The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the indicator of development of a country. Even the global economic status is also represented through overall rise or fall of the GDP. So every country and even Stateshould know the proper management of GDP. We generally focus on the industrial productions for a faster growth of GDP or economy, which provides job opportunities to the youngsters. But time has come, we have to change our approach and turn our table for the agriculture sector as well.
Now a major problem of the country today is joblessness. If the job opportunities are not tackled for providing livelihood to the young generations, it causes downfall in the overall economy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays stress on honesty in personal and public life which can catapult the economy and well-being of a person and the country as a whole.
The industrial productions always depend on raw materials. The major raw materials are minerals, which cannot be sustainable for long. Odisha has profuse raw materials like iron-ore, manganese ore, coal, lime-stone, dolomite, bauxite, which come under major minerals. In case of minor minerals, there are chromites, china clay, fire-clay, graphite, mineral sand, quartzite, quartz, lead ore, talc and pyrophylite. The question arises is how long these resources can sustain to provide job opportunity to the people of OdishaIJ
Now the opposition has targeted the Narendra Modi Government for downfall in economy due to lowest ever GDP rate. The taxation system, especially GST, has also earned ire of the critics. India is the capital of economic fraud. The Union Government is helpless vis -a -vis the economic crimes. The demonetisation of high currencies and application of Goods and Services Tax (GST) were done in good earnest and the aim was to lessen corruption and give a push to the economy. But the result has been the opposite. Now every consumer is facing the music due to the GST. There is an inflationary trend and daily consumables are creating a hole in the pocket of the common man. The desk-economists of the Government of India, who do not know the reality of the field, cannot realize the pains of the common man.
Modi assured the people of India to take necessary steps to spur the economic growth and solve the GST difficulties. Again he assured the common citizens of India to extend fiscal stimulus to the sectors in distress. He promised for a pick- up to meet the demands of rural and urban people within three months. This was the voice of our Prime Minister in the event of Golden Jubilee of the Institute of Company Secretaries in New Delhi. It is the responsibilities of Prime Minister of a country to provide clean and efficient administration. It is known to him how best he can deliver.
The country’s low GDP rate does not reflect a sound economic policy. The people, who are contributing their blood and sweat for sharp rise of GDP of India next to China, are highly neglected and are suffering the most. The better examples are the mining district of Odisha, like Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Angul and Jajpur etc. The Central Government never cares to know the sufferings of these people as their habitats are lost and they are de-homed for exploitation of minerals.
Even, the plight of these people has attracted the notice of the National Human Rights Commission. Alternative sources of livelihood should be created for them as an immediate measure.
The writer passed most part of his service period as a Government employee in mining areas of Odisha and has felt the realities. Ajaya Banga, Master Card, CEO rightly told that the “Jobs are the single key challenge that India needs to address”. That’s where the focus has to be; but how it should be the economists and the social reformers of the country should think. Again our Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal rightly told that the youth of tomorrow is not looking to be a job seeker alone.
He wants to be a job creator. Hence, field should be created for extending opportunities for them for establishing themselves. Again, the whole business communities of India especially the top 200 companies of the country should generate job opportunities to solve the rising crisis of unemployment of the country.
Industry apart, agriculture should properly be monitored through different kinds of schemes to grow as a profitable sector so that it can provide jobs to many. The schemes should be related to agro-forestry, horticulture, pisciculture, goatery, piggery and poultry, etc.
Climate change and irrigation are the main problems of any tropical countries. The crop patterns should be suitable to meet the challenges of present climate pattern. So our agriculturists, horticulturists and foresters should work in tandem and give importance to co-operative farming and community farming.
Here the writer wants to cite the British regime in India and how they were giving importance to co-operative farming to boost the economy of the country. There were thousands and thousands acres of mango plantations in tropical India.
(The writer is a former senior forest officer and an environmentalist. Tel no 9937460649)