New Delhi: The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, the think-tank of the Centre on policy-making believes that the economic prosperity in Orissa could not be achieved unless the state thinks beyond minerals.
In an exclusive interaction with Orissa POST, NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand said Orissa will continue to suffer if it fails to look beyond its mineral base for economic growth. “For a substantial economic growth, Orissa needs to think beyond its mining and its mineral base as these things cannot check the hurdles of growth in the state alone.”
Chand suggested that substantial agricultural growth in Orissa alone can alleviate the economic condition of the state. “The low agricultural productivity has affected the state at large. It is the negative side of Orissa. Poor farm growth has a direct linkage to the poverty levels of a state. Mining cannot remove poverty in states but agriculture can,” he said.
About 30 per cent of people involved in agriculture suffer the pangs of poverty and the solution is to ensure committed work towards the agriculture sector in the state. “If you increase your farm output it would drastically reduce poverty levels in the state whereas industrial growth does not drastically help remove poverty.”
When asked why the state was ranked 21st among 30 studied states by the NITI Aayog in terms of agriculture marketing and farm-friendly reforms, he said, “It was largely because of the non-notification of the agriculture produce market committee (APMC) Act by the Orissa government.”
“The state has now drafted a legislation in this direction where the World Bank has also helped the state. A key meeting to finalise the same is scheduled this week in Orissa and I hope after the enactment of the legislation, conditions in the state in terms of agriculture marketing could improve largely,” he added.
Ramesh Chand is expected to visit Orissa this month after a final decision on the APMC Act is taken by the state to work in collaboration with the state under the NITI Aayog’s plan to work towards cooperative federalism between states and Centre.
Manish Kumar
Post News Network
