What was in 1986 and what is now?

This article came in the Diary of CPI(M) in 1986


India- The Ardhasasthra of poverty

India completes its 36th independence . During this period, India didn’t achieved what it could. The number of poor, illiterate and the patients increased. The rich become more rich. Wealth is centralized. The production of wealth is not much increased. Distribution of products is unequal. Though we launched satellites and became atomic power, we are rated as poor country. It is not because of population and if so China will not have such a tremendous improvement. It is not because people are reluctant to work , unemployment is also on the higher side.

What are the major reasons ?
Government is promoting the outdated social system, the capitalism and trying to implement it. The capitalist forces of India tried to prevent the awakened farmers and valiant laborers from achieving independence , with the support of feudal lords and foreign forces. Hence, land reforms was not materialized and hence , the farming sector was not properly grown and the wealth was centered among a few feudal lords. It never becomes a capital fund and was spent for the happiness of the rich only . On the other side, dependency on technology, foreign investment and market increased.
INDIAN POVERTY
Year No. of poor( in crores)
1960-61 23.96
1965-66 24.03
1968-69 24.16
1970-71 24.67
1972-73 27.48
1977-78 30.88
1979-80 33.90

FOOD
Minimum requirement ---------------------- 2356 Kilocalorie
1960-61 (average consumption) ----------- 2015 Kilocalorie
1973.74 ( “ “ ) ----------- 1851 “
It indicates that the food availability was decreased.

Category wise food consumption
Sector Rural(1961-62) 1971-72 Urban(1961-62) 1971-72
Low Income
Group 2038 K.calorie 1568 K.calorie 1433 K.calorie 1301 K.calorie
Middle Income
Group 2523 K.calorie 2376 K.calorie 1993 K.calorie 1867 K.calorie
Higher Income
Group 3639 K.calorie 3658 K.calorie 2480 K.calorie 2653 K.calorie

It indicates the increase of consumption by the rich. The indicator was similar for cloth, shelter , health and education.
Use of Cloth
Year Yearly availability (meters )Cotton Artificial thread
21-22 16.7 --
38-39 16.0 --
55-56 14.4 --
60-61 14.8 1.2
70-71 13.6 2.0
75-76 13.9 2.0
80-81 11.0 3.7

80% of citizens live in rural areas . Out of it, only 11% got drinking water and only 8% had own latrines.
Diseases and Drug availability
Drug Demand Production capacity in tons Production in tons
INH(tuberculosis) 450 539 94
PAS (tuberculosis) 1500 1290 559
DDS(leprosy) 555 56 23
Vaccines Demand(Doze in lakhs ) Production (Doze in lakhs)
DPT 400 145
DT 200 120
T 210 70
Polio 60 20

More than 50% of the TB patients world over are Indians. 180 lakhs. India have capacity to produce enough medicine but makes 30% of total need. We have 40 lakhs leprosy patients , making only 4% of medicine that we need. We are making only 40% of the preventive vaccine that we need. We have 180 lakhs of elephantiasis patients and are making only 11% of the required medicine.
Illiteracy

Year Illiterate (crores)
1951 29.8
1961 33.3
1971 38.7
1981 44.6

Is increase of population is the major reason for India’s backwardness? If so , why do China emerges as a developed nation. Why do we on last lap in the under developed countries list?

India – china Comparison

India China
A National Income 1982(dollar in crores) 15076 26.40
Population 1982(in crores) 71.07 100.8
Per capita income 1982( in dollars) 260 310
Income growth rate 1970-82 3.6 5.6
Per capita income growth 1966-82 1.3 5.0
Price rise (%) 1970-82 8.4 Insignificant
B Per capita agri land Hector 0.30 0.13
Agri growth rate 1970-82 1.8 2.8
Per capita food production 1960-82 101 124
Fertilizer kilo/hectare 1981 3.3 15.01
C Industrial growth 1970-82 4.3 8.3
Per capita power consumption (kilo oil) 1981 158 412
Industrial labour among labours(%) 1970-82 13 19
D Literacy(%) 1981 36 70
Primary school entry 1960 61 109
“ 1981 79 118
Highschool entry 1960 20 21
“ 1981 30 44
Per capita food consumption(kilo calorie) 1981 1906 2526
No.of Doctors per 10000 people 1960 2.06 1.19
“ 1982 2.71 5.55
No. of nurses per 10000 people 1960 0.91 0.25
“ 1982 1.85 3.89
Death rate (per 1000) 1960 24 23
“ 1982 13 7
Birth rate per 1000 1960 165 165
“ 1982 94 67
Expected life span(male) 1960 43 41
“ 1982 55 65
Expected life span)female) 1960 42 41
“ 1982 54 69

