Basu’s enduring legacy

January 18, 2010 12:49 am | Updated December 04, 2021 10:49 pm IST

I first met Jyoti Basu in the mid-1970s, before he became Chief Minister of West Bengal, to discuss my plans for the integrated development of the Sunderbans, with possible support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and for increasing wheat production in West Bengal during the boro season. What impressed me the most in his approach was his advice that the people of Sunderbans should be fully involved both in the development of the plan and its implementation. No wonder on becoming the Chief Minister, he gave the highest priority to land reform and Panchayati Raj system of grassroot governance leading to the achievement of Gram Swaraj, a goal which was also very dear to Mahatma Gandhi. The involvement of ordinary people in the governance system is one of his lasting contributions.

Jyoti Basu identified that the pathway to poverty eradication was asset-building, since the poor are poor because they have no assets such as land, livestock and a non-farm job. He addressed the fundamental issue of asset creation through land reform.

Even now, his basic approach to poverty eradication through asset reform and community development is the most meaningful pathway to ensuring adequate social protection. India’s future has to be built on the foundation of social protection of the economically and socially handicapped sections. This is Jyoti Basu’s enduring legacy.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.