The travelling of agricultural policies in India

     This report offers an overview of agricultural policies that have been taking place since independence in India. It also provides the impact of policies on farming and the intention of governments behind it. It primarily examines the agenda of the current government that is focused on the doubling of farmers’ income, the allocation and efficiency of land and water, reforms in agricultural markets and insurance etc.

    The Indian agriculture sector employs nearly half of the workforce in the country. However, it contributes17.5% to GDP that was almost 50% in the 1950s, but its employability remains the same till now.

     Agriculture is in the state list. The constitution provides power to the state for enacting laws related to land and the betterment of agriculture. Article 48 directs the state to organize agriculture and animal husbandry on modern scientific lines. Governments have been taking policy decisions for the advantages of the peasants, but the means do not have calibre to meet the end on many occasions.

Historical Background

 

     India has been a witness of a long tradition of agriculture. Its history can be traced in the urban Indus Valley civilisation where its habitants was involved in the production of Cotton. In the later Vedic period, organised farming and animal husbandry had become frequent and agricultural trade was benefitting to traders. Tax on agriculture, collected by the king, was the leading source of state revenue. Several dynasties like the Maurya, the Gupta, Harsha and others had also recognised its importance and made investments in building canals, dams and ponds. These practices have been travelling since the ancient to colonial period. The colonial Britain inaugurated many land reforms according to his need and distorted the whole structure and hierarchy of the agricultural set up. The centre of first phase policies’ attention was to fix these distortions.

Agricultural policies just after independence

     The first phase was primarily focused on the land reforms including the consolidation of holdings, the distribution of land to landless farmers and the abolition of the Zamindari system. Zamindari abolition act came in force in 1950 with the objective to eliminate land inter-mediatory, ensure ownership rights to tillers of land and ensure a permanent improvement in the quality of the landholding. As many know, it succeeded in such states where political will was strong and the left-leaning governments were in power, but in many states it could not find its destiny. Bihar was one of them where pro-Zamindar parties were dominant and the implementation of reforms initiatives secured less priority.

The Green Revolution Era

     The dawn of the 1960s marked the advent of green revolution with the purposes of using HYV of wheat and rice, improved irrigation pattern and the needed fertilizer and agro-chemical to enhance the productivity of land and the production of food-grains.

     These years are known as a golden period of Indian agriculture in terms of setting up the commission for agriculture costs and prices, the food corporation of India, agricultural universities and financial institutions for agro-credit. 

     These all policy initiatives resulted in a quick leap in crop yields and food grain production. And, ultimately we got our aim. We attained self-sufficiency in food-grains; increased agro-input industry (rapid growth in fertilizer, seed and farm machinery etc.) and the funding of agriculture.

      The overall investment (public and private) in agriculture was almost 1% of GDP. It was the need of the hour to reform the domestic regulations that would improve the incentive structure for increasing private sector investment in the agro-food sector.

Economic liberalisation and the NAP 2000

     The structural adjustment programme could not meet this end because the new economic liberalisation policy of 1991 was not able to attract this charming initiative as the present government wants so. It was the beginning of the new millennium year when New Agriculture Policy, 2000 was launched by the NDA government with the objective of strengthening private sector participation through contract farming, assuring a market for crops, increasing institutional and cooperative credit system and agricultural insurance. Land reforms had also found a tiny space in the policy. Then the reform needed to address three important issues—first, to map land carefully and assign conclusive titles; second, to facilitate land leasing; and third, and to create a fair but speedy process of land acquisition for public purposes.

      For these purposes, the national land record modernisation programme was launched in 2008; the both land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement act and the food security act were enacted in 2013.

The Rise of Modi

      An agricultural policy has a vast dimension of production, prices, marketing, credits, trade, research, and education of food-grains and crops.

      As Modi claimed Delhi in 2014, the agriculture policy has started shaping with the market's need to liberalize the farm set up. The government has introduced a pan-India electronic trading portal- National Agriculture Market (eNAM); National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) for enhancing agricultural productivity; PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana to accord high priority to water conservation; Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana for crop insurance that integrates multiple stakeholders on a single platform; and a dedicated Rs5,000 crore fund to cover more land area under micro-irrigation to boost agriculture production and farmers income etc.

New Farm Laws and Farmers Agitation

     In September 2020, the government came with three laws with the aim to allow intra-and-inter-state trade of farmers’ produce beyond APMC markets without State governments’ levy and cess, contract farming to attract private investment and regulating the supply of certain food items by the central government in emergency. These provisions will allow the farmers to trade freely that increase in competition among them result in better prices for farmers.  

