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Tamil Nadu
“Industrialisation not at the cost of agriculture”
| The NGO will suggest alternative sites for special economic zones, says Ramadoss |
Government should revive closed Industrial Training Institutes
Training in skilled labour should be provided at government colleges
LENDING AN EAR: Sowmiya Anbumani, president, Pasumai Thaayagam, with M.G. Devesagayam, a former IAS officer, at a seminar in Chennai on Thursday. PMK founder S. Ramadoss (left) is in the picture.
CHENNAI: Pasumai Thaayagam, a non-governmental organisation, will not allow industrialisation at the cost of agriculture, PMK founder S. Ramadoss said on Thursday.
Speaking at a seminar on Tamil Nadu’s Industrial Policy-2007 organised here by Pasumai Thaayagam, he said the NGO he founded would suggest alternative sites for special economic zones.
He demanded that the Government revive the closed Industrial Training Institutes and polytechnics to meet the increase in the demand for skilled labour.
These institutions should provide training as per international standards in various trades.
Furthermore, he said, training in skilled labour should be provided at universities and government colleges as it was being done in community colleges abroad. The government should create a department for training the youth for employment.
He said the government should invite representatives of industries and chambers to hear their grievances and their suggestions for improving the industrial scenario.
M.G. Devesagayam, former civil servant, called for proper land management policies. He suggested that the land be divided as conservation areas, such as national parks and biosphere reserves, restoration areas and areas meant for sustainable agriculture activities and urban forestry.
The globalisation, he said, had reduced employment opportunities for the locals in the last few years. So, the State should protect the interests of small and tiny industries, he said.
V. Selvaraj, former Industries Secretary, wanted the government to lay out plans for improving small and tiny enterprises to improve the living standards of the people.
Sowmiya Anbumani, president, Pasumai Thaayagam, recalled the efforts the organisation made at spreading awareness of environmental and other issues through rallies.
Nityanand Jayaram, an environmental activist, alleged that many industrial policies disregarded environmental concerns.
The industrialisation had affected agriculture. “What had happened about 50 years ago in the western countries is taking place now in our country in the name of globalisation.”
A. Sankarakrishnan of Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called for improving infrastructure.
He demanded that students from rural areas be trained in various trades to meet the demand for skilled labour.
Small and tiny industries in the State were affected by globalisation, according to K.V. Kanagambaram of Tamil Nadu Small and Tiny Industries Association (TANSTIA). In the last 12 years, the government had not addressed the grievances of small and tiny industries.
Many units in industrial estates formed more 25 years ago had closed, adding to unemployment, D.E. Ramakrishnan, president, Industrial and Financial Reconstruction Association for Small and Tiny Enterprises, said.
The TANSTIA was the first body to oppose globalisation, said A. Shanmugavelayuthan of the organisation.
Multinational companies were forcing people to use their products, wiping out the local products from the market.
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