Emulate Gujarat’s agricultural success – The Economic Times

Gujarat is a drought-prone state, with an irrigation cover of just 36% of gross cropped area. Increased water supply from Sardar Sarovar project, higher investments in check-dams and watersheds (as of June 2007, a total of 2, 97,527 check dams, boribunds and Khet Talavadi (farm ponds) had been constructed by the state in cooperation with NGOs and the private sector), and of course, good rainfall for the past few years has helped propel growth. (via Emulate Gujarat’s agricultural success- Policy-Opinion-The Economic Times).

Indian economic model

There is something interesting in the state of Gujarat. Sometime back there was a status report on finances of all state governments in India. The difference between Gujarat and the Rest of India was stark and telling. Very impressive.

While we have Westernized ‘experts’ saying that Indian agriculture is a dead end - and promoting a line of ‘there is no option apart from mega projects’, we have here in Gujarat the real solution to agriculture and water management. The Gujarat solution, which has been India’s way of managing water. Effectively, at a low cost, under the control of the people who use it and need it. Indian agriculture has a bright future – these ‘experts’ notwithstanding.

Which makes me think.

With Chief Minster’s like Yeddyurappa in the South and Narendra Modi fom the West, what BJP needs is two more Chief Ministers. One for the North and one for the East. To break the logjam at the national level. The last two electoral defeats at the national levels has seen BJP in disarray.

But at the state level it is a different story. More power to such Chief Ministers.