      The government has been relentlessly asserting that the three laws are absolutely beneficial to the farmers while the farmers refute this claim made by the government, and draw many demands—the abolition of these laws, a statutory provision for MSP and decriminalise stubble burning etc. Two demands have been accepted by the government in the latest talk on 30 December 2020, but the two-months-long farmer agitation still continues.

The Need of the Hour

     Agricultural sector in India has been struggling for public-or-private investment since Independence. For the early years, the government did not agree to open the agriculture sector for the private players that’s why the investment was almost 1%. The 1990s economic crisis had potential to open up the sector but still the government could not show its courage. It happened in 2000 when the NDA coalition government came to power and introduced a National Agriculture Policy with attractive private investment provisions. But, the government was not long-lasting and the policies had been modified by the upcoming UPA government. The advent of Modi is restoring the said one and implementing reforms for gaining investment.

     History has witnessed that the investment in any field absolutely changes the shape and the figure of the sector, but the Indian farmers always look at private investment in the sceptic manner. The government and the civil society must try to makeover this mindset so that the fruit of the private investment becomes real.  

Thalaivii : Film based on Jayalalitha

Book/Film Review- 5

Film- Thalaivii

       The literal meaning of 'Thalaivii' is 'female leader' that is a film based on the life of actress-politician J. Jayalalithaa. Film till the intermission tells the filmy journey of Jayalalithaa, her holy love, break up to MGR (MG Ramachandran) and the plot behind coming in politics. After intermission, the film turns slightly to the political journey of her that explains all patriarchal conspiracy against, rise for a while, fall and out from the party, and how she takes the control of the party after winning the election.

        The role of J Jayalalithaa is played by the actress Kangana Ranaut that is also excluded from the main stream of bollywood film making and is said as 'One Woman Army' in the section of media and the people. No doubt her journey is comparable to that's of J Jayalalithaa. 

        Jayalalithaa was not interested in acting but the death of her father forced her to visit the city of Madras with her mother from Mysore. Her mother's struggle provides her an opportunity in the field of acting with then superstar MGR and her career starts grooming up. 

       Over the time, MGR becomes the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and in a cultural programme of the government he meets with her again and offers the charge of Mid-day meal scheme. She gets success in monitering the scheme and becomes the propaganda minister of AIDMK. She starts taking decision and makes interfair in the party affairs, and MGR sends her Delhi as Rajyasabha member to work on the alliance with Congress. She again gets success in the opposite circumstances because of the BJP leader Lal Krishna Adwani offers his time to her to speak in the House.

       When she returns Madras, she loses his post in party and gets disparage at Airport by a party leader. It happens to her many times. Party offers her a post and shows the exit door any time. When MGR takes his last breath that is the last deprecate to her and at party office she is denied to enter in the premises where the last respect to MGR is being performed. She observes from the gate along with the common people. You can imagine how much humiliation she will face in that particular moment.

       When a man/woman gets a reputable position and suddenly finds him/herself in a disreputable position, you can imaging how much disrespect it is! Last journey for the funeral of MGR gives her a chance to get close to the mortal remains of MGR, but the leaders in the party hit her legs, press her feet and force her to get away from the spot. She is courageous enough and shifts her position in tussle from aside to the MGR head where her hair braid is being tugged again and again and a regular braid gets lost its shape. Jayalalithaa encounters all these, but never loses her confidence and believes in her power and intention of doing what she would like to.

       She tries to board the funeral vehicle but the leaders push her and she falls down on the earth that is the last depreciate and it can be termed as the final nail in the coffin. Equation gets changing, she leads the election campaign and wins a marvelous victory in the assembly election and becomes the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. 

       Patriarchal conspiracy is revealed, she again gets reputation, and no one dares now to challenge her decision, all MLAs and party leaders bow to Jayalalithaa in respect and woman power ultimately leads the state after being beaten in the assembly.

Days in SEWA Bharati. COVID Care Centre

           It was the 2nd of May when I tested positive and went for home isolation. I faced this tough time which intensity grew up due to my habit of living alone in Delhi. I was unable to manage medicines, food and other required items like gargle liquid and gas cylinder for taking warm water and vapour. These are essential and urgent requirements to fight against Covid.

        I had no sense of being trapped in this trouble during this depressed and distressed period of time, but I got trapped and here message to others is that everyone should get aware of it because sorrow produces no sound. I should have maintained the essential items like utensils, filled gas cylinder, salt, oil and eggs because pain containing covid travels with tiptoe motion. 

