
witnessed farmers throwing away cauliflower and tomato, though retail prices
remain high. This is a concern of the RBI, which is gradually firming up the
interest rates causing burden for the farm and industrial sectors alike.
The policy direction advocated
by the Niti Ayog 2017 report, aiming to shift 40 crore farm labour to low-wage
urban employment, has not yielded the intended results. Instead, it has
displaced farm labourers, increased migration, and raised labour costs for the
agricultural sector. This flawed policy, influenced by international organisations
such as the World Bank, has been counter-productive and needs correction.
Depletion of dependence on the
farm sector has not proved profitable for the economy. The developed countries
are suffering from this policy.Farm gate prices remained static from 1985
to2005 at $23 in India and more or less elsewhere in the world, according to
UNCTAD.
Minister for Agriculture
Narendra Tomar told the Rajya Sabha on 16 December 2022 that average monthly
income per agricultural household as per NSO is Rs 10218, an average Rs 2.2
lakh a year, about Rs 2000 a month per person for a family of five. The
Economic Survey in 2016 says in 2016 it was Rs 1700. The farmers find Rs 6000 a
year Kisan Nidhi pension and free food dole a great relief.One forgets that
they cannot afford the food they themselves produce. What farmer sells for Rs 2
is sold to retailer at varying prices of Rs 30 to 100.
The road
sector, seen as a beneficiary for farmers selling land, often proves
detrimental due to toll expenses. The road expansion, touted for benefits,
causes severe inflation. The Consumer Price Index touched an all-time high of
186.3 points in July 2023, with an average inflation of 5.5 percent, resulting
in a cumulative 33 percent rise in prices between 2016 and 2022.
The farmers’ losses are high,
consumers pay through the nose and the Government debts increase phenomenally.This
situation demands introspection. Despite private investments not increasing,
expenses on infrastructure and tolls are escalating.Sitharaman must reassess
farm economics to correct the budgetary course. A comprehensive review and
revamp of policies are essential to align with the agricultural base, fostering
the ‘desi economy’. This shift could pave the way for genuine growth and
happiness amid global turmoil.---INFA
(Copyright,
India News & Feature Alliance)
|
|
| | << Start < Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
| Results 82 - 90 of 5992 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|