Industrialisation should benefit social transformation: PM

New Delhi, May 1 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said industrialisation ought to be a win-win process of social transformation and economic development.

''It is only through rapid industrialisation that we can find meaningful solutions to the problems of mass unemployment and underdevelopment. Therefore, we have to find ways and means to accelerate the process of industrialisation and also to ensure that this process is sufficiently labour intensive,'' Dr Singh said.

He made the observation after inaugurating the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID) Campus here.

Pointing out that some may see themselves as losers in the process of industrialisation, Dr Singh said, ''We must learn to address their concerns and assuage them to the extent possible.

Industrialisation ought to be a win-win process of social transformation and economic development.'' A developing country like India cannot afford to view industrialisation as a negative phenomenon. ''There are as I said, areas of concern, like displacement of people, environmental damage, alienation of the working class. These concerns must be dealt with, and remedied but one cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater.'' Dr Singh said it was a symbol of Chandrashekharji's commitment to the modernisation and industrialisation of India that he chose to support this brave new initiative to set up an institution focusing on the problem of industrialisation. ''We have many centres of research on agriculture in India but few that study industry intensively.'' He said he had always believed India was destined to emerge as an important industrial power. It was only through rapid industrialisation that the country could find meaningful solutions to the problems of mass unemployment and underdevelopment.

Of course, considering that nearly 70 per cent of the population was living in rural areas, the government had to lay adequate emphasis on increasing agricultural output and agricultural productivity, he said.

Yet, since the per capita availability of land was less than 1.5 hectares, there were severe limitations to expanding employment opportunities in agriculture on a large scale.

''Therefore, we have to find ways and means to accelerate the process of industrialisation and also to ensure that this process is sufficiently labour intensive.'' MORE UNI