Water- renewable resource

Serious concerns are expressed on looming water shortages for domestic, agricultural, industrial and other uses as well as “over exploitation of sources of ground water”. These concerns seem to be unwarranted.

Water is a renewable resource. There are news items about a number of places,provinces and countries receivig highest raifall this year, witnessing wettest August, or September etc. The gound water automatically gets recharged as it rains and there is no problem in exploiting ground water. There is no question of excessive exploitation as once th water dries under ground there can be no exploitation. Moreover,the dangers of flood will be minimised when there are more open and borewells and lakes as the recharge of ground water and lakes will take much of rain water leaving lesser water to flow into the rivers.

Food security requires higher foodgrain prices

There was a time when India had acute shortage of sugar. Then the government increased the procurement price of sugarcane and continues to increase the procurement price periodically. This has led to India becoming not only self sufficiet but also surplus in sugar.Not only this, sugarcane is one of the only 2 or 3 crops in which India’s yield is higher than world and Asian average yield.

If countries which are deficit in cereals increase procurement prices substantially,the farmers will find ways to increase the yield and production. These countries should also impose import duties on cereals to such an extent that the local produce becomes cheaper. The deficit in food grains can easily be wiped out in most of the deficit countries.

The question will arise as to how poor people who are malnourished for want of money to buy food gains shall buy at higher prices. The people do not have buying power because they do not have enough work. The govenments there should undertake massive works like digging lakes, canals, wells,laying roads, railway lines, power transmitters and lines solar power stations, hydro-electric power stations etc. Most of the west and east African countries receive over 1000 mm rainfall every year and hence increasing food grain production may not be a big problem at all.

Profits, salaries,wages,prices,money,physical strength

There seems to be wrong notions about wages, prices, investment, development and related issues among the people,political parties, intelligentsia etc.

Some of the wrong/irrational notions are:

i. that if profit is substantial companies’ management can enhance the salaries of top executives exorbitantly rather than think of reducing the prices of products/services in the coming years.( The government should consider imposing a limit on salaries/perquisites of top executives as in the past)

ii. that if there is profit, the companies should share it with employees by giving bonus to them rather than reduce the prices in the coming years or invest the money to produce and employ more

iii.that there should be universal which means additional employment but there should not be inflation

iv.that procurement prices of cereals,milk, eggs etc.should be increased but consumer prices should remain unchanged.

v.that wages of agricultural labourers should keep increasing but prices of vegetables and fruits should not go up

vi.that workers should not be asked to improve productivity but prices of manufactured goods should come down

vii.that wages of workers,drivers,cleaners, engineers,mechanics, office staff etc. should be increased periodically but the train and bus fares, electricity charges,cleaning charges, etc should not be increased

viii.that charges for any service should not be increased but the quality of service should be enhanced.

ix. that people should have more entertainment, comforts, luxuries etc. but need not put in additional labour.
(People do not think that while money not spent on any occasion can be saved and spent on other occasions but physical strength can not be saved for using on some other occasion. It is therefore necessary that one should work as long as possible when the opportunity comes.)

religious,social leaders,writers etc. talk of virtues of people with money giving charity to poor people,but nobody talks of people who are physically strong and healthy, helping physically weak people.

people talk of short duration of prosperity but they do not talk of shorter duration of physical strength.

money not spent can be invested for development, for creating jobs etc. while physical strength not used, for doing work cannot be put to any other use.

Sugarcane

Extract from “Simple alternative development strategy” published in 1997

“India is the largest producer of sugarcane,amounting to 240 million MT which is about 22% of the world total. Under sugarcane, India had 3.720 million ha or 21% of the total area of 17.972 million ha in the world. The average yield in India was 65 MT/ha against Asian average of 62 MT and world average of 61 MT.India’s yield is higher than the Asian and world average because the entire sugarcane fields are irrigated.Though higher than the Asian and world averages, India’s yield was still lower than that of Egypt’s 95 MT),Ethiopia (106 MT), Kenya (118 MT), Malawi (108 MT), Senegal (10 MT),Swaziland (98 MT),Tanzania(109 MT),Guatemla (80 MT),USA (78 MT), Peru 9113mt),China (69 M), Indonesia (87 MT),Philippies (82 MT) etc.”

The figures relate ofthe year 1991

Need for Deputy Prime Minister of India

The Prime Minister of India needs an effective Deputy Prime Minister without any portfolio:

1.as the PM does not seem to have time to supervise the work of other Ministers and the recent events show that there is need for such supervision

2 to take purely temporary charge of any portfolio when it becomes absolutely necessary

3.to review the work of the Ministers periodically

4. to ensure achievement of targets set by the Prime Minister and the cabinet

5.to clear routine and administrative matters which at present need the approval of the Prime Minister like appointments of senior officials, foreign tours of Ministers, important political clearances etc.

6.to routinely coordinate the work of the Ministries where required and to supervise the work of the Cabinet Secretariat

7.to finalize work plan for various ministries in consultation with concerned ministries for approval of the Prime Minister/Cabinet

8.to keep in constant contact with the State Governments on political,economic and social matters