When outsourcing to India was big news, a US journalist stayed in India and studied these issues. He found that the equipment used in companies engaged in Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) were mostly imported from the US and Europe, therefore creating an indirect market for hardware industries in those countries. This was big news in India. Similarly, after Thomas Friedman spent a month in India, he wrote his book, The World is Flat, which became an international bestseller. Such is the power of research. I would suggest that our Indian newspaper agencies encourage research carried out by our young journalists.

News for farmers

After discussions with farmers and specialists in drought affected areas in Vidarbha district recently, I believe there is a need to take an overall view of the cotton farming operation in the region. This should include provision of quality input, training the farmers on improved methods of farming or cultivation, marketing of the produce and action to be taken when there is failure of rain. For preventing severe drought, there is a need to create a large number of water bodies to harvest rain water. In addition, there is a need for local textile industry to work with the farmer and provide them marketing support for their produce without going through the process of middle men. Also, the banking system should reach every village in the Vidarbha district so that the farmers are not exploited by the money lenders.

Journalists, particularly editorial teams, may like to study the problem in detail and suggest methods to help the state government for finding lasting solution.

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