Editorial Shri Dhananjay Kumar Singh

Editorial

If India is to lead the world, it becomes imperative for it to come at par with developed nations strategically and economically. Fertile mind of our scientists, their laboratories being ultra-modernly equipped with latest gadgets and industrial production with newly-acquired techniques only makes it possible to enhance our strategic capabilities. Indian scientists, doctors, engineers, computer experts etc. have immensely impressed various developed countries like U.S. and U.K. with their astonishing genius. If they had been provided with well-equipped laboratories in India, this unique intelligence of theirs would have helped India become a powerful country. The resources for utilizing their talent can only be generated by economic progress.

Unfortunately, a major portion of our country’s budget is spent on alleviating poverty and on providing two square meal and roof over head in rural and tribal areas. Even this effort gets scuttled as the money meant
for the beneficiaries is pocketed by the senders. No world-level development can be expected without getting rid of this tragic state of affairs. Only way to get rid of this mess is to generate self employment by unrestrained cooperatives. This is the way of self reliance and rural development.

It is not possible for any government to provide employment to large population of youths who are more than 70 percent in rural areas. The government can only provide infrastructure i.e. knowledge, loan or financial assistance from banks, means of communication, transport etc. Generation of self employment is the need of the hour. Those who need employment such as youths, wemen etc. should strive hard for self employment.

No work particularly self-employment can be generated alone. For this, we need some people who have craving, strong will power and co-operative spirit to co-operate with each other. After forming a group of 10 to 20 people and by utilizing local resources, any type of industry or trade can be started. The sectors for industry or trade may include education, medical care, cottage industry, tourism, organic agriculture, dairying, computer based jobs etc. All these activities can run in villages.

In modern surroundings, indigenous agriculture can serve as a tonic to rural economy. This would arrest dwindling fertility of the land and would escalate production. The self-help groups can also undertake animal husbandry, goat keeping, poultry, and fisheries etc. alongwith agriculture. These activities would produce plentiful organic manure and new technique of bio-gas would generate electricity for domestic needs to turn the villages self-reliant once again. The global recession would have no impact over it.

Self-help groups are in fact, free cooperative societies that may not need any sort of registration but collective working or cooperative spirit would continue to be the basis of these self-help groups.