Industrialisation should have farmers as partners in progress

Kolkata, Feb 12 (UNI) Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus today said farmlands have to be acquired for industrialisation but with full respect to the farmers' wishes and involving them in the entire development process.

''You cannot move on development path by ignoring the contribution of the farmers. So the entire process has to be in a satisfactory manner and protecting their (farmers) interests,'' Yunus said even as Singur and Nandigram continued to simmer over farmland acquisition.

''I cannot make specific comments because I am not aware of the situation in full here, but agricultural land has to be taken for industry. I cannot tell you the alternatives here without knowing fully the facts,'' Mr Yunus told reporters here.

''I did not know the topic is so explosive here. I have sort of stepped in a minefield as I realise from today's newspaper,'' Yunus said in a lighter vein, in an attempt to make light of the satement he made yesterday, ''Farmers will have to part with their lands for setting up industries because this would lead to econmic growth.'' India's policy of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), facing flak of late, had found a supporter in Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus.

On his first visit to Kolkata since winning the Nobel Peace Prize last year, he was felicitated by the city-based Chattogram Parishad at Bijoygarh's Niranjan Sadan auditorium in south Kolkata last evening amid a mad rush of enthusiasts who wanted to see the economist.

Yunus, meanwhile, has expressed his desire to enter politics in Bangladesh by grabbing the new opportunity that has been created.

During the visit, Yunus is the guest of the state government.

Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi will host a dinner for him while the day is filled with programmes.

The people of West Bengal and the Bengalis across India had voted him as ''Shera Bangali 2006'' (Best Bangali 2006) in an opinion poll conducted by TV channel ETV Bangla.

He will also deliver a keynote address at a seminar at a chamber of commerce.

Yunus will have an exchange of views on the experiences of the Grameen Bank promoting micro-credit in neighbouring Bangladesh and those of self-help groups of West Bengal.

West Bengal finance minister Asim Dasgupta informed that since Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya had a busy schedule with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi today Dr Yunus would be felicitated by the state government in April.

UNI