Kurien calls for including farmers in India's development

Allahabad, Sep 10 (UNI) Pioneer of the cooperative movement and Chancellor of the Allahabad University Dr Kurien today said India could not become a developed nation without including the farmers' community.

Speaking as a chief guest at the 27th foundation day of Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute and 119th birthday of the charismatic leader, Dr Kurien said the need of the hour was to ponder over the mode of development. He appealed the scientists as well as other academicians to redesign development.

He added during the last 50 yrs, development has remained elusive for the people at the grass root level and discoveries have become satanic on account of its subservience to the power holders of new technologies.

Dr Kurien lamented the current negligence and lack of assistance to the cooperative movement on part of the government, which has great potential for releasing the dormant developmental energies in the rural masses.

He said ''people can do miracle, when they control resources they create.Bureaucratic institutions only need to provide guidance and directions instead of taking things in their own hands.'' He said ''the government, which governs the least, governs best.'' While narrating his experiences as pioneer of the cooperative movement, which elevated a slumbering town like Anand in Gujrat to international level, Dr Kurien attacked the new experiments, which were being carried out under the influence of globalisation and privatisation with total focus on maximisation of profit.

Later, the function was presided by Prof Rajendra G Harshe, Vice Chancellor of the Allahabad University.

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