Bhai Kamlanand (Dr. Kamal Taori)
It is a great pleasure that Concept Publishing Company asked me to compile some issues in the over all development. I have been working around unorganised sector for the last 30 years. Sustainable Human Development has been brought to focus by UNDP annual report and concern expressed throughout the world.
While the definition part of many aspects is becoming increasingly clear, some important issues are still missing. To utilise this opportunity. I would like to quote in original from the First Five Year Plan document chapter 1, page-12, para 13, titled ‘Problem of Developmenť. It says:
“In the last four or five decades, there has been considerable industrial development in India, accompanied by urbanisation and expansion of commerce. Large towns and cities have grown and transport and communications have developed extensively. The isolation of the village has been broken and the average citizen lives in an environment significantly different from the one in which he lived and worked fifty or sixty years ago. Indian enterprise has made considerable headway, and the country has now considerable experience in the fields of modern business. industry and finance. New economic and social relations have emerged, given rise in turn to a
general desire for more rapid change.” “It continues, but the development that has taker place is partial and limited when judged in terms of the country’s needs and potentialities. Industrialism and the use of modern techniques have affected only limited segments of the economy. Agriculture is still the mainstay of life for about 70 per cent of the population and productivity in this sector is exceedingly low. The size of agricultural holdings has progressively diminished; the old cottage and small-scale industries have been decaying, and the rural population which constitutes about 83 per cent of the total suffers from chronic underemployment and low incomes.”
Population has increased by more than fifty per cent in the last fifty years, but the growth of alternative occupations either in the rural areas or in the towns has not been on a scale which could absorb this growing population. In the limited spheres which have registered expansion, the level of productivity and the level of incomes have naturally been higher. But, for the community as a whole, the economic development of the last few decades has brought no significant improvement in standards of living and opportunities for employment, and has perhaps accentuated to some extent inequalities of income and wealth.
The above statement of fact was provided to me by Dr. K.N. Kabra, a Professor of international fame at Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi. IIPA has been working in the field of Public Administration training, research, codification, consultancies in diverse field for the last 40 years. When Dr. Kabra gave me this paper following were some of the questions which came in my mind:
1. It appears that above analysis pertains not to the situation of 1950 but of 1998 when we are on the verge of arrival of 21st century.
2. What has been the role of National Institutions in bringing out at the right time and misdirection in the policies?
3. What were the missing links?
4. What are the challenges of our time and how do we learn from our mistake of our past?
As we approach 21st century the socialism. capitalism, mixed economy become absolutely irrelevant if humanity and win-win for all led development model is not visible. It seems that economic development in terms of GDP concept becomes irrelevant.
The challenges of 21st century require total newness on all fronts. The holistic analysis, churning of knowledge, ruthless codification of lessons of past and total transparency, viability and replicability are some essentials for clear accelerated plan of action.
This is the challenge of our time which we can neglect at our cost.
Before I close, I would like to mention for every ailment under the Sun.
There is remedy or there is none If there is one, try to find it If there is none, never mind it.
I am thankful to Mr. Ashok Kumar Mittal and his team of Concept Publishing Company for the excellent work done professionaly.
My special thanks to Mr. Navin Sinha who has done very well in helping in comprising these chapters.
Dr. Kamal Taori