Growth needs rapid industry with the poor on board: PM

NEW DELHI, MARCH 8 : Pointing out that ‘‘this year the growth rate will probably exceed nine per cent,’’ Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for an “inclusive growth process” involving ‘‘aggressive industrialisation” while “increasing agricultural productivity”.

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address in Lok Sabha, Singh made a passionate plea for a shift from agriculture to industrialisation.

“We have to recognise that in a country like ours where the average size of landholding is small, there are limitations to what you can do to improve agricultural productivity. The long-term solution to that problem has to be to take people away from agriculture, to manufacturing, to services and other non-agricultural pursuits.”

In an apparent reference to the row over Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Singh said: “Whether a particular process of industrialisation is leading to loss of availability of land at a pace which has undesired consequences — those concerns have to be taken on board. But I do sincerely believe that my friend (West Bengal CM) Buddhadeb Bhattacharya is right when he says that the time has come in this country to work steadfastly to rapidly industrialise its economy.”

“If we need to industrialise, we need to encourage industries which will be labour-intensive. If certain incentives have to be given, I think, those have to be given. We must recognise that today skilled labour as well as capital are internationally fully mobile. Therefore, our system of incentive has to be competitive enough to attract more capital, both domestic and foreign.”

Defending the SEZ policy, he said: “But this does not mean that everything that is being done is sacrosanct. (External Affairs Minister) Pranab Mukherjee is heading a GoM to review the approach to SEZ to find out if there are any pitfalls in the present policy framework. It will be our intention to redress whatever genuine grievances there may be. If we have made a particular mistake in enacting the particular Act, we do not stand on any formality, we will make necessary corrections.”

But, he said, “the SEZ controversy has given rise to the much due, longer-term debate with regard to the problems of rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced families from the areas which are taken over for public purposes. I do recognise there is need for a more humane approach, which takes into account all those who suffer as a consequence of land having been taken away from them, and it will be our effort to come up with a more humane rehabilitation and resettlement policy taking into account their needs.”

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