That India is doing well and is registering good economic growth is well-known. The new-age technology sectors and urban middle classes have done well but agriculture, rural economy and women have not. Labour force participation rate of women has actually declined.
The country has self-sufficiency in food but otherwise agriculture has declined in a significant way. Climate change has made matters worse. Subsidized inputs and credit, loan waivers, administered minimum prices for many crops, diversification into horticulture, dairy industry - everything has been tried out but there is widespread distress resulting into farmers' suicides.
Sadanand Deshmukh, a young Marathi writer has captured the ruined rural economy in his Sahitya Academy winner novel 'Baromas'. Call it the Indian 'Grapes of wrath'.
All this ran in my mind while I was reading Jaideep Hardikar's lead article in the Times of India on 23 May 2024. He has described in it the totally hopeless future that young men in Beed and Yavatmal districts of Maharashtra and in Vidarbha, Marathwada regions of Maharashtra have staring at them. Most of these young men are post graduates (in social sciences and commerce, subsidized degrees available in small towns) and have been to big cities in search of employment. Many have wasted a number of years preparing for civil services examinations. They have worked as contract and casual labourers but could not sustain themselves because of the low earnings. They have been forced to come back home to till the family land and have found that farming is just not viable.
They cannot get married because they do not earn enough. Last year, these forced bachelors had taken out a march in Solapur to highlight their plight.
This is the situation in the prosperous state of Maharashtra. Matters are worse in Bihar, UP, Bengal and Orissa.
Migrate to cities, somehow make do with abysmal living, working conditions and take to self employment - is that the only way out?
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