11 Consumer Resistance
WHAT WE ARE witnessing today should, in my view, be considered as the beginning of a determined and well-conceived consumer resistance movement in this country. At the present juncture, I view this movement as a manifestation of enlightened public opinion against the exploitation and plight of the common man. Over the last two decades, we have come a long way from a stagnant economy of the pre-independence period. We have built an infrastructure for a rapid economic growth. The new advances in agriculture and the widespread acceptance of new technology by millions of farmers all over the country have dispelled any doubts about our capacity to be self-sufficient in regard to our food requirements. The range and types of industrial products have multiplied and our exports are showing a remarkable pattern of diversification. The sacrifices of the millions of people over the last twenty years have thus started to bear fruits. But this is only a beginning of our long and arduous journey towards a self-reliant and socialist society.
Price increase in the recent months has justifiably given rise to considerable anxiety and concern. A variety of factors have contributed to this price increase. The substantial expenditure on refugees from Bangladesh, very heavy damage inflicted by floods and droughts in some major States, impact of budget levies and the activities of unscrupulous and anti-social elements in the society to exploit conditions of shortages for making easy money are some of the main causative factors. It will also have to be admitted that there are some basic imbalances between the demand and supply of some major commodities. In any process of growth, however, such shortages and scarcities are inevitable. What is important is whether adequate efforts are being made to meet the shortages by increasing indigenous production of such items and by resorting to imports to meet the immediate requirements. The technological break-through in agriculture and the so-called green revolution has as yet touched only a fringe of our agricultural sector. The new frontiers are still to extend to the production of pulses, cotton and oilseeds. We have already intensified research activity in these areas and attention is being specifically concentrated on improving the strains of hybrid seeds. To meet the immediate shortages, we have resorted to substantial imports of raw cotton and ground-nut oil. Similarly, imports of steel and soda ash have been increased in the recent months.