Bengal LF Govt To Further Prioritise Development

Of Agrarian Economy: Buddhadeb

B Prasant

WHILE felicitating the people of Bengal on the occasion of the third anniversary of the sixth Left Front government, state chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, announced at the Writers’ Buildings that for the next two years the LF government would attach special priority to the further development of the state’s agriculture sector.  “The LF government,” the chief minister announced, “has been making substantial progress on the basis of agrarian and rural development and decentralisation achieved over the past two decades.”

The chief minister said that land reforms held the key to the progress achieved by the Left Front government.  Around 70 per cent of the cultivable land belonged to the rural poor and the marginal farmers.  The beneficiaries comprise 94 per cent of the peasants of the state, he assured. Without agrarian development, there could not be much progress made in the industrial sector, was how Buddhadeb put it.

Narrating and identifying the priorities before the LF government, the Bengal chief minister said that much work needed to be done to further enhance the stream of industrial investements being made in the state in the days to come.  The success achieved in the agricultural sector must be consolidated and advanced further. He also emphasised the need to further improve the education and the health sectors.

Noting the not so inconsiderable success chalked up in the realm of alternative cultivation, Buddhadeb clearly mentioned the success attained in the growth of sunflower, mustard, and varieties of wheat.  The chief minister called for more research work on the use and consequences of chemical pesticides.

The CPI(M) Polit Bureau member also explained the success scored in the development of agro-based industries.  Newer possibilities are opened in such areas as animal resources, pisciculture, and sericulture as well as floriculture.  At the same time, such industries as tea, iron-and-steel, jute, engineering, chemicals, plastic, as well as information technology and biotechnology were making good progress.

The Bengal chief minister was sure that much of the economic problems that the state faced could be alleviated and this has been made possible by reduction of surplus expenditure and the imposition of a select number of tax heads.  Mobilisation of resources played a significant role in the entire process.  Discussions are going on with the union government over small savings.  Things, declared Buddhadeb, “shall look further up this year.”

Speaking about industrial investements, the chief minister said that a record figure of Rs 2,500 crore worth of investements was earmarked for the current financial year.  Forty four  mega projects are in place.  While the growth of the GDP stood at 5.45 per cent, that of the state domestic product (SDP) was 7.8 per cent.  Information technology sector has attracted investments from all over India and even from abroad. The chief minister also noted the steps taken by the LF government to further improve work culture.