Correspondent, Anand (Gujarat)

Saying that the rural and agricultural economy in India were passing through a phase of ‘many crises’, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today held the ‘non-reaching’ of the voice of rural India by Delhi since long and poor water management along with its scarcity as the prime reasons for this and stressed for the need to formulate and execute an intense pro agriculture and pro rural policy to change the scenario.

Delivering his speech as chief guest on the occasion of the 35 th convocation ceremony of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) here during which he, in presence of NDDB cum IRMA chairman T Nand Kumar and Director Ms Jeemol Unni handed over Diploma to 174 graduating students, Mr Gadkari said the voice of rural India which is ‘Bharat’ do not properly reach Delhi which in Sharad Joshi’s word represents ‘India’. It seems that the bureaucrats, politicians and media there don’t really understand the problems faced by villages. We have bought aeroplanes spending 70000 crores but have lagged in making rural roads despite the definitive studies projecting a contribution of additional Rs 1 lakh 5 thousand crore to the GDP if all the villages get connected with the rural road network. Owing to lack of vision the farmers were suffering. Cotton was cheap but clothes costly, Vegetables and fruits cheaper but processed products like sauce and juices costly. The utensil cleaning ash in Mumbai is being sold at Rs 18 a kilo while wheat was sold by a farmer at Rs 14.

‘The contribution to the GDP of the Agriculture sector was only between 8 to 14% while that of manufacturing sector was 22 to 24 % and for the service sector was 52 to 54% . If we have to take the nation ahead we will have to re-construct the agri and rural sector with a vision. We need to understand the rural issues and form policies accordingly.

‘The rural agricultural economy in the country was passing through many crises. Despite 65% population living in villages they lacked basic amenities like proper schools and hospitals. It seems that the voice of these villages don’t reach Delhi. The Bureaucrats and Politicians sitting in Delhi seem unaware of the real problems of rural India,’ the minister said.

He said that the biggest challenge before agriculture sector was water scarcity especially in the 11 states including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnatka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and parts of U P. The minister, however praised the work done in Gujarat in this regard including the construction of around 5 lakh check dams during the regime of the then CM Narendra Modi and the Narmada canal network and advised the other states to follow suit with better water management and use of modern technologies and researches like drip irrigation at large scale to change the picture of the rural India.

He said that to stop the wastage of rain water and its flowing to sea (almost 70% of the total rain fall) was a major challenge for which a district wise geological survey should also be taken up to study the underground layer at which the rain water could be preserved. Mr Gadkari also said that the union government was working on the sagarmala project to convert the 111 rivers across the country in to water ways which would bring down the transportation costs in the country drastically.

Mr. Gadkari also said that two of the rapidly changing things ‘climate and technology’ should be used for mutual benefit. Fast changing technology should be used to stop the change of climate.

He said that he comes form an area (Vidarabh of Maharashtra) where a large number of farmers have committed suicide. He want to take help of institutes like IRMA to change the scene of rural sector in his home area as well. He said that studies have shown that the rural economy can take a big jump with increase of rural road connectivity. The use of solar energy and other modern technologies in rural areas should also be increased.

During his over 45 minute long convocation address the minister also advised the graduating students not to depend on government assistance solely for success of any rural project.

‘Despite being a part of the government. I am saying that abstain from taking help form government and bureaucrats as much as possible. They cause more hindrance than help. They know how to close a running business better than coming to its aid. We should make it at our own. By my own experience of getting 4000 crore of people’s money for a government project as the then Maharashtra minister, I can say that money or fund is never a problem for any project,’ Mr Gadkari quipped.

Mr. Gadkari said that Modi government has made huge allocations for the agriculture and rural sector in the last budget. We need to start more and more agri based industries also to improve the purchasing power of the farmers which once increased would turn villages in to a desired livable places with many high quality civic amenities automatically starting in the rural areas.

He also spoke about the steps being taken by the Modi government to set up a port in Iran and to overcome the fertilizers scarcity problem in India by planning to produce it there and bringing through short sea route to Kandla in Gujarat.

Mr Nand Kumar on the occasion suggested the graduating students to not to run behind the higher CTC but look for more satisfying career by working hard and become a positive change agent for the rural economy. Ms Unni in her address elaborated the works of her institute.

Mr Shreshta Kukereja who topped the 35 th batch of the total 195 students (23 given diploma in absentia) of the Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management was handed over Vasanti Memorial Gold Medal for his achievement. The two diploma holders of Fellow Program in Rural Management were also handed over diploma by the minister.

– DeshGujarat