        When I experienced the temperature of 104F, unbearable body pain, headache and mild coughing in initial days; I lost my sense that how would I survive in this city where people were crying for oxygen cylinders and beds; burning pyres were capturing the screen, and the situation was deadly because the shadow of death was gazing all the time like the vultures on snakes. Dogs, wolves, direwolves and hyenas were invited by the viruses that mean everyone was on target.

        My Covid story began 4-5 days earlier than 2nd of May while I was encountering blisters on my tongue and weaknesses. These were initial signs but I ignored. On 1st May I faced high fever for the first time and on very next day I went for RT-PCR test. It was frustating because I was unfit to even walk and scared to spread these deadly virus to others.

        I started taking prescribed medicines like DOLO 650 to control temperature, vitamin C tab, Multi Vitamins tab and a syrup for coughing but there was no impact at all. Doses of DOLO was inversally proportional to the body pain and what I was taking as medicines contained no meaning. Over all these medicines were not working.

        I stayed for at least 7 days in my room and continued taking medicines. That time, my room lady managed a little because she was scared of this virus. A friend managed me medicines but I could not take vapour and gargle due to the absence of required items.

        My head of department texted me during initial days to take concerns of my situation and later he overlooked, but I specially want to say thank you to an another head of department (other than mine), for taking regularly care of my health that stimulated me to fight against this lethal virus. Their blessings worked; I fought and finally survived.

        I will never forget some of my friends who always motivated me to be positive and try to feel me good. One is from my department and others are from Patna and another is from IIMC.

     All were not good. It was hard time to me. So depressing. I became an insomniac. Slumber was frequent, and turning in pain aside was all about. Virus was very weakening that was breaking me internally and making me a hollow man.

       On 7th day, situation was out of control. Coughing was on peak and even 18 hours of sleep did not help me to be energetic. Then, I decided to get admitted at COVID Care Centre and I occupied a bed in SEWA Bharati care centre with the help of a friend.

        I got room no. 1 at that Covid centre which was conducted by the SEWA International. In India, it is affiliated to SEWA Bharati (RSS). There were facilities of oxygen cylinders, food, fruits, medicines and every required items for totally free. A team of 4 doctors regularly monitored my temperature, blood pressure and oxygen level. 

        On 8th day, I faced a little trouble in taking breathing, but it was manageable. On 10th day, my condition started improving and it happened because of SEWA Bharati. One thing I had noticed here that doctors and attendants had no feelings of untouchability to the infected persons. They were working for the wellness of patients without hesitation and giving their 100% without any benefits. 

        Kamal Ji, one of the team members, was very fascinating and I would like to say thank you for his services and also thank you to others who were taking care of me in this Covid care centre for completely free. Also thanks to RSS and SEWA Bharati because without this organisation, perhaps I was unable to survive in this haunted city where no one is your and you are completely alone in the trouble time.

        The Magnus opus of this moment is that I have survived against this lethal virus even after the above worst situation. There is no comparison to SEWA Bharati (RSS) because the organisation provides oxygen cylinders, food, medicines and fruits for free in this worst condition. After paying Rs. 40,000 people are unable to get beds and cylinders whereas SEWA Bharati is managing these as a service for others. These are real social works that contain no juxtaposition.

      Again thank you all of them!

Pictures: 1. My isolation room with oxygen cylinders at SEWA Bharati COVID Care Centre

2. Space for attendants

3. A team of doctors and volunteers

4. A volunteer that managed me food and daily use items

The girl who transforms herself for him

      It was the year of 2014. The spring had just struck; the greenness found space, and emotions in both were impatient to meet. 

     Emotion develops instantly and the story starts with an accident by looking a second at him, that was in notice because she was fond of everyone. Fair face, long hair, traditional get up and the height more than average was enough to allure all.

        That was her shyness which limited the moment of transferring vehemence through eyes. It is said that when a man in love, his eyes indicate and it gets its recognisance by eyes and travels trough to heart. 

        In the beginning, eye-catching is a game. Whether it is boy or girl plays heartly and with some hesitation that barricades the going of both's sensation to other.  When eyes strike, it seems that someone is calling you by the internal language of love. To catch the each one's eyes is initially fun, due to its durability of micro second. Micro-second matures in second, and second in seconds. It happens once in an hour, then twice and the frequency gets hike and captures the minute. It is the real feeling: the feeling of love, sentiment and care.

        It had all happened with her, but the hesitation obstructed the way of merging into one. As saint says that the merging in one is the real name of love. But, how it was possible for that moment. Her gesture had created a room for vultures in the circumstances and her traditional look was nothing except a fillet of flesh. These vultures were gazing her every time, due to it, her feeling to him started boiling like a pressure cooker. 

