Address to the Members of Legislative Assembly of Jharkhand

Development of Jharkhand

I am indeed delighted to address the Members of Legislative Assembly of Jharkhand. My greetings to all of you. I was thinking what thoughts I can share with you in this beautiful environment. I thought of discussing with you the subject ?Development of Jharkhand? which is close to your heart.

Emerging India

We got freedom in 1947 and that was the result of first vision for the nation. This vision created best of leaders in many fields like politics, philosophy, judiciary, science & technology and industry. In many aspects of life, improvement in literacy, agricultural products, strategic areas, certain small and large-scale industries took place. Now more than fifty years have gone by and we are called as one of the hundreds of developing countries, in a distinct way a separation from G-8 countries. We have many challenges. Nearly 260 million people who are below the poverty line have to join the mainstream of a good life. 100% literacy, health for all, multiple industrial and agricultural productivity and life style with value system has to emerge. Hence we need the second vision for the nation to become developed.

Economic Growth in different societies

During the last century, the world has undergone a change from agriculture society, where manual labour was the critical factor to an industrial society where the management of technology, capital and labour provided the competitive advantage. Then the information era was born in the last decade, where connectivity and software products are driving the economy. In the 21st century, a new society is emerging where knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour. Efficient utilization of this existing knowledge can create comprehensive wealth of the nation and also improve the quality of life ? in the form of better health, education, infrastructure and other social indicators. Ability to create and maintain the knowledge infrastructure, develop knowledge workers and enhance their productivity through creation, growth and exploitation of new knowledge will be the key factors in deciding the prosperity of this Knowledge Society. Whether a nation has arrived at a stage of knowledge society is judged by the way the country effectively deals with knowledge creation and knowledge deployment in all sectors like IT, Industries, Agriculture, Health Care etc.

Vision 2020: Developed India as a Mission

Our nation is going through a major challenge of uplifting of 260 million people who are below the poverty line. They need habitat, they need food, they need health care, and they need education and employment and finally resulting into a good life. Our GDP is growing at more than 5 to 6 % per annum in an average. Recently, we are witnessing 8 % GDP growth rate for the last quarter. Whereas, the economists suggest that to uplift the people below poverty line, our economy has to grow at the rate of 10% per annum consistently, for over a decade. Then it is possible for India to get developed economically and the billion people will feel the prosperity of the nation. The roadmap involves integrated action on the following five areas:

(1) Agriculture and food processing - we have to place a target of 360 million tonnes of food and agricultural production. Other areas of agriculture and agro food processing would bring prosperity to rural people and speed up economic growth. (2) Reliable and quality electric power for all parts of the country. (3) Education and healthcare - we have seen, based on experience, education and healthcare are inter related. (4) Information communication technology - this is one of our core competencies. We believe this area can be used to promote education in remote areas and also to create national wealth. (5) Strategic sectors - this area, fortunately, witnessed growth in nuclear technology, space technology and defence technology.

These areas have been converted into missions such as: Networking of Rivers, availability of high quality uninterrupted power, Providing Urban amenities in Rural Areas (PURA), Second Green Revolution, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) transforming into knowledge products, Tourism, Power mission, Space mission, Water missions. These specific integrated missions sector-wise will take the country forward on the path to self-sustaining development. These missions will provide the thrust for the realization of developed India in a time bound manner. They will also provide large-scale employment opportunities for the youth through creation of various types of industries and enhancement of the national infrastructure. Many young persons with professional education can become entrepreneurs themselves, thus contributing to economic growth and creation of new avenues of employment. Jharkhand is blessed with natural and human resources; we need to see how it can contribute for the national developmental missions?

Jharkhand Development

Jharkhand region had a cherishable long history of participating in the national movement. It has given the great leaders like Sidhu who accumulated about Ten Thousands Santhals to run parallel govt. against British rule during late 1850?s. During 1856-57, Martyr Sahid Lal, Vishwanath Shahdeo, Sheikh Bhikhari, Ganptrai and Budhu Veer led a movement against the British Government in the Sepoy mutiny followed by the famous Birsa movement. Number of active movements which had emerged from the people of this region, shows how vibrant they are in preserving the fabric of the country as well their urge to be a part of the democratic process of the nation, which has finally resulted into Jharkhand State.

