To improve GDP and to create livelihoods for many, a big plan
had been envisioned. Just six days ago the Indian cabinet passed its ambitious plans.
New town ships will be made under Article 243Q-C of the Indian Constitution. Realizing
that the manufacturing sector needs re-vitalization, the National Manufacturing Policy has been approved. Large size zones
have been planned for the making and expansion of the manufacturing industry in
India. Setting up of industrial town is going to be easy as non-fertile land
has to be acquired for National Investment Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ). These
are going to be in the Northern part and Western part of India. For the Eastern
corridor, new system of railways is going to be made. The industrial towns to
be built will have greater autonomy (sounds like SEZ story). There should be
coordination amongst the different departments—industrial growth department,
and Planning Commission have problem communicating the urgency and important of
land acquisition to the Environment department. And Labour department will follow
suit with the issue of granting ‘minimum wages’ to the workers.
Lapse in leadership. In India individuals (in
government) envision growth plans; and when the implementation stage comes, they
would have left their posts, and new individuals (who do not know the spirit of
the plan) will implement it differently. This would give the plan an entirely
new form.
Which States are planned
for development?
Industrial towns have been planned for development in different states of
India, and individual states do not have top grade city-planners nor do they
know how to make modern contracts like the PPP or BOT etc. It is the central
government which has best technocratic acumen needed in the construction of
industrial cities. And professionalism and acumen cannot be taught or learnt
overnight. Fiscal incentives have been given to private firms for coming
forward (20%). But all states should be given incentives for development, not
just some. Partiality has been shown in favouring the North and Western over the
rest. Only uniform policy will be successful. How the different states take
this initiative will vary; for example Maharashtra state may not give land.
Incentives given by
state governments.
Some states give big incentives to industrialists like the state of Gujrat
where industrial town will grow fast. Others may not encourage it, but also not
discourage. Some will have road-blocks .There are also some amendments (like
for Gram Panchayat Act) needed to make these super towns. Soon the local
farmers will agitate for their share in the progress of the state and new
amendments would be need in individual states as all have individual land
acquisition policies. Unless the original land owners are given a role as a
stakeholder, the making of infrastructure will be plagued by rural
unrest/protests. There should be a forum (to redress upcoming issues) to hear
the problems faced in establishing the townships. The problems will not be
state specific; they will be national as these plans are national. Uniform
legislation is mandatory for progress. These plans are to be implemented by public
partnership models. If there is a serious hindrance which would hamper the
implementation, there should be a clause to “stop building” or “exit policy”.
In the new zones, buying and selling land will be made easy, as per policy.
There will be tax exemption for the industries. And State Pollution Control
Board will also favour industrialists as an officer will be delegated from outside.
Moreover, Technology Acquisition Fund would be given to the small enterprises for
making a patent pool of manufacturing methods using controlled power consumption.
Promise to make
livelihoods The
plans will give 100 million jobs. But industrialization reduces jobs as few people
can mange in the running of factories. And with coming of electronics in as
circuit boards etc, jobs are further reduced. This promise may not materialize as
anticipated. This would favor
the government and the industrialist but he worker will not gain. And our
nation consists of only workers.
The true index of
our progress is the fact that we lead meaningful lives, even with
minimum fulfilment of basic needs; we manage with meager incomes, high cost of
living, scarce resources, small homes with high rent, run-away inflation, exploitative
Politician, dysfunctional education systems, insufficient health care, inadequate
transport facilities, failing infrastructures. And now we have to industrialize
quickly to overcome stagnation in our economy. When policies are not based on
sound principles, they may lead to ‘plan of mice and men’ and may not become
successful. There is a way out; if we implement very quickly the manufacturing policy, the growing pains
(labor unrest) that industrialization brings may be overcome fast. And we will
establish equilibrium, in economic growth and its public acceptance of it as early
as possible.Visionary policies aer here.
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