Is it the intermittent strikes or the never-ending political turmoil, is it the 32-year-old Left Front 'rule' or the laid-back work culture of the state -- it is difficult to ascertain what plagues the West Bengal economy that is not really showing much sign of improvement.
Like a head that is growing at a much faster pace while the body falls far behind, there is a large portion of India which is being left out of the process of 'growth'.
This body comprises millions of hungry, dispossessed, displaced people, the new outcasts, on whose life no light shines.
Statistics tell us that a large chunk of these people resides in West Bengal.
What's actually wrong with West Bengal's economy? Which factors led to the dismal state of the state's financial structure?
Let us delve into the issue a bit deeper. Read on. . .
What Amartya Sen has to say
In an Indian Express report published early this year, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen felt it would be interesting to find out why in spite of a stable government for three decades, West Bengal remains a 'mid-level' performing state in terms of public programmes -- health, education and other sectors.
"We have to investigate and find out. If someone had predicted the history of 21st century, he would have said the state would have been leading in IT services in the country. But it is not so," said Sen, while releasing a report on Integrated Child Development Services in the state.
Sen, however, said it is not only the governance that could be at the core of it, but other issues like nature of society and its dynamism also determine the success of public initiatives.
In a column published in The Telegraph a couple of years ago, Sen wrote: 'My support for the general economic strategy of industrialisation of the government of West Bengal cannot but be combined with questions about the importance of democratic values.
'I believe I am right in claiming that more practice of government by discussion would have not only enriched and improved the process of economic decision-making, it would have actually led to better economic plans and better translation of the general strategy of industrialising -- or re-industrialising -- West Bengal.'
Tatas' exit from Singur a non-issue?
In an interview to rediff.com, economist Abhirup Sarkar said that