Poverty and unemployment increased from the date of independence till now( 38 years after independence ). Though there is slight economic growth, that was amassed by the rich. Its reason is nothing but the promotion of capitalism by the Government. In Europe, the feudal set up was totally destroyed, but such a bourgeois revolution not happened in India. Such a move will end only at socialism, hence, the bourgeoisies of India dropped the movement half way. Capitalists aligned with feudal lords and established a Government to serve their interest. A few of them monopolized the industrial sector and are controlling the Government.
Big Industrial Groups and their assets (in Crores)
Family 1951 1963 1972 1982
1 TATA 116 418 642 2431
2 Birla 153 294 589 2005
3 Singhania 37 59 181 620
4 Mafatlal 13 46 184 599
5 Thapar 16 72 136 465
First 5 Industrialists 335 889 1732 8551
6 ACC 22 77 134 738
7 Kirloskar 2 19 87 334
8 Bankur 20 78 125 280
9 ICI - 37 35 378
10 Sarabhai - 43 84 357
11 Reliance - - 50 512

In three decades, the wealth of 5 industrial families multiplied 25 times. Most of the commodities are controlled by these few firms and it depicts the control they have on the market.
Centralisation of Industries

No. of commodities Commodities controlled by 4 major firms
100% control 75% Control
Motor vehicles and related industries 102 96(94%) 101(99%)
Drugs 97 90(93) 96(9)
Pesticides,plastics,chemicals 114 105(92) 113(99)
Alkali and related industries 20 18(900 18(90)
Acid, fertilizers etc 132 110(88) 130(98)
Wood,Cellulose 17 14(82) 15(88)
Tools 65 54(82) 63(98)
Light mechanical engineering 93 74(80) 89(96)
Instruments 19 15(79) 19(100)
Industrial machines 71 54(76) 70(99)
Above mentioned products ,rubber,oil,paint,leather,paper etc included 1170 910(78) 1118(96)

The projected calculation of certain quarters that the public sectors should emerge as competitive sector and we would have a mixed economy that combines capitalism and socialism is a humbug. In 1981, Government share on national income was only 14%, while that of America was 23 and that of Britain was 30%. It itself shows India’s non commitment to PSCs. After independence, we failed to throw away the yoke of British capitalism and now in addition, we opened the door for capitalists of other countries. Green revolution is also having an agenda to tie up both capitalists and the feudal lords . Based on 1971 estimate , more than 2 crores of families don’t have even a single cent of land . Total land mass of 60% of population would come to below 9%. 53% 0f land is with 10% of the population, they are the affluent. Interestingly, this is after the abolition of semindari , rayath vari etc. If the land reforms were implemented ,we should get 630 lakh acres of surplus land to be distributed among the landless. If so 400 lakhs of families would get 1.5 acre land each and that would have lead a big leap to our agriculture production. Industrial production and its market would also developed simultaneously. But Government never took such an initiative and they supported the rural affluent communities only.

Land distribution 1971-72
Property in one’s possession
Acre No.of families
In lakhs Total land in lakh acre Percentage of families Percentage of land in possession
0.00 219 0 27.4 0.0
0.01-0.99 119 62 14.9 1.7
1.00-2.49 144 277 18.0 7.6
2.5-4.99 132 544 16.4 14.9
5.00-7.49 69 487 8.7 13.3
7.50-9.99 34 340 4.3 9.3
10.00-14.99 38 520 4.7 14.2
15.00 and above 45 1427 5.6 39.0
Total 800 3657 100.0 100.0

Indian rulers have not shown any lean towards the poor or to eradicate poverty. They can’t take money from the rich to improve the condition of the poor. Instead they are collecting indirect tax from the poor and utilizing it for functioning of the government. It is very difficult to come out from such a nexus. Unless we complete the bourgeois revolution and free the agricultural sector and make rapid increase in the farm sector , we can’t escape from this bad situation. Only left movement can do this.
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Now, we are in a new era where the socialist countries shed that concept and fast moving towards a democratic , aggressive , semi capitalistic system . we understood that there was no true communist or socialist system sustained any where in the world and still we hope it may happen some where some day. If that dream not remain , how could we to think of a better world, that supports the poor and the down trodden .