BRIDGING THE DIVIDE BETWEEN RURAL AND URBAN INDIA IS MUST

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE BETWEEN RURAL AND URBAN INDIA IS MUST This seems to be pre-occupation with the Federation of Indian Chamber of Agriculture, Trade and Services to address the issue of industrialisation of rural space in India in a way which is suitable for the needs of primary or secondary producers. That does not mean that the large industries would be out of our scope. But, we note with serious concern their 'practices of exploiting the governments and local people' (through 'tax exempt, tax havens, subsidies, outrageously low prices of land or may be free supply of land as for TATA Company, the Government of Indian State of West Bengal and Gujarat did in such a competitive fashion and total control over issues of development of local human resources through education, training and jobs). The big companies helped the governments to create policies which are extremely favourable to large industrial corporations such as Special Economic Zone. Experts even from the Planning Commission of India expressed that such schemes (Special Economic Zone) would create deep schism in the rural society and that is what seems to be happening over these years. Prem Shanka Jha, a former officer of Indian Civil Services recently wrote very candidly about the covert practices of the West Bangal government in acquisition of land at Singur for TATA at 'no prices' so as to attract investment and then, unleashing reign of terror to enforce the contract between the state and the company, however, the infamous exit of the company from West Bengal and its eventual housing at a site in Gujarat where a breeding farm of Gujarat's native was to be established, underlies deeper conflict between usage of land for agriculture and industry. The Government delivered the land earmarked for an animal breeding farm to TATA ostensibly to get huge investment in the region. As this land had no stakeholding farmers so acquisition went totaly smooth and with an unmatchable speed, giving a 'false signal' to corporate India that Gujarat is an efficient state in industrialisation. However, the question of creating a bridge between large corporation, government, farmers and non-landed people of the state is a must and it has even to match the eventual synergy to ecology and economy of a region in a wholistic fashion. In that context, it is important that drain on natural resources with poor technologies used in having wrong industries stationed, could have effects of increased health costs to the residents. That kind of socio-environmental costs are to be understood by the government. At HABITAT we are working to develop REGIONAL ECOLOICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (REED) COUNCIL at ROHTAT CITY in Haryana so that the whole issue of 'industrialisation of food supply chain by big retail chains could be integrated with the concerns of the local producers and also in a way that the local population gets engaged for manning various kinds of jobs in such chains. It is a matter of great satisfaction for me that I have been personally invovled in number of initiatives (Food Park at Rai in 2001; Education City in 2005) to rightly project this area as an important region relating to locating food enterprises. Subsequently or concurrently number of institutions are getting located in the KUNDLI-BAHADURGARH-AZADPUR REGION, important amongst them are AZAD PUR MANDI, INTERNATIONAL MANDI AT GANNAUR and NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MANAGEMENT being other. Withe these developments coming to the region, the work for strengthening the economic conditions of the producers and other residents of the region has not been specifically targeted by the policy planners and even the industrial players were not sensitized to the need of doing the needful for social and environmental impact of these wide-ranging changes. One of the greatest felt change by the politicians and common masses in the area is huge spurt in the prices of the land. When the whole plan of Haryna's future development were presented to the Chief Minister, Bhupender Singh Hooda by me on 13 March, 2005 at India International Centre in New Delhi and the matter was pursued through my presentation at the meeting of Secretaries held to take stock of our proposals (other person for making presentation was Dr P S Rana, the then Managing Director of Housing and Urban Development Corporation); there was total disbelief that prices of land would see that much spurt and speculation. But, as we warned that really happened and real estate became a lucrative and heavily politicised profession. This made a total cultural changes in the life-style of the rural residents whose lands were sold at exorbitant prices. The story of 'neo-rich sellers of land' in India in rural areas is replete with their eventual cultural decline and loss of socio-economic security as the compensation package is considered takes stock of valuation of the land in economic terms not realising that the landed class in whole world does not live in 'market economy mind-set', rather their mindset is dictated by being 'proud' of their 'rootedness to a closed