By: Prof. N. Mohendro Singh
There has been a lot of debate on the scale and scope of the government after the onset of liberalization, globalisation and privatization (LPG). This is necessary. No economy of any kind can develop and compete without substained, systematic, simultaneous and scientific support system carefully designed and meticulously tailored to meet the compulsions of changing equations. The importance of an effective government lies in the fact that it represents the collective conscience and thinking of the state. It is the basic responsibility of any government to provide minimum core public goods such as:
1. Physical Connectivity
2. Knowledge Connectivity
3. Technological Connectivity
4. Law and Order
5. Property Rights
It must be kept in mind, perhaps it should be the article of guidance of every step of public intervention that the foundation of democracy is absolutely determined by the quality of life of the people which in turn is the direct outcome of the quality of the governance. Government should not be mere referee, a mere onlooker, a mere frustrated entity, a disillusioned personality and a wild institution. It should be a dominant and capable player, particularly in the fields of collective core public goods and services. What more can we expect from a government when the power department cannot collect taxes for the use of electricity? What more can we expect when the culprits and highwayboys create their own world of freedom where the innocent people are tortured, kidnapped, looted and killed?
The government is armed with coercive power to create, destroy, revamp, rejuvenate and synergies the socio-economic forces in order to create a new world of unique peace and prosperity. This is what the innocent common people of Manipur look forward to. Sitting in a palacial room on a majestic chair with hands crossed and heads confused, the ruler does not rule but relaxes. Played well, the states activities can accelerate development. “Played badly, they will produce stagnation or, in the extreme economic and social disintegration.” Capable government is a vital necessity; not a luxury at all.
What type of socio-economic vision of Manipur can we expect from the government plagued with and reinforced by a vicious circle of captive economy and easy game of deep seated patron-clientelism? The terrible and dehumanizing experiences in the muddy and sleepy 2391 villages without any worthy physical connectivity is a telling testimony to the complete absence of political will and meticulous economic exercises. Both the heads and tails are cought in the crossroads and yield to the fissiparous tendencies unleased by the highwaysboys who take law in their hands and create a wild world of wanton violation and threat.
Deceleration of State Economy:
The most disturbing memento of a stable Government from 2002 till date in Manipur is the deceleration of state economy. The growth rate of Manipur declines from 11.04 percent during 8th plan period to 8.19 percent during 10th plan period.
While the growth rate of secondary sector remains more or less constant, the primary sector witnesses a rise, followed by a sharp decrease in the tertiary sector.
It is not a wonder that only 2.17 percent of the workers belong to the household industries and that the agricultural main workers have increase from 5.44 lakhs in 1991 to 6.14 lakhs in 2001. Read with a high rate of increase of agricultural labourer from 47,350 in 1991 to 1,13,630 in 2001, the heavy pressure on limited cropped area of 2.34 hectares is quite evident. Today the man-land ratio is 1:0:10 has only. The implication is really dangerous unless scientific agricultural practice is adopted to increase the yield rate.
Deceleration of Yield (Kg/Ha) of Paddy:
At the moment the picture of yield is also equally disturbing and dismal. Till today it appears that a stable government in Manipur is unable to arrest the attack of the law of diminishing returns operating in the agricultural sector. We are unable to meet the development challenges on two fronts of agriculture and industry.
There is a sharp deceleration of yield of paddy from 2,415 Kgs/Ha in 2001-02 to 1,970 Kgs/Ha in 2005-06. The percapita availability of rice from our own soil is only 25.95 Kgs in Imphal (E+W) and 7.05 Kgs in Senapati district as against the consumption requirement of 204 kgs. The scramble for quota of food grains under the PDS is a logical conclusion.
The prolonged economic blockade of 150 days on an average a year, has crippled the hope of any initiative and enterprise. In fact the economy gets downhearted. The spirit of competitive enterprise and innovation and the spirit for facing the risk of uncertainty in the economic world are shattered and getting delimited. In fact, the past performance of the stable government in Manipur has delimited the downhearted economy. The economic fatigue we experience today needs a thorough review and rejuvenation in the wake of the India’s Look-East-Policy and the Asian Highway from Singapore to New Delhi.
Source: Kangla Online
1. Physical Connectivity
2. Knowledge Connectivity
3. Technological Connectivity
4. Law and Order
5. Property Rights
It must be kept in mind, perhaps it should be the article of guidance of every step of public intervention that the foundation of democracy is absolutely determined by the quality of life of the people which in turn is the direct outcome of the quality of the governance. Government should not be mere referee, a mere onlooker, a mere frustrated entity, a disillusioned personality and a wild institution. It should be a dominant and capable player, particularly in the fields of collective core public goods and services. What more can we expect from a government when the power department cannot collect taxes for the use of electricity? What more can we expect when the culprits and highwayboys create their own world of freedom where the innocent people are tortured, kidnapped, looted and killed?
The government is armed with coercive power to create, destroy, revamp, rejuvenate and synergies the socio-economic forces in order to create a new world of unique peace and prosperity. This is what the innocent common people of Manipur look forward to. Sitting in a palacial room on a majestic chair with hands crossed and heads confused, the ruler does not rule but relaxes. Played well, the states activities can accelerate development. “Played badly, they will produce stagnation or, in the extreme economic and social disintegration.” Capable government is a vital necessity; not a luxury at all.
What type of socio-economic vision of Manipur can we expect from the government plagued with and reinforced by a vicious circle of captive economy and easy game of deep seated patron-clientelism? The terrible and dehumanizing experiences in the muddy and sleepy 2391 villages without any worthy physical connectivity is a telling testimony to the complete absence of political will and meticulous economic exercises. Both the heads and tails are cought in the crossroads and yield to the fissiparous tendencies unleased by the highwaysboys who take law in their hands and create a wild world of wanton violation and threat.
Deceleration of State Economy:
The most disturbing memento of a stable Government from 2002 till date in Manipur is the deceleration of state economy. The growth rate of Manipur declines from 11.04 percent during 8th plan period to 8.19 percent during 10th plan period.
While the growth rate of secondary sector remains more or less constant, the primary sector witnesses a rise, followed by a sharp decrease in the tertiary sector.
It is not a wonder that only 2.17 percent of the workers belong to the household industries and that the agricultural main workers have increase from 5.44 lakhs in 1991 to 6.14 lakhs in 2001. Read with a high rate of increase of agricultural labourer from 47,350 in 1991 to 1,13,630 in 2001, the heavy pressure on limited cropped area of 2.34 hectares is quite evident. Today the man-land ratio is 1:0:10 has only. The implication is really dangerous unless scientific agricultural practice is adopted to increase the yield rate.
Deceleration of Yield (Kg/Ha) of Paddy:
At the moment the picture of yield is also equally disturbing and dismal. Till today it appears that a stable government in Manipur is unable to arrest the attack of the law of diminishing returns operating in the agricultural sector. We are unable to meet the development challenges on two fronts of agriculture and industry.
There is a sharp deceleration of yield of paddy from 2,415 Kgs/Ha in 2001-02 to 1,970 Kgs/Ha in 2005-06. The percapita availability of rice from our own soil is only 25.95 Kgs in Imphal (E+W) and 7.05 Kgs in Senapati district as against the consumption requirement of 204 kgs. The scramble for quota of food grains under the PDS is a logical conclusion.
The prolonged economic blockade of 150 days on an average a year, has crippled the hope of any initiative and enterprise. In fact the economy gets downhearted. The spirit of competitive enterprise and innovation and the spirit for facing the risk of uncertainty in the economic world are shattered and getting delimited. In fact, the past performance of the stable government in Manipur has delimited the downhearted economy. The economic fatigue we experience today needs a thorough review and rejuvenation in the wake of the India’s Look-East-Policy and the Asian Highway from Singapore to New Delhi.
Source: Kangla Online
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