The article by Kumar Ketkar, Uncle,nephew, people, (IE.dt.8/5/08) has highlighted the roots of Maharashtrian angst. It has many dimensions - cultural, economic and political. The Maharashtrian elite has neglected Marathi and the government of Maharashtra has done precious little for Marathi language (books, theatre, films). Economicaly, the Maharashtrians have not been empowered through education to avail all the opportunities thrown open by the liberalisation for enterprise and jobs. Politically also the Maharashtrians feel constrained. A finance minister once said one day a Singh may become the chief minister.
Then there are many divides - rural and urban, English and Marathi, job-seeking and enterprise. Politicians of Maharashtra have failed to bridge them. There is a disconnect between the government and the business which is not there in Gujarat. The business in Gjarat has created jobs for all and there is no agitation against the outsiders.
The great visionary of Maharashtra and the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Y.B.Chavan, initiated many new ideas for the development of Maharashtra – he set up SICOM, Thane-Belapur Industrial Estate and other industrial estates to promote industry and enterprise among the Maharashtrians. If his project of making entrepreneurs out of technocrats had materialised, there would have been more Maharashtrian businesmen and more employment.
The politicians who followed Shri Y.B.Chavan had no vision – they promoted sugar industry which guzzles water in a state where there is very little rain, they devised monopoly procurement for cotton which drained the exchequer but never encouraged diversification, and the result is there for all to see - more poverty and more suicides. An official of YASHDA ( Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration) states that " much of the state expenditure goes in poorly-conceived infrastructure projects such as the irrigation projests or to fund populist announcements such as the continuation of the cotton procurement scheme or free power to farmers, which won them votes." The report states that expenditure on education and health, which empower the people, has been shrinking over the past five years. Last year a report mentioned that only one-third of allotted expenditure on social welfare sectors was utilised in 9 months - public health, tribal development, social justice, environment, dairy development, fisheries etc.
The only initiative that has come from the Government of Maharashtra is the promotion of vinery and wine. The real path-breaking initiative that has a great potential has come from the farmers and that is, Magarpatta Township, where the farmers have pooled their land to build a township which now brings them very good returns on their enterprise and inititaive.
The remedy for all these issues is, good governance. Of course, there is no good governance in Bihar and UP. Both these states are blessed with water and good weather but bad governance has ruined them and their people seek manual jobs elsewhere. It is a vote against the bad governance. It is a vote by the feet. The permit-license raj, over-manned public enterprises and corruption have denied good governance to all Indian citizens. If people are empowered with education and if enterprise is promoted with incentives, the face of Mahrashtra and India would change within a short period. The real villains are the politicians who have mislead a whole generation with easy options - subsidies, freebees,reservations. Our people are intelligent and hard working. All they need is good education, health, good roads, electricity. If the state could provide this, people will bring in prosperity. Our politicians lack the vision to provide these essentials.
May 9,2008
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