Chennai:
The abduction of Chhatisgarh’s Sukma district collector
Alex Paul Menon by Maoists should not to be ignored as sporadic incident as it
is manifestation of deeply engrained discontentment among the public who remain
without stable employment to earn wages to gain access to basic livelihood,
according to chairman of Sakthi group of companies N Mahalingam.
Delivering Genesis Day Address on ‘Indian Economy on Fast
Track Growth: Challenges and Opportunities’ at function organized by Alumni
Association College of Engineering Guindy here on Thursday, he said Maoism and
naxalism are symptoms of social and economic backwardness and the exploitation
of the backward and tribal people by rich industrialists.
“The government is indifferent and does not stop this
exploitation. It also does not have a long term plan for their development.
This increases their ire towards government and government officers. Unless
government takes more interest in the welfare and economic development of poor
and tribals, it is difficult to wean people away from Maoism and naxalism,”
said Mahalingam, an alumni of the association.
He said the country has 180 million hectares of
cultivable land but only 57.24 million hectares of land have been brought under
irrigated agriculture while 122.73 million hectares of cultivable land remain
starved of irrigation water.
“It has been estimated that with an estimated investment
of Rs 12,5 lakh crore on micro irrigation and another 7.5 lakh crore on
interlinking of rivers could result in another 175 million hectares of land
being brought under irrigated agriculture resulting in produce valued at Rs 99.63
lakh crore could be generated. This could help solve the poverty issue,” he
added.
Mahalingam also said that India has become a monopolistic
oligarchy controlled by a dozen business houses and they should be controlled
as it has been done in United States.
Mahalingam also released a book ‘Memoirs of Octogenarian
Alumni’ Volume II which has personal reminiscence of 105 senior most
distinguished alumni who passed out in the year 1943-53.
Vice-chancellor of Anna University P Mannar Jawahar and
dean of college of engineering Guindy M Sekar were also present on the
occasion.
No comments:
Post a Comment