        It was the crucial moment of the unexpected love story. Having got the situation, he approached her talking, because the same was happening in his side. On his calling, she stepped out with him in the hope of an expected fortune. Vultures began gathering around him and her. They were murmuring mischiefly. The courage, he acquired before a few moment, had washed out and the story went on halt for the next day.

        The night was full of excitement. They were waiting for the dawn. He was assuming how to say his feeling; and, she was presuming how to groom herself for him. Slumber was frequent. Sleep had low intensity. Turning aside was all about, but to feel each-one's presence in the conscious pretended to be real. She felt the every circle of the table-fan's blades revolving, and the sound created by the crickets, beetles and other creatures added lyrics to it. As always, that night broke in an inception of being something new for the both.

        The meeting point had been assumed. No doubt, that day was about to be witness of merging into one from two. He was shocked that an imaginary love, as he believed, was to be real. She came in the overwhelmed transformed portrait of a fairy. One who knew about what happened previous day, cuts one's fingers. Gossips related to them was overloaded in the campus. Whispering, murmuring and mumbling were on the top priority.

"What a girl!" , Someone murmures.

"It seemed she just got off from beauty parlour." , Other mumbled.

"No, she could groom herself at home." , The third one even just muttered that he appeared.

        He had no words of description for her metamorphose. Tight fit Salwar and Kameez shaped her figure; the bust paced up the slimness, and its exhibition was on forefront. Vulture's eyes gazed on it, but they were unable to get it because the veil of Dupatta worked as the gate-keeper. This proper get up was indicating she was a perfect indian woman, a mixture of traditional and modernity.

       High heel Sandle fixed the attraction, and the long outward curls with one side tucked behind ear, hair, was special one, that was never seen before with her. He liked more, was her covering style of Dupatta and the well-shaped bust. God was plotting the merging, and the nature was subordinating. 

        But, an unexpected incident scared, discouraged and panicked the both. All the plot, subordination and the way of merging broke up in a single instinct. After that, he lost many so called friends and she went for another to balance her feeling. The self-proclaimed great and holy love story ended without beginning; the dawn was still in wait, and the city became haunted for him.

The February Lesson

           The month ‘February 2021’ marked a little stability in my life, but in broad, it was an illusion. The 2-3 months of psychological pressure resulted in an overwhelmed ending of the trilemma: the trilemma in making decision for my primary goal, getting rid of the unfamiliar-mind and following up the one-way set-up.

      The second week began in thought of taking a decision for the stuffs, after failure over failure, which had never been supposed. But, I think, these stuffs are the need of the hour to survive in the different societal structures. These stuffs have been blamed by many in the name of time, God, bad fortunes and unwanted destiny, but over the time these will be appreciated as I believe.

       To engage with the people is a continuous process and society helps in regard. Initially, we are not able to distinguish the proper and inappropriate mind. In early age, one who is good for us, later, one becomes the worst. Many have encountered it for the sake of good.

       As I conclude the month that with the time many who are connected for the benefits, automatically get off one’s niche. Secondly, if you raise sound for your rights, it is heard; and, thirdly, I realised the best line of the novel 'A Gentleman in Moscow' that if 'a man does not master his circumstances then he bound to be mastered by them' will not be forgotten. It was a social realisation that I got by the means of a formation of groups that will motivate me to be aware of making the new one.

       In the fourth week as the month ended with my attendance in IIMCAA's Connection 2021. It was my first participation after the completion of the course from the IIMC. It was full of fun, curiosity, excitement and most importantly, a secret and sacred way of getting motivation by seniors, who have secured a reputable position in their career.

      Many of them have started their first jobs with low stipend, but having got practical insight in the industry, they earn today such an amount that is enough to live. It indicates that when you should start your career and how much you should get for your work never matter; the thing matters that you have started to apply your institution-got knowledge according to your training and wish. Future is uncertain and one, who has already got a famed name, even does not know one will reach that fame. Overall, the Connection-2021 was a motivation for me and it will be for all!

These are all about the February-2021.

Book Review- 4: Who wants democracy?- Democracy as weapon of the weak

Book/Film Review- 4

Javeed Alam

Who Wants Democracy

Orient Blackswan, Rs- 325/-

      Javeed Alam, an eminent professor, writes this book ‘Who Wants Democracy’ in 2004 under the series—Tracts for the Times—of publisher Orient Blackswan to examine the rapid changes, in the internal structure of Indian democracy.

     Tracts for the times attempts to provide a meaningful information, critical perspective, and theoretical reflections on various themes written by eminent social scientists, journalists, lawyers and social activists, that is edited by S. Gopal, Romila Thapar and Neeladri Bhattacharya.

