Radical reform in rural economy suggested
Sunday, 11 November 2007
Noted economists Saturday strongly suggested a radical reform in the rural economy to return the "looted wealth" to the poor and create the real basic structure for sustainable development in the country, reports UNB.
"Not only the wealth discrimination between the rich and the poor will be reduced but the empowerment process for women and the marginal people will be expedited through agrarian-land-aquarium reform," Professor of Economics Dr Abul Barakat said at a roundtable at the CIRDAP auditorium.
In a keynote paper presented for discussion, Prof Barakat said the marginal people in the country could be empowered through proper distribution among them a huge acreage of khas land, mostly grabbed in wrong hands over the ages.
"At least there is some 20 million bighas of agrarian khas land while 10 million landless households in the country. So it is possible to distribute two bighas of land to each household," he told the function.
The Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) organised the roundtable on 'Land and Agrarian Reform in Bangladesh: Empowerment of Women and Marginalised Communities', where the success stories of agrarian reforms in West Bengal and Kerala states of India were narrated for an instance.
Chairperson of the ALRD executive council and coordinator of Nijera Kari Kushi Kabir moderated the roundtable while Justice Mohammad Golam Rabbani, and economists Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Dr Atiur Rahman, Dr Swapan Adnan and Dr Moinul Islam took part in discussion.
Prof Dr Md Anisur Rahman presented another keynote titled 'Rural Reform in Bangladesh: Missing the Opportunity to Free the Royal Bengal Tiger'.
Dr Anisur Rahman in his paper recalled that the great leader of Bengal AK Fazlul Huq had initiated 'Rin Shalishi Boards (debt settlement boards)' in villages to return to the peasantry land mortgaged to the rural moneylenders. This was only a temporary relief, he observed.
"This reform could not bring lasting benefit to the peasants, as they had to resort to distress borrowing, thus losing their land again to the moneylenders," he said, recommending basic reforms.
Citing example of effective land reform, he said there has been lasting rural reform in West Bengal under its left government, which has given priority to the needs of the rural dukhi manush and has remained steadfastly by their side.
Professor Dr Moinul Islam of Chittagong University observed that the West Bengal and the Kerala states of India could be the best model of land reform in this subcontinent, as they became successful by properly using the local government system.
"By using the Panchayet System, they became successful in land reform."
Dr Atiur Rahman emphasised distributing the Khas land among the land-less people living in different char areas of the country to alleviate their miseries. "There are some 50 lakh people living in the char areas whose suffering knows no bounds."
He proposed that a Land Commission should be instituted in the country in this purpose.
President of Bangladesh Economic Association Dr Kholiquzzaman called for social unity to strengthen the rural government system to involve all people in the land and aquarian reform in the country.
"Not only the wealth discrimination between the rich and the poor will be reduced but the empowerment process for women and the marginal people will be expedited through agrarian-land-aquarium reform," Professor of Economics Dr Abul Barakat said at a roundtable at the CIRDAP auditorium.
In a keynote paper presented for discussion, Prof Barakat said the marginal people in the country could be empowered through proper distribution among them a huge acreage of khas land, mostly grabbed in wrong hands over the ages.
"At least there is some 20 million bighas of agrarian khas land while 10 million landless households in the country. So it is possible to distribute two bighas of land to each household," he told the function.
The Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) organised the roundtable on 'Land and Agrarian Reform in Bangladesh: Empowerment of Women and Marginalised Communities', where the success stories of agrarian reforms in West Bengal and Kerala states of India were narrated for an instance.
Chairperson of the ALRD executive council and coordinator of Nijera Kari Kushi Kabir moderated the roundtable while Justice Mohammad Golam Rabbani, and economists Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Dr Atiur Rahman, Dr Swapan Adnan and Dr Moinul Islam took part in discussion.
Prof Dr Md Anisur Rahman presented another keynote titled 'Rural Reform in Bangladesh: Missing the Opportunity to Free the Royal Bengal Tiger'.
Dr Anisur Rahman in his paper recalled that the great leader of Bengal AK Fazlul Huq had initiated 'Rin Shalishi Boards (debt settlement boards)' in villages to return to the peasantry land mortgaged to the rural moneylenders. This was only a temporary relief, he observed.
"This reform could not bring lasting benefit to the peasants, as they had to resort to distress borrowing, thus losing their land again to the moneylenders," he said, recommending basic reforms.
Citing example of effective land reform, he said there has been lasting rural reform in West Bengal under its left government, which has given priority to the needs of the rural dukhi manush and has remained steadfastly by their side.
Professor Dr Moinul Islam of Chittagong University observed that the West Bengal and the Kerala states of India could be the best model of land reform in this subcontinent, as they became successful by properly using the local government system.
"By using the Panchayet System, they became successful in land reform."
Dr Atiur Rahman emphasised distributing the Khas land among the land-less people living in different char areas of the country to alleviate their miseries. "There are some 50 lakh people living in the char areas whose suffering knows no bounds."
He proposed that a Land Commission should be instituted in the country in this purpose.
President of Bangladesh Economic Association Dr Kholiquzzaman called for social unity to strengthen the rural government system to involve all people in the land and aquarian reform in the country.