Do Beegha Zameen - Need for Agricultural Reforms in India

Of late we are facing a lot of inflation in food prices. Also, the farming business is tough but not too remunerative leading to poverty in rural India. Farms are small and scattered, the framers often debt ridden and in drought prone areas like UP, Maharashtra etc. cash is hard to come by and most of the rural community remains mired in abject poverty. What should be done about it?

One, looking at the larger picture, agriculture contributes only 5-6 % to the World GDP. Prior to the Industrial revolution, agriculture might have been a prime source of GDP along with natural resources. But nowadays it is value added goods and services which fetch a premium or profits. Commodities have base level pricing and so also the remuneration. Even in India, even though 50% of the population is engaged in agriculture, it contributes only 18 – 20 % to the GDP. In developed economies like the US or the EU, agriculture contributes 1-5 % to the GDP. While agriculture will remain a core sector as it meets the basic food need, but in a post industrial world farming can never become the mainstay of any economy.

But despite employing only 1 -5 % of the population, EU and US together produce the largest amount of food. What is their secret to success? Basically they have mechanized large farms run on technical as well as marketing know-how. Economies of scale play a big role and scientific farming methods thus allow them to maximize productivity. In most of the developing world, farms are small and scattered and agricultural practices are rudimentary, basically dependent on the vagaries of nature. In China too which as a single country has become the largest food producer, its success is owing to huge state owned farms which are using scientific methods and machines to maximize productivity. Its Heliogjiang province has been developed to this effect. So, large farms using modern scientific methods are key to improving agricultural production.

Few centuries back when countries like the UK were also rural and agrarian, Britain brought in some enclosure acts to amalgamate small farms. At the same time, industrial revolution led to huge demand for workers in factories and the farming population basically moved to industries.

In light of this, the SEZ policy announced by the government is a step in the right direction – we set up industries in remote areas, providing the hitherto rural population avenues for employment. And at the same time, there ought to be some way of converting these tiny plots of lands into large/ huge farms either run by cooperatives or move to commercial farming. This is also critical not just to increase our food production and modernize the rural population but also from the point of view of a critical commodity – water.

Our ground water table is falling primarily due to overuse in agriculture and water will be the most critical resource (world over actually) in the 21^st century. To optimize its usage and maximize productivity, we need modernization of agriculture. Like the green revolution of the 60s, it is time for a blue revolution in the farming sector.

It is time to focus on rural India and modernization seems like the right way forward. Of course infrastructure development must go hand in hand to do that. Lack of reforms in the agriculture sector is also a prime cause of inflation especially in food prices. With 70% of the country still rural and nearly half the population employed in agriculture, a restructuring is required to keep pace with the needs of the 21^st century. Simply giving sops to farmers will not help. A complete rural restructuring will go a long way in modernizing the sector and that will have far reaching consequences for the nation in terms of poverty removal, tackling food inflation as well as dealing with water scarcity.

India Inc coming undone on “women’s issues”?

As a series of high profile sexual misconduct to harassment charges sweep modern urban India, there is fear all around and a sense of wariness with even hiring female employees. So, which way does the wind blow? Are women making false claims or are Indian men fiends just waiting to attack women at work place? Maybe neither!

I worked in a corporate for a good 9 years and that too a male dominated one and reported to umpteen bosses and worked with so many male colleagues in teams etc. But not once (not even once) in soooo many years did a direct boss of mine ever made any inappropriate remark, gesture, romantic overture or any kind of word or action that made me ‘uncomfortable’ even for a moment. But that is not to say harassment does not happen as it undoubtedly does but those males are in a minority. Majority of Indian males are pretty decent to work with, going by my experience. So, where is the problem? Ah well, the problem is the odd times when these things do happen. The organizations take on a highly defensive position and are wary of the female complainant. This is not to say women never make false complaints, perhaps they do but that should not be the base assumption because then it plays into the hands of those who harass. If the Tehelka employee’s complaint had been addressed professionally, perhaps a fairer treatment would have resulted but the senior female executive she approached simply dismissed her. That is the problem. I still don’t know whether or not Tejpal is guilty of what he is accused of – but the dodging and inability to follow a decent process is what put them in the box, I think.  

That is the crux of our problem. 

Instead of all this fear mongering, if complainants are addressed in a humane and sensitive manner and they feel they have been heard and their complaints paid due attention to, they may have no issues. For instance a young lady complained of harassment by a retired Judge and immediately a full inquiry was done which did hold him guilty. Even though no punishment has been pronounced, in some sense truth is justice. It is no surprise then that the young lady is not demanding any stringent action etc. I’m sure there is peace in her heart. 

I can’t help but relate an incident that happened in a British school few years ago. Over some sort of semi racist remark etc. I took up the matter with the Principal. And the complaint pertained to his second in command and best buddy actually. So what happened? Well, first he called me, listened to me, took down notes and requested me for some time. I felt great just being heard. Then there was the usual politics with some teacher trying to portray the child badly and a little to and fro. But Mr. Thomas already asked me who my trusted teachers were and cross checked everything with them as well as me. All this was shared with me openly. After about two weeks of this process, he apologized to me and said yes a little wrong seems to have happened but nothing warranting any serious action. I agreed with him and was actually floored. WOW is the word that repeatedly came to my mind as it does even now when I think back. No harm done to anyone; I felt great and the wrong doer got the warning and yet no one was shamed or hurt and I thought it was a win win solution.

To my mind, that is all that is required – a fair and decent process. However, in our society, there is always a tendency to duck and dodge all such issues. There is some kind of paranoia about women making false complaints and so police does not file FIRs, corporate do not address issues professionally as and when they arise and that is what compounds the problem. Wrong doers get away and too much mud raking happens in the media while a decent closed door process could have handled it simply. And will expensive lawsuits help? I doubt it; more like they would hinder the crippled process further as the paranoia will only go up. 

Now coming to the second point (and please bear with me, there is also a third).  Nirbhaya assault case is one of the most heinous of crimes that shook the nation. Yet the perpetrators’ faces and identity was never revealed until the trial was over and a guilty verdict passed. I do not see how then a Tejpal or Judge Ganguly can simply become the cover story of every magazine. Accusation does not necessarily mean guilt. So, one law for all. Being falsely accused of sexual harassment or assault is akin to the shame of a rape for a man. So I think there should be investigation and all that but they shouldn’t be pronounced guilty in media stories and their identities revealed prematurely with intent to shame. Sensitive and discreet handling would help the process to be more fair, but of course if there was a process in the first place. So we come back to that as the crux of the problem.

Ok now last but not the least, how the hell is breaking a live in relationship akin to a rape? I just don’t get it. Ok if there is a child out of that relationship, you should be granted maintenance but if you believe a physical relationship means marriage, well ladies, wait to get married. Yea rejection is not easy; don’t we hear men going around throwing acid on women if they say no? No one likes to be dumped but well, if we are moving with the times, and stepping out of the arranged marriage mould then expect to be dumped and the same could be said to the men folk too. Risk of rejection or one party moving on is always a possibility or risk in any relationship. If you take it you take it, there is no crying rape afterwards, no matter how miserable the breakup makes you.  So the recent High court verdicts are too strange actually. What if a woman walks out of a live in relationship – can the man claim rape? What makes High court think that women can only be misused and they don’t actually enjoy the physical act? If it was a willful act, it is not rape. It would be better if the justice system would focus on these brutal assaults on women children that are so common place nowadays which are actually rape than now trying to make heartbreak an illegal act.

It is simple really if we don’t complicate it!