कभी पूण्य भूमि उत्तर प्रदेश मैं जन्म लेना सौभाग्य था. आज भगवान राम की धरती पर जन्म लेने की सजा जीवनोप्रांत आधी आय , छोटा जीवन , बिना बिजली के गाँव , गंदे शहर और बेरोज़गारी है . आज उत्तर प्रदेश की सोलह प्रतिशत जनता देश की आय का मात्र आठ प्रतिशत ही देती है. जगत गुरु काशी की नगरी वाला प्रदेश आज शिक्षा तक मैं पिछड़ गया है . बढती आबादी इसका एक मात्र कारण नहीं है . सन १९०० से १९७० तक उत्तर प्रदेश की आबादी देश से कम बढती थी पर प्रदेश फिर भी आज़ादी के बाद पिछड़ता गया. आज देश के औद्योगिक उत्पादन का मात्र पांच प्रतिशत ही उत्तर प्रदेश से है . कृषि मैं भी उत्तर प्रदेश पंजाब व् हरयाना से कम उपज करता है. विदेशी पैसे का मात्र एक प्रतिशत खर्च उत्तर प्रदेश मैं होता है जबकि ओडिस्सा मैं २.५ % व् महाराष्ट्र मैं १७% होता है.स्वतंत्रता के समय देश के उन्नीस विश्व विद्यालयों मैं से पांच उत्तर प्रदेश मैं थे . इसके अलावा रूडकी का विख्यात इंजीनियरिंग कॉलेज था . उत्तर प्रदेश उच्च शिक्षा वास्तव मैं उत्तम प्रदेश था . अब क्या हो गया ?आज के लोग भी तो उन्हीं के वंशज हैं . कानपूर देश का पांचवा सबसे बड़ा व् औद्योगिक शहर था इसके अलावा अलीगढ , मेरठ , मुरादाबाद . अब उत्तर प्रदेश उद्योगों मैं कहाँ है ?
इस पतन का जिम्मेवार कौन है
निश्चय ही इसकी प्रथम जिम्मेवारी प्रदेश के उच्च अफसरों की है . देश को अनेकों प्रधान मंत्री देने की उत्तर प्रदेश ने बड़ी कीमत चुकाई है क्योंकि वह जान कर भी अनजान बने रहे .उसके बाद जातिवादी सरकारों के मुखिययों की है . पर फूलन देवी को चुनने वाली जनता भी इसकी सबसे बड़ी जिम्मेवार है . जनता आदर्श हीन , आलसी व् सिर्फ फालतू की राजनीती करती रहती है . दक्षिण मैं लोग काम के समय काम करते है . हम काम मैं भी घटिया राजनीती करते हैं . इसलिए कोई उद्योगपति उत्तर प्रदेश मैं पूँजी नहीं लगाता .
अब स्थिति इतनी बिगड़ चुकी है की कोई बंसी लाल या मोदी या थैचर ही इसे सुधार सकती है .
शायद योगी आदित्यनाथ या वरुण गाँधी उत्तर प्रदेश के बंसी लाल बन सकते हैं
युवा अखिलेश बूढ़े खूसटों के जाल से अब नहीं निकल सकते .
शायद वरुण गाँधी ही उत्तर प्रदेश के बंसी लाल बन सकते हैं .
The Decline And Fall of Uttar Pradesh : The Guilty Men Lucknow and Delhi : The Way Out
R.K.Upadhyay
Once upon a time, long back , being born in Haridwar , Prayag , Ayodhya, Nemishwaram Dham, Chitrkoot and Mathura was a privilege.
Today, the heavy price of being born in the holy land of lord Ram and Krishna,Shiva’s Kashi, Prayag’s Sangam , Akbar’s Fatehpur Sikri and Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal, is living in half the annual income of the rest of India ( Rs 26000 vs 55000 in 2011), an average life of 65.6 years against 68.9 yrs in India and 76 years in Kerala , greater probability of dying before one year of age( 63 /1000 vs 45 Indian Average) , in dirtier cities with worse roads and hospitals, poorer education and job prospects, villages without electricity and much greater threat to life and property as compared to the rest of the India. 16% of the Indian population living in Uttar Pradesh today contributes only eight to nine percent of the national income .
