By: N.R. Mohanty
Water Management
In order to directly address the issues of poverty and social conflict, the state has to take up the task of providing irrigation facilities. In a number of villages, both rich and poor speak in a single voice and echo a single demand – ‘just give us the canal water’. Irrigation clearly holds the key to economic prosperity of the Bihar villages.
In some parts of south Bihar (now Jharkhand), where agriculture is a profitable venture, thanks to the Sone Canal irrigation, one can see prosperity and absence of social tension. The landowners get a reasonably good return, and the landless get the opportunity to work on decent wages round the year. In the absence of an exploitative relationship, there are not many recruits for rebellion.
Bihar is a classic state where scarcity of water is a major problem in some areas, but excess water is a bigger problem in several other areas. Large parts of northern Bihar are ravaged by floods every year. Many of these areas remain waterlogged for more than six months a year, so cultivation of any crops is not possible. That explains the large exodus of people from the area to other places in search of livelihood. The successive state governments have only engaged in relief measures in the aftermath of the floods that cause havoc, but no preventive measures have been put in place for the optimal utilization of the flood water to benefit the state and its people. If both the problems of excess and scarce water are tackled on a priority basis, that will pave the way for prosperity in Bihar’s countryside and its peace spin-off will be immense.
Two other measures would launch a frontal attack on the poverty- conflict cycle in rural Bihar: a) strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions, and b) promoting agro-based industries.
Strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions
The Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) were supposed to provide the platform for the villagers to be active participants in the process of decision-making and implementation of the welfare schemes, but the Bihar government did not allow the elections to be conducted (even though there was a constitutional mandate to hold them within a year of the enactment of the 84 Amendment to the Constitution, and most other states stuck to the time-frame) on some pretext or the other, until the Patna High Court came down heavily on it. At the behest of the High Court, the elections were held. But many of the newly elected Mukhiyas were local criminals who managed to win the battle of ballot through money and muscle power. Many of those who had a genuine democratic mandate were killed by the criminal gangs. It is noteworthy that more than a thousand elected Mukhiyas have been killed since the 2001 panchayat polls.
In the absence of any authority to ensure financial accountability, (a Mukhiya gets to spend about Rs. 15 lakh a year), PR representatives siphon off the money. In several villages, the Scheduled Caste and extreme backward caste groups state that the Mukhiya had not even visited their tola, let alone undertake any development measures. In no village, has a proper Gram Sabha been held.
PRIs have enormous potential to bring about social equity, provided communications are maintained. Only if villagers get to know how much money has come to the panchayat kitty and for what projects, can they hold the Mukhiya accountable. Then the poverty alleviation programmes can play a role in the upliftment of the poor. And if that happens, then armed gangs on both sides of the divide, the biggest cause of social strife in villages, would be rendered redundant.
Promoting Agro-Based Industries
Another imperative for creating prosperity in the countryside is to re-establish agro-based industries, which had flourished in the state in the past, but have since ceased to exist. After independence, a host of government-owned sugar factories had opened which provided impetus for sugarcane cultivation. Being a cash crop, the returns on sugarcane production are high. Now that the government-owned sugar factories are closed, due to reasons of mismanagement, farmers are being deprived of this great avenue to enrich themselves legitimately. A big farmer of the Dumrao village, on the borders of Gopalganj and Champaran districts, says that he is lucky as a private sugar mill is located in the vicinity. He has deployed most of his land for sugarcane cultivation and is earning close to Rs. 10 lakh a year. “I can tell you that had there not been this sugar mill, I would not have been able to earn even one lakh rupees out of my land.” Hundreds of landless labourers in Dumrao village are also benefiting from getting work round the year.
That is the difference that the state can make in the life of farmers if it encourages the setting up of agro-based industries in the state.
