It is wise to learn from others’ mistakes. The wise have also learned from their own mistakes and have earned credibility and respect for being elected representatives of their people. Recently, two-term president of the United States, Barack Obama, has in his now familiar style of wise leadership acknowledged that emission of greenhouse gases is the prime cause for climate change. The US, once the number one polluter of the environment has thus indirectly called for a halt to unnecessary industrialization.
Moreover, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democrat hopeful for nomination to be the next president of the United States with all her experience has made a startling revelation. She questioned as to whether industrialization creates more jobs. Besides, the sarcasm of her statement adds more credence that the new reality is that the world industries with its high degree of automation and computerization in fact reduces the number of jobs.
To make the matter more relevant, the Chinese leadership has also decided to reduce industrialization citing the degree of pollution that is affecting the environment and the quality of the air, water and land that is polluted in China. China has decided to deliberately reduce its growth of the GDP citing environmental concerns. The candour of the leaders of the US and China should catch the sagacity of Indian leaders. Hence, all India has to do is learn from the bad experiences of the United States and China and shelve it’s much touted ‘Make in India’ programme as well as the Land Acquisition Bill, which if made into a law will infringe on the lands, especially of the tribals and the farmers.
As Hillary Clinton says, in India we have to see the light and realize that agriculture provides more jobs than automated and computerized industrialized factories. The lifestyles and culture of the tribals and the farmers will disappear with added industrialization. India is basically an agricultural land and our farmers are sturdy and healthy and can remain so if their means of livelihood is ameliorated through rationalization of their welfare.
Instead of consuming precious time on discussing the Land Acquisition Bill, it would be more sagacious for the government to propose setting up of national mega industrial or infrastructure projects and for the parliamentarians to thoroughly debate its implementation taking into consideration the concerns of all the stakeholders.
The land of the tribals should be given more value for what it means to them, than for its acquisition for industrialization or infrastructure projects which will not create more jobs but will only pollute the environment. It is not a shame to retract from an action taken on an impulse and not on thorough introspection and for greater benefits.
