Readers' Views: Alleviating Agriculture

HindustanTimes.com readers give their views on how to alleviate Bihar's agriculture.

HindustanTimes.com readers give their views on how to alleviate Bihar's agriculture.

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Bihar needs to improve its rural infrastructure, particularly roads and electricity. Biharis are hard workers, they can sustain themselves and can progress if the right kind of infrastructure is provide.

- Shashank (shashankdeep@hotmail.com), Ann Arbor, USA

The greatest liability is Bihar's caste and its value system. Most of the population is unproductive. The upper class cannot touch plough and other such equipment used in agriculture.

Brahmins in my village, including all members of my family, would die rather than touch these equipments. Most of these people are totally uneducated. Only source of food is shradh (death ceremony) etc.

There is a need of changing value system where working to feed yourself is reaching to god or something like that.

- Sahay, Canada

The task of improving the agricultural sector should be given to some non-government agency. The funds allocated for the purpose should be handed over to such an organisation which in turn will have to achieve certain predefined targets.

- Rahul, Mumbai

A study should be conducted on what factors make the agriculture stagnant in Bihar. This will help in understanding the problems of Bihari farmers. One can include factors as land disputes, water scarcity, lack of electricity, absence of mechanisation of agriculture, corrupt middlemen who buy agricultural produce for cheap and sell for more, lack of transportation from rural areas of Bihar etc.

- RamPalagummi (murthypn@yahoo.com), Jersey City, USA

Agriculture should be reformed. The capitalistic land reforms, as implemented in West Bengal, can improve agriculture in the short run. Such reforms will hit the marginal farmers in the long run. Thus, collective land reforms are needed.

- Dipak Basu (Bose66@hotmail.com), Nagasaki, Japan

The Govt should focus on:

1) Land reforms

2) Flood Controls

3) Better infrastructure (roads, power, water)

4) Use of modern technology in agriculture

5) Improve distribution and storage

The people of Bihar must think about the state and come forward to for its improvement.

- P Nag (pjnaag@eth.net), Chennai

The prevailing violence in Bihar is the main reason for the backwardness of the state. The 60% of the cultivated land belongs to the 300 landlord family of the state. Samantwad and Zamindari are still prevalent and in some cases they have their own coat and their own law.

Laloo Yadav and Mayawati or Mulayam singh are leader who have fought for the sake of the downtrodden. Laloo may look stupid but for the villages and remote areas he is a living legend. For the first time a downtrodden is also taking part in the administration.

Another point is the class division of the society. The class is ruled by the Brahmins and Rajputs.It is noticable that in free india the PM has been a brahmin for nearly 50 years where the population is barely 5% of the whole. The exploitation and Centre's neglect has made the massses more violent or otherwise a bihari is very intellegent and holds in administrative post as well in technologies.

It has been land of Asokas and Budhas. Nalanda was the centre of education. The Chanakya was the product of Bihar. Bihar has lost its glory only because of its rulers or zamindars.BJP finally divide bihar for its narrow political gain. That was the last nail in coffin. The division has taken away all the hope but still life goes, perhaps time alone can return the glory of the once great Bihar.

- Anjum (sdanj2003@yahoo.com), Kuwait

We have to awake those youngsters who fall an easy prey to the caste ridden outfits. Let them get educated and realise that adopting a short-cut path with the aid of these dangerous outfits leads to nothing but overall deterioration of Bihar in particular and India in general.

- Bijay Prakash (bijayprakash2000@yahoo.com), Karaikal, India