Dec 29, 2010
Critics dismissed the claim, Bihari Diaspora looked up with nostalgic pride and a large section of Bihar population kept wondering; but the conventional school of economics had just got a new case study. And the eminent economist Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar was only stating the obvious. The state of Bihar, known for poor perception, projection and performance had managed to achieve a growth rate of 11 per cent at a time when the national GDP had nosedived to 6 per cent and many developed countries hovering around 2.5 per cent.
Everybody had their own reasons to react-the critics who were always apprehensive with the competitive edge of the talent pool were just comfortable with the denial theory. The Bihari Diaspora who has by and large seen the worst side of reverse racism in metro cities and has preferred silence in exchange of a decent living had suddenly found that their time had come. The large part of the Bihar, however, kept wondering that if Bihar has actually made history then where have the fruits of development gone?
The turnaround of the fortune of Bihar will be discussed and debated at various level- economic, social and political. However, the fact stands that this turnaround has been made possible without any economic package by the centre, without any big-ticket investment, and despite coping with the legacy of state being at the rock bottom of governance, all human development indicators and nature’s fury with flood. All this is a clear indicator of the resilience of the state.
No wonder, in a fragmented polity where anti-incumbency is the only indicator to judge the governance; the voters of Bihar gave the unquestioned mandate to its turnaround man in recently held Assembly elections. The real challenge for the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar starts now with the burden of expectations on governance and much more. The moot point now is that what is the road map ahead and whether Bihar can sustain its resurgence as the state with highest GDP.
The fact of the matter, however, is that much water has flown in the Ganges in the last five years and there is visible change in the perception and projection about the state. Already the economists have started discussing whether the new economic wave in India will be heralded through Green Revolution in Eastern India in general and Bihar in particular. After all, the migration rate of Bihar at this moment is the lowest in the last three decades and that is clear reflection of Bihar emerging as the food basket of the country.
Waiting for a young prosperous landlord at his place in Gurgaon of Haryana, I was pleasantly surprised to see him coming straight from his farm land in swanky car but hands all soiled. He was cutting a sorry figure for working himself in the harvesting since the third generation landlord was all clueless as to where have all the labours gone? After all, he had seen Bihari migrant labours since childhood, and never even dreamt of working himself in the field.
But it not just the migration check that makes me optimistic with the resurgence of Bihar. I recently met a well settled business man of Nepal, who was sulking as to how the improved law & order in Bihar has fled all the criminal elements into the Himalayan state. Unable to cope up with the emerging extortion demands over there, he is looking to shift base to Delhi. These are the case studies that suggest what is paving the way for investment in Bihar. What Bihar needs now is one big ticket investment and that will set the ball rolling. It will not just add to the employment opportunity in the state, but also be a trend setter for more investments, big and small.
Already there seems to be intent by the Bihari Diaspora to get back to its roots. When a well settled friend from Saudi called me up to inform that he has immediate plans to wrap up the flourishing business in the Gulf, I felt as if it is a routine story of the Indian Diaspora. After all, behind all the swanky living of the Indians across the world is a stark reality of accepting second class citizenship in exchange. But what surprised me is the fact that his future plans are to settle business in the home state of Bihar.
Already there are very many professionals who have, of late, opted for working at the grass roots in the state, instead of a cushioned job in the metro cities. There is no doubt a sea change in the perception, projection and performance of the state. Critics and pessimists among us may argue that Bihar’s resurgence and astonishing growth rate has been by default, but by all indicators its continuance and the roads ahead are going to be a case study for the academic and governance purposes. The Bihar’s reach to the pinnacle of glory will definitely be by design than default.
Everybody had their own reasons to react-the critics who were always apprehensive with the competitive edge of the talent pool were just comfortable with the denial theory. The Bihari Diaspora who has by and large seen the worst side of reverse racism in metro cities and has preferred silence in exchange of a decent living had suddenly found that their time had come. The large part of the Bihar, however, kept wondering that if Bihar has actually made history then where have the fruits of development gone?
The turnaround of the fortune of Bihar will be discussed and debated at various level- economic, social and political. However, the fact stands that this turnaround has been made possible without any economic package by the centre, without any big-ticket investment, and despite coping with the legacy of state being at the rock bottom of governance, all human development indicators and nature’s fury with flood. All this is a clear indicator of the resilience of the state.
No wonder, in a fragmented polity where anti-incumbency is the only indicator to judge the governance; the voters of Bihar gave the unquestioned mandate to its turnaround man in recently held Assembly elections. The real challenge for the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar starts now with the burden of expectations on governance and much more. The moot point now is that what is the road map ahead and whether Bihar can sustain its resurgence as the state with highest GDP.
The fact of the matter, however, is that much water has flown in the Ganges in the last five years and there is visible change in the perception and projection about the state. Already the economists have started discussing whether the new economic wave in India will be heralded through Green Revolution in Eastern India in general and Bihar in particular. After all, the migration rate of Bihar at this moment is the lowest in the last three decades and that is clear reflection of Bihar emerging as the food basket of the country.
Waiting for a young prosperous landlord at his place in Gurgaon of Haryana, I was pleasantly surprised to see him coming straight from his farm land in swanky car but hands all soiled. He was cutting a sorry figure for working himself in the harvesting since the third generation landlord was all clueless as to where have all the labours gone? After all, he had seen Bihari migrant labours since childhood, and never even dreamt of working himself in the field.
But it not just the migration check that makes me optimistic with the resurgence of Bihar. I recently met a well settled business man of Nepal, who was sulking as to how the improved law & order in Bihar has fled all the criminal elements into the Himalayan state. Unable to cope up with the emerging extortion demands over there, he is looking to shift base to Delhi. These are the case studies that suggest what is paving the way for investment in Bihar. What Bihar needs now is one big ticket investment and that will set the ball rolling. It will not just add to the employment opportunity in the state, but also be a trend setter for more investments, big and small.
Already there seems to be intent by the Bihari Diaspora to get back to its roots. When a well settled friend from Saudi called me up to inform that he has immediate plans to wrap up the flourishing business in the Gulf, I felt as if it is a routine story of the Indian Diaspora. After all, behind all the swanky living of the Indians across the world is a stark reality of accepting second class citizenship in exchange. But what surprised me is the fact that his future plans are to settle business in the home state of Bihar.
Already there are very many professionals who have, of late, opted for working at the grass roots in the state, instead of a cushioned job in the metro cities. There is no doubt a sea change in the perception, projection and performance of the state. Critics and pessimists among us may argue that Bihar’s resurgence and astonishing growth rate has been by default, but by all indicators its continuance and the roads ahead are going to be a case study for the academic and governance purposes. The Bihar’s reach to the pinnacle of glory will definitely be by design than default.
0 comments:
Post a Comment