The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Conference calls for measures to ensure self-sufficiency

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Monday, May 19, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Conference calls for measures to ensure self-sufficiency

Staff Reporter

Anaimalai: The 13th Sarvodaya State Conference of the Tamil Nadu Sarvodaya Mandal on Sunday urged the Central and State Governments to implement measures that would ensure self-sufficiency and self-reliance at the micro level.

The resolution adopted by the conference pointed out that inflation and sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities were a fallout of the failure to adopt Gandhian economic modules. At micro level, the government should ensure self-reliance and self-sufficiency. With village and cottage industries becoming a history and lack of employment in the wake of agricultural backwardness resulting in migration of the rural population to urban areas, the resolution called for active measures to ensure employment for the rural population.

Another resolution called for devolution of all the 29 powers mentioned in the 11th schedule to the panchayats to make the village panchayats powerful, active and self-reliant. This would transform the dream of Mahatma Gandhi of ensuring Gram Swaraj. Such a measure would help immensely in cleaning up the political and electoral systems.

Total prohibition

One of the resolutions urged the government to ensure enforcement of total prohibition, as liquor addiction was ruining the prospects of a number of families, especially the youth.

The village and rural-based economy remains totally shaken as a fallout of the unabated Foreign Direct Investments in the name of liberalisation and globalisation. If no corrective measures were taken, the country would have to undergo another colonial rule and India should relieve itself from the clutches of bodies such as World Trade Organisation (WTO), he said.

With the United Progressive Alliance Government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh completing four years in office, a resolution lamented that the Centre had not paid the assured due attention towards revival of village and khadi industries in the form of infusing adequate budgetary allocations to revive the crucial rural economy.

The last resolution of the conference expressed concern at the increasing attraction towards imported goods, especially among the youth. Even for basic and day-to-day needs, the population was keen on using branded products with overseas labels. It was for the government to bring in measures to check such a trend to ensure the survival of Swadeshi industries.

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