Yet the same Uttar Pradesh was better than most of the states of India at the time of independence .
Five out of the nineteen universities in the country were in UP. In addition famous engineering college of Roorkee was in UP. Allahbad University’s high standard of education , the refined Tahjeeb of Lucknow and its craftsmanship , the scholars and artists of Kashi were the proud identity of India only seventy years back.It was the land of Jhansi ki Rani , Chandra Shekhar Azad, home of Nehru and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and Bismillah Khan. It was the heart of freedom struggle .Uttar Pradesh from time immemorial has been the cradle of Indian civilization and culture and grannary of the country . Kanpur was the fifth largest industrial city. We had famous local industry of locks in Aligarh , brassware in Moradabad , glass ware in Firozabad and many more . Where is UP in industrialization today ?
What a fall my dear Uttar Pradesh !
But who destroyed the Uttar Pradesh ?
Why has the hard won freedom pushed the people of Uttar Pradesh to this cursed life of living in penury ?
Unfortunately the public has never asked this question to its rulers and on their own they were never inclined or bothered to find out .
But time has come not only to ask these questions but also to get out of this ignomy as nineteen crore people of Uttar Pradesh cannot be held prisoner to the shackles of poverty for ever. The rulers who cannot deliver progress must be kicked out .
The story of this decline began in 1950 when India opted for the planned growth .
Uttar Pradesh was a leading state because of its good agriculture due to fertile land and British made Ganga canal system . But it did not have industrial raw materials like Coal , iron ore , Bauxite etc .nor it had proximity to ports. But it had a relatively better rail network and reasonable rainfall .
Even in 1950 Maharashtra with its industries was ahead of Uttar Pradesh with about 35 percent higher per capita income. But Uttar Pradesh was generally equal to other major states inspite of its higher population .
It was the trauma of partition , flood of refugees and losing three rivers to Pakistan that made the nascently freed country very sympathetic to Punjab . Apart from making Bhakra and Nangal Dam and their canal system, Punjab was favoured by giving double the per capita aid by Central government ( Rs 1700 against Rs 800 of Uttar Pradesh ). Uttar Pradesh was left to fend for itself from its own meager pre green revolution agro based earnings . Even in sixth and seventh plan when it was known that Uttar Pradesh was well behind others in per capita income ( Rs 2757 of Uttar Pradesh against Rs 3852 of India ), the per capita central government assistance to Uttar Pradesh declined to further against average of all states and Rs2171 to Himachal Pradesh in seventh plan . Not only the direct aid but also in first two plans no central government Industry was opened in Uttar Pradesh . The trend continues even today . It has lead to poor infrastructure and industrial development in Uttar Pradesh . Industrially Uttar Pradesh was behind the rest of the country as in 1950 only eight percent of its GSDP as from industry against 14 % in whole of India.This gap has further increased as UP’s share of industrial output of the country has fallen down to mere 5.27% .
Often the higher growth rate of population is blamed for this misfortune but it is only partially true. From 1900 to 1970 the population growth rate of Uttar Pradesh was lower than rest of the country .
In 1961 – 71 the population of UP grew by only 19.8% which was lowest amongst all states yet UP kept going down .Unfortunately it was due to higher death rate in Uttar Pradesh while the birth rate was equal . It is only after 1980s that the Indian population growth rate started declining but due to delayed improvement in health facilities and higher fertility in women of some communitues , the population of Uttar Pradesh kept increasing at a faster rate right through .This is very serious and leadership has to do some thing to reduce the growth of population as otherwise the future is quite bleak.
Delayed or non acceptance of family planning , partly due to lack of education and poverty and partly due to religion in some cases, has certainly contributed to the low per capita income in the last twenty years but it was not the cause in first twenty years of independence.
While land consolidation and abolition of Zamindari helped in better utilization of land which along with green revolution and Irrigation by tubewells helped Uttar Pradesh in improving agricultural productivity .But by 1980s the progress had started slowing down.