Freedom is a covenant between the elite and the masses

    The book starts with the definition of modernity and later he theorizes the democratising modernity. In his opinion, the inauguration of democracy in India was the result of a covenant between the elite, the middle class and the intelligentsia, on the one side and the ordinary people in their great diversity, with all their problems, on the other.   

    He argues that initially, the ordinary people had great power of mobilisation against exploitation, but in a short period, they went backward from the Pabna and Deccan revolts to Fakir-Sanyasi insurrections.

    This notion is extremely acclaimed in the centre-left intelligentsia and the liberal circle but denied by the people who are not part of this club and appreciate the Fakir-Sanyasi rebels as a revival of cultural nationalism.

Mandal Reward: Benefiting Democracy

   The implementation of Mandal commission’s recommendation impacted the internal function and the structure of Indian Democracy. Alam categorized these in several points—‘leaders who occupy positions in democratic institutions are lack in principles and prone to shift loyalty’ and ‘a sharp increase in social disharmony’ and therefore caste conflicts became the bane of politics with figures like Laloo Yadav, Mulayam Singh and Mayawati, are two of them.

    He portrayed the ‘Public Confidence’ as a source of democracy and argues that Indian governments have solved none of the problems- work, food, shelter, health etc, even after the public have not lost confidence ever and always believe in democratic processes and vote with enjoy to maintain the sustainability of Indian Democracy because democracy is a weapon of the weak.

Making of Indian nation and role of civil society

    Explaining the making of the Indian nation, Alam observes that the dominant secular Nehruvian model is now threatened by the communal politics and regional assertion. The monolithic conception of nation derived either from the secular or from the Hindutva has been rejected by the linguistic cultural regions and multiple ways being Indian is taking shape over a period of time.

   The elites who are educated and capable of exercising their rights constitute the core members of the civil society and set the rule for the functioning of democracy in India without the support of a very large part of the civil society.

   Despite of some weaknesses, the book is readable for understanding a different point of view on Indian Democracy. The rise of new middle class, role of civil society, the elite-masses relationship and a deep analysis of Hindutva are the themes of the book that Javeed Alam describes.

#1000booksreading

Imagined Community- A guide to nationalism

Book/Film Review- 3

Imagined Community

By- Benedict Anderson

Rawat Publications, Rs- 799/.

     ‘Imagined Community’, a book on the origins and spread of nationalism; written by Benedict Anderson- a prominent professor of International Studies Emeritus at Cornell University, is a highly-researched-document in the field of International Relation literature. 

       This book is appreciated in scholastic manner and it finds its space on top among academicians, journalists and the students of world affairs to sort out the confusions on nationalism. The Guardian writes this book is ‘sparkling, readable, and densely packed.’ And, the Academic Library Book Review praises as a book to owned, and read, and re-read and treasured.

Imagined Community book cover (R. Suresh Bhardwaj Picture)

      Although I have been a student of political science, and enjoy a little knowledge of international relations but I am not perfect guy to jot down the review of this book because I carry no expertise of the subject and any research experience in this field. I am writing this piece only to point out the contents of this book.

    The book unfolds the answer of the question ‘what makes people live and die for nations, as well as hate and kill in their name?’ Benedict Anderson argues that the nation is a new, modern phenomenon. The 17th and 18th century witnessed the demise of previous forms of political bodies that were shaped by a sacred language and dynastic power. It is through the emergence of print-capitalism—the technological, mass production of newspapers and the novel and the spread of vernacular print languages—that individuals could think of themselves and relate to others in different ways.

     His second contribution is the historical argument regarding the models of nations and nationalisms. The earliest nations and nationalist movements emerged in ‘creole communities’—descendants of white European settlers in the North and South Americas.

    The third of his contribution is official nationalism and imperialism, seen in Russia, Japan, Thailand, England and Hungary. This form of nationalism is a defensive, conservative response by monarchs to popular and linguistic nationalists.

   The fourth model of nationalism develops out of the colonial context and institutions of education, bureaucracy, and movement in Asia and Africa by the administrative, educated, bilingual intelligentsia.

    Anderson conceptualizes many long-lasting terms like Russification, French Revolution as concept of revolution, Bolshevik revolutionary model, Nationalisms from the New World and Print-capitalism.

    Partha Chatterjee as a main contender, who argues that print capitalism is a simplistic and linear argument and does not consider asymmetrical power relations of colonial context. The feminist criticises Anderson’s argument as a male phenomenon, understanding fraternity eliding gender, class and race. For more, readers should go through the book.

    A good book on nationalism to read, but not for general reading!