society based upon known relations as well as predictable and limited transactions of goods and services (that is exchange used to be between known people or merchant). However, after selling their land, their exchanges for livelihood became like that of 'city dwellers' who were adept in being professionals for ages. The entry of rural rustic, whose mindset and cultural ethos were diameterically opposite to their urban counterparts, led to these people and their children being misfit in the changed circumstances. That kind of impact of rural transition lead to social unrest and generally sociologists and anthropologists are the experts to gauge the impact but this breed of professionals is given any importance by the politicians and these academicians themselves do not rate themselves as people who could predict the social changes and offer solution to stem some of the undesirable impacts of the changes. In states like Haryana in Northeern India, there is even not a single department of Anthropology to formally study such a catalclysmic changes. In fact, Haryana and Punjab have been exposed to severe changes from pre-historic to current times as these area continue to be the only porous border with a very much rich populace in terms of crop production. Still, lack of study of such overwhelming impacts to very much secure and organically linked society has given rise to serious disruption in socio-cultural practices and that has shaped the politico-economic activities of the region. The analysts are sometimes interested only in economic impacts (during economic surveys) and sometimes in political repercussion (directed solely to winning or losing elections). They completely ignore the cause of politico-economic crises and its impact on socio-cultural life of the people. This kind of distorted impressions of a 'dynamic society', makes prediction of these 'quick silver analysts' or psephologist to go 'most probably horribly wrong' as the under-current of the discontent of the people does never get reflected in the way the leaders of politico-economic elan talk to the people. Economic leaders are like those who are investing in big land banks so as to establish their island of prosperity in form of SEZ such as TATA. They cannnot just think themselves as traditional industrialists not stepping on the toes of anyone. Now, these leaders have global 'foot-print'. Their 'foot's print' is global in scale and their getting located on the huge resources of a local community means that they must realise that their 'roots' remain very well nourished. They have to think in very much organic terms to nurture the whole region. This is what I say that to define the aspirations of a particular region very well in terms of its all kind of resources and matching the same with type of industry. This kind of studies and reports are required more and more for all the industrialists. At the Federation of Indian Chamber of Agriculture, Trade and Services (FICATS), we have adopted a policy thrust that the farmers should make their own consortium for developing the land taking the help of qualified agencies and in that process, the Chamber would like to promote the establishment of more and more REED Council so that through the macro-ecological-economic analytical reports of the region, the farmers and landowners themselves could make decisions to develop a particular type of land. In that process, the Chamber could help establish their corporate entity or business or cooperatives so as through this organisation, they invite right kind of industrial players and also, the Chamber would recommend to make it mandatory for the builder and locating industry to be formally inovled in avoiding adverse socio-environmental impact of their investments. Magarpatta Cooperative model of Maharashtra state in India has been exemplary in this regard. There is another important aspect related to development of economic and ecological conditions of the neighbours of a mega-project. Except for integration with their formal vendors, big plants and SEZ have not yet become sensitive to other stakeholders in the nearby community and there are distinct chances that nearby land of 'posh and five star projects' would be eventually get sold to open market forces. This kind of displacement has been witnessed in all villages of Delhi and Gurgaon and displaced community have become disoriented from their roots and disorganised and derailed for their livelihood. That kind of scenario means we need a serious engageent with people living in hinterland with investments for mitigating impacts to come from the participating industries and government embedded in REGIONAL ECONOMIC and ECOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. That could make all of our projects as very smooth for long-term and many kind of divides would not be as severe. The Chamber is in the process of launching its mega-drive of offering services to bridge the gap through the help of conscious leadership of the country and as such has devised a programme named as pro-GRAM, meaning 'for the benefit of the villages'. I would be writing on pro-GRAM subsequently. For know HAPPY VIJAY DASHMI for all of INDIANS AND NRIs. Jagveer Rawat 09315639804