In his speech on the occasion of India’s 60th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has rightly stressed the need to focus on socio-economic upliftment of the common man.
The Prime Minister has promised a massive increase in funding of programmes in education, health care, agriculture and rural development. The government plans to invest about Rs 25,000 crores in the agricultural sector.
Education will be an important thrust area, the Prime Minister said. The government will set up 6000 new high quality schools, one in every block of the country; colleges in 370 districts and 30 new Central universities.
Besides, eight new Indian Institutes of Technology, seven new Indian Institutes of Management and 20 new Institutes of Information Technology are in the pipeline.
To promote social security in the unorganised sector, the government proposes to introduce an old age pension scheme for senior citizens and those living below the poverty line. A new health insurance scheme for the poor is also to be introduced.
India has been celebrating a robust 8.5 per cent growth rate of its economy and the sparkling success of its information technology and telecom sectors. While the achievements of these sectors are undoubtedly worthy of pride, India’s neglect of the agricultural sector does not make sense.
The sector is growing at roughly 2.5 per cent per annum. Two-thirds of the country’s population draws its livelihood from agriculture. While urban India has benefited from globalisation, rural India is reeling under its impact. Thousands of farmers are committing suicide to escape debt and poverty. It is time we gave priority to the well being of our farmers.
Successive governments routinely announce new rural poverty alleviation programmes. But these initiatives have failed to address poverty as they tinker with issues, not tackle the root problems head-on. Unequal ownership of land – some 600 million people, who comprise 75 per cent of rural households, own 5 per cent of the land – lies at the heart of rural India’s many problems. This has to change.
There is an urgent need for land reforms if rural India too should become part of India’s exciting growth story. The government’s initiatives on education are welcome as they will open up new opportunities for millions across the country. The social security measures will provide the poor with some cushioning. However, it is time India acts decisively to free millions in our villages from the shackles of poverty and indebtedness.