The average land holding by 1980 had become only 1.1 hectares which further declined to 0.86 hectare by 1995 .There were 21.5 million landholdings and 90 % of them were marginal or small constituting 58% of the total land .76 percent of farmers were marginal ( less than one hectares of land ) and 14 percent were small ( 1-2 hectares) of land . Green revolution had reached a plateau by late 1980s . The further economic decline of Uttar Pradesh was a foregone conclusion known any student of economy as more than seventy percent of population was still dependent on agriculture.It also lead to consequences like UP has only forty tractors per thousand hectare of land compared to 115 in Punjab and 76 in Haryana .Cropping intensity in UP was 1.54 compared to 1.92 and 1.73 of Punjab and Haryana. UPs agricultural productivity could not match that of Haryana or Punjab . Even irrigation is better in Punjab and Haryana with 96.6% and 85 % compared to 65 % in UP in 1999-2000.The averge yield of wheat per hectare is 2601 Kg/ha in UP compared to in 4209 Punjab and 3963 in Haryana . ( Eastern UP is a drag) .The table below is self explanatory.
S.No State Wheat Yield Wheat Yield Growth
Kg/ha 1985- 95 1995-2005
- Uttar Pradsh 2601 2.41% 0.43%
- Haryana 3963 2.47 0.74
- Punjab 4209 2.07 0.76
- India 2642 2.61 0.56
The only hope and chance was in rapid industrialization of state . But right from the days of independence , industrialization was no one’s priority in the state. Kanpur, once fifth largest industrial city and Manchester of India was allowed to whither.
So through out eighties the state’s economy drifted and gap with rest of the country kept widening .
The balance of payment crisis lead to opening of Indian economy . Foreign capital started
coming in a big way into the country . MNCs came to India . Many Chief Ministers like
Naidu and Krishna were highly proactive in attracting foreign investment to Karnatak and
Andhra Pradsh while Mumbai and Delhi had the obvious advantage .
Just in those critical years of 1990s , Uttar Pradesh unfortunately got involved in the worst political crisis as the new Casteist governments just concentrated on consolidating their caste vote banks . No one understood or was alive to the great opportunity UP was losing as rate growth of GSDP went down to 1.29% compared to 2.60 % in the previous decade and even that was very low. The nation had started changing as Maharashtra grew at 6.19% in that period .The average Indian GDP growth rate became 4.02% in this decade . To make matters worse , UP’s population grew by three crores in this decade. Except for NOIDA the rest of the state got nothing in this period . The central aid and projects remained as elusive .
In 1998 a feeble attempt was made to reverse the decline but it was only in 2004 that UP made a new industrial policy and joined the race as an equal partner in growth from 2006 . The economic growth rate in last ten years has been 6% touching 8% in 2007 beating the slowed all India growth rate of recent years . Still UP is just too far behind not only Mahrashtra and Delhi but also the southern states and Gujrat .
We never saw any Chief Minister near Krishna , Naidu or Bansi Lal in UP . UP attracted only 1.7% of the Indian FDI in ten years from 1991 -2001. Maharashtra was at top with 17.4% ,Delhi – 12%,Tamil Nadu 8.3% . Even Orissa attracted 2.9% . The FDI train almost skipped UP as no one in state leadership had any time for it . It was the same story with utilization of plan outlay . In ninth plan UP utilization was only 63.48% compared to 112 % of Gujrat and 133% of Karnatak .
The state just failed to attract even Indian capital as Industrial investment in UP .
In five years from 2007-11 , it hovered from 0.79% in 2010 to 1.1% of all India investment in 2007. The inadequacy and irresponsibility of the state machinery was just monumental. The industrial recovery in last five years is also ironic . The number of factories in UP declined from 10500 in 1999 to 9000 in 2002-3 . It has now reached 10500 again . Some progress to be proud of !
Lalu once infamously quipped that what has development to do with votes . He . Mayawati and Mulayam may know how to get into power but they do not know how to use it to improve life of their people. Both UP and Bihar have paid the price of the leaderhip it voted to power particularly when we see what CMs of Southern States were able to do for their people.
World bank in a study blamed infrastructure , quality of governace and quality of human capital for lack of economic development in UP . To this we can add the well known factors like poor law and order , archaic labour laws and unstable policies etc .
But beyond this superficial analysis , a deeper question is often avoided which has to be faced squarely .
People get the government they deserve . If for sixty years , leaders and Babus kept sleeping when UP was slipping deeper and deeper in morass , who is to blame ?
The first blame must go to the top bureaucracy of UP . They were intelligent , very well educated and from same All India Services . They were witness to the industrial growth of every state other than UP . Yet they could not educate the politicians of the imminent danger of neglecting infrastructure and industrial development .Casteist CMs like Mulayam and Mayawati ( earlier stint) may be unworthy exceptions but surely Govind Ballabh Pant , Sampoornand , Bahuguna , V.P.Singh , N.D,Tiwari were neither ill mannered , incapable or insensitive to economic development of state . Small time politics dominated the agenda of state leadership and not development throughout this period . Freedom struggle overpoliticised the whole population.
Lucknow’s top bureaucracy definitely is to be blamed first for failing to educate and guide UP’s top political leadership .
The second guilty group are the PMs and planning commission . UP paid a very heavy price for its prime ministers as they all chose to close their eyes to decline of UP. They willingly pushed UP into economic suicide by denying right assistance and fund allocation . They were a silent and inert witness to bulk its nineteen crore people being forced to live a subhuman life today . The British Viceroys apparently did a better job for development of UP in comparison .
But beyond them it is really the people of UP who are to blame.
What did they expect by voting for Phoolan Devi as an MP ?
Her trademark methods of removing poverty were well known to people in advance.
Did they want dacoitees to solve the problems of state ?
Why Akhand Pratap Singh or Neera Yadav , voted as most corrupt IAS officers , allowed to be the Chief Secretaries ?
People in general forgot the importance of truth , hard work , sincerity , honesty and discipline . They forgot the importance of training and education and happily depended on caste in lieu, to get jobs . Today an industrialist has a choice . He goes to Maharashtra ,Gujrat or South because of people, who certainly are not superior in intelligence but are perceived as god fearing ,simple ,sincere , law abiding and trustworthy.When at work they give it their best and do not go politicking around as in UP.
North Indians are more aggressive , dynamic and intelligent and have more initiative but are unwanted due to being excessively political ,cunning and self centered .Corruption in south is in no way less but they make better teams due to being less egoistic and are easier to manage.Politicians are more focused on development .
There is need to bring back the old idealist character of people in UP to attract industry by deserving rather than demanding , which only politicians and media can do .The education and training must be made more responsive and restored to its original pristine .
The other filler details are inconsequential and not difficult to overcome . UP’s KAVAL towns need only minor upgradation in infrastructure . But more big cities need to be developed . Gorakhpur, Bareily , Meerut , Moradabad etc need to be brought to KAVAL town standard.Electricity supply needs to be improved . Land needs to be acquired in large quantities for industry in advance . Every state is competing for attracting investment . UP has to give a better package of land , tax , infrastructure and trained manpower. more heavy industry has to be located in Uttar Pradesh as it becomes a hub of development of small scale industry as done by Maruti . Food processing industry , cold stores etc. are obvious choice . For villages more milch animals , poultry , bee keeping etc have to promoted as an Amul type cooperative movement so that marketing , raw material etc can be purchased with economy of scale . Plantation on wasteland or in field where sunlight is not obstructed is also a good source of raising income of marginal farmers . The cooperative movement has to be restarted but caste ridden society has to be educated for its success. Quality of education needs to be restored but after tenth class giving free trade training is a far better solution as BA/MA will never get enough jobs. A one and a half year trade course will enable unemployed youth to get jobs outside at a higher salary . Kerala has gained immensely from emigration which can be a model for UP too as it does not need big investment or infrastructure . If Shanti Niketan could start under trees , trade training need not wait for new ITI buildings . Britain’s early industry developed on apprenticeship . A cooperative apprenticeship based practical training with accredited high class craftsmen with a trade certificate given by a central board after tough test could be a way out . After all if private medical and engineering colleges can be started why can trade training be changed too to old proven ways. It is teachers that impart great education not buildings. Who knows it better than this nation of Gurukuls .
Luckily , the damage to the institutions of UP is not irreversible yet .
But it requires a Margret Thatcher .
Ironically , Varun Gandhi may be the best suited person to bring this change if he is supported by a select band of very honest and devotedyoung bureaucracy not burdened by past . He can be a Naidu or Bansi Lal .Young Akhilesh has been overshadowed by fossils of old time politicians and is thus unsuccessful in changing UP.
Time has come for change as fossils do not deliver !
But nineteen crore people of UP cannot be ignored any more .
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