Letters: Why attack Swaminathan? II

The editorial “NAC vs government” lacks substance. Why do you hesitate to speak the truth when it is in the national interest? Take, for instance, speaking in favour of Ashok Gulati whom the editorial has called “a distinguished agricultural economist”. Dr Gulati was with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), which is said to be an international organisation. The IFPRI, if I remember correctly, once published a report that stated Madhya Pradesh was the hungriest state in India with 60 per cent of its population suffering from hunger. Surprisingly, Haryana was also shown to be full of hungry people. However, it was learnt that IFPRI representatives did not visit even a single village in any part of India to count the number of people suffering from hunger.

The editorial also favours Montek Singh Ahluwalia. He has been repeating what Rajiv Gandhi disclosed in 1985: only 15 per cent of the poverty eradication fund reaches the poor. Ahluwalia has never offered any solution to how 85 per cent of the funds can reach the poor, as though it is not his responsibility.

Dr Swaminathan, however, has done his job well in the interview (“A second Green Revolution will never happen”, March 13) and also by writing a letter to the editor. India-born international experts on finance and agriculture need to have their own ideas and should not depend on borrowed ideas from foreign countries, nor should they depend on foreign companies. The Ahluwalias and Gulatis need to be made aware of their mistakes and weaknesses to save India from international experts/economists who are heavily dependent on borrowed ideas from foreign countries.

S C Aggarwal,
Founder, Poverty Trust, New Delhi

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