Jharkhand is one of the younger child of the nation. Nurturing this child, grooming this child and transform this child into an enlightened state is in the hands of the members of the legislative assembly. Jharkhand should have a vision to become a developed state and attain the number one status in the country with in a decade. You have a plan of action and taken number of steps, but synergising the efforts in an integrated way and leading the people by providing them a better environment to live and sustain their growth should be the primary mission before the legislature.

Basic Amenities

Jharkhand is having 2% of the total population of India with rich biodiversity, natural resources and human resource. 35% of this population does not have Safe drinking water, Sanitation and Electricity. People below poverty line are about 52%. We need to work for uplifting their economic status. We need to provide them basic amenities and livable habitat. Women literacy rate is about 39%, which should be given more focus. We have to launch a mission to increase the literacy rate. If women are educated, a small family is born.

In agriculture and Forestry

We need to concentrate on establishing the food processing industries, seeds and planting material with the tissue culture in focus. In forestry, a mission mode operation is required to be launched to rehabilitate the degraded forests. Consolidated aforestation and ecological development needs to be given more thrust. Social forestry to be created with bamboo and casuarina trees for preventing depletion of forest area.

Mineral resources

Jharkhand is the number one state in the production of mineral wealth. The present Rs. 3000 crores production needs to be doubled in the next four years. If we look at the crude iron production in the country, we are very low compared to the Asian and European countries. Our steel production is 33 million tones where as China produces approximately 182 million tones. We have enriched with crude iron ore resources, but due to lack of focused attention and concerted effort the natural resources remain untapped. We need to standardize the process, methodology and deliver quality steel products so that we can be competitive in the international market and bring wealth to the nation. Jharkhand in collaboration with Ministry of Steel should come out with a Steel policy and enter into partnership with private industries, public industries and plan for national and international funding for the establishment of industries to produce quality steel products for the world market.

Coalmines

Efforts should be made to open the 108 coalmines, which were in operation before. Jharkhand can explore the private sector participation and energize these units, which will generate employment for large number of miners.

Infrastructure needs to be given focus for providing the road connectivity to the last mile in remote areas with quality roads to sustain the rural economy. We have to electrify the remaining villages in a time bound manner. The present installed power capacity of 2590 Megawatt must be doubled within the next 4 years.

Bio Diversity ? Technology Prosperity Matrix

One of the core competences of India is Bio Diversity. Bio Diversity and technology combined will yield value added products. In biodiversity, few countries like INDIA, CHINA, BRAZIL, INDONESIA, MEXICO, MALAYSIA ETC are very rich. Technology is needed for developing a genetically engineered seed or transforming a molecule extracted from the herb into a drug. Today technology advanced nations are in the field are USA, JAPAN, FRANCE, GERMANY, UK ETC., What is needed is in high productivity in agriculture, biodiversity material and technology integrated. There are some regions in desert nations where biodiversity and tech are poor. Today there is no nation having rich bio-diversity and high technology together. Therefore the challenge is Integration of technological best and abundant biodiversity of Jharkhand State. We need to value add the biodiversity resources and export to developing countries special seeds, medicines and bio-materials, fully protecting patents of these products. Jharkhand must add its own technology for conversion of such resources to value added products for use in domestic requirement and also for export.

Law of development

I was studying the development patterns and the dynamics of connectivity between nations, especially in trade and business. As you all know the world has few developed countries and many developing countries. What is the dynamics between them and what connects them? Developed country has to market their products in a competitive way to different countries to remain as developed country. The developing country to get transformed into developed country; they too have to market their products in other countries in a competitive way. Competitiveness has three dimensions: quality of the product, cost effectiveness and supply in time. Indeed this dynamics of competitiveness in marketing of products by developing and developed countries determines the law of development. We have to see our integrated missions for national development in this light. One of the important missions is PURA.

PURA Concept

The country is poised towards execution of PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) for bridging the rural urban divide and achieving balanced socio-economic development in 4130 rural clusters across the country in the next five years. The northeastern states, other special category states and backward areas, identified by the planning commission would get priority under the scheme.

Economic Connectivity for PURA

Providing Urban facilities in Rural Areas (PURA) consisting of four connectivity?s: physical, electronic, knowledge and there by leading to economic connectivity to enhance the prosperity of clusters of villages in the rural areas. The economic connectivity will generate a market and the production establishments for servicing the market. The PURA has all the dimensions to become a business enterprise, which has global dimensions but operating in every nook and corner of our country. The PURA entrepreneur has to have the skill for evolving a business plan with banks and also create infrastructural support such as educational institutions, health centres and small scale industries, transportation services, tele-education, tele-medicine, e-governance services in the region integrating with the governmental rural development schemes such as road, communication and transport and also with national and global markets to sell the products and services.

PURA Enterprise

The small and medium industry enterprises in India have experience in managing industries of different types in various regions. This sector is widespread in the country and is a promising candidate for taking the leadership and managing the PURA complexes in an integrated way. Also major businesses in India with wide spread rural services have an experience of maintaining large rural-urban networks. PURA enterprises can undertake management of schools, health care units, vocational training centres, chilling plants, silos and building a market, building of local industrial/ICT parks, tourism services, banking system and the regional business or industrial units. A new management style has to emerge for managing such type of PURA enterprises. This new PURA enterprise needs partnership from the bank, educational institutions, Government and the private entrepreneurs. The management system should have the flexibility to be competitive and the country has to experiment several models depending on local needs.

Structural Support for PURA

Leading industrial houses should identify the PURA complexes in the areas in their vicinities and adopt them right now, so that they can be developed in an integrated way. They should create a holistic plan of products and services, skills and entrepreneurship. Determination of products and services should be done on the basis of the core strength of the region and the availability of raw materials and infrastructure as well as comparative advantages. Once the product is determined it will also involve infusion of new technologies for making it attractive for both national and international market and also productivity enhancement. After establishing the process and methods a vocational training package needs to be established for improving the skill sets of the local population. Of course some persons may also be brought from other parts of India as it is necessary to have knowledge-skill sharing to increase growth. This is also the time for developing entrepreneurs with leadership qualities who will then create and nurture the enterprise. The selection of entrepreneurs should be preferably done from the higher educational institutions in the region, but not necessarily limited to as a rule. This will enable creation of the village level industries simultaneously with the establishment of connectivity?s in the region.

PURA Funding

Each PURA depending upon the region will cost between Rs.100-200 crores. After initial short-term employment during construction etc., we may have to plan for initiating actions for providing regular employment opportunities for 3000 employees. If the industrial / ICT parks are marketed well, they can generate employment opportunities in service and support sector for about 10000 people. This is one way of reducing the employment gap leading to upliftment of the 260 million people living below the poverty line and also to provide better jobs for many millions who are technically above poverty line, but poor by many other standards.

In brief, we should generate the business plan for PURA and evolve methodologies for creating a model that would:

? create a data base of core competencies and comparative advantages in the chosen region.

? estimate the cost of implementing PURA

? measures of quantitatively establishing the economic prosperity of people before and after PURA is implemented

? economic returns and self sustainability

? marketing methods for making the PURA self-sustaining and to attract investments

? identify key business persons, public persons and others who can manage PURA successfully and also bring in investments.

I am sure Jharkhand state can facilitate the development of such a business plan that will attract business enterprises towards investing in PURA and make PURA a socially relevant and economically feasible enterprise.

Conclusion

In order to implement these missions and to be a partner to the developmental missions, it is imperative to provide a leadership. All of you are responsible for leading the 20 million people of the state in various aspects such as providing basic amenities, infrastructure development, utilizing the bio-diversity and natural resources and value add resulting in competitive quality products which can be marketed in the international market. You need to provide creative leadership to the state. ?Creative leadership is exercising the vision to change the traditional role from the commander to the coach, manager to mentor, from director to delegator and from one who demands respect to one who facilitates self respect?. With this approach, I am sure you will be able to uplift the economic conditions of the people who are below poverty line and make Jharkhand number one state in the country.

I wish you all success in your missions.