Hi all
i am a big fan of ET editorials, n thatz why i started this thread. but my present job didn't gave me enuff time to spend on this thread. but over this long weekend i decided to give it a shot again.
i chose to start with the following article.
Cart before the bullock-Narendar Pani-Columnists-Opinion-The Economic Times
its a two-week old article(published on December 15). It is on Singur crisis, a very relevant topic for all of us.
here's a short summary:
Cart before the bullock
it is becoming increasingly clear that agriculture alone cannot support the 700 million people who live in the rural areas. There is clearly a need of reducing the number of people dependent on agriculture.
But the procedure followed by the various state govts. of forcibly acquiring land hasn't gone down well with the people. The govt. may be providing compensation to the farmers, but these calculations ignore that agriculture is often the only means of livelihood available to the farmers. His access to education is limited and this challenges his ability to invest his compensation effectively. Often, he is not able to see opportunities available beyond agriculture.
Another important factor ignored by the govt. is a social one. The village is often charaterised by a heirarchy, and there is a distinction between a landless labourer, a small farmer and a large farmer. This forcible acquisition removes this distinction at one stroke.
The process of removing people from agriculture would be less tense if people themselves choose to opt out of agriculture. As the protest grow louder, the govts. will have to recognise that people have to be drawn out of agriculture before their land is acquired and not the other way round.
: i hope u all find this useful. looking forward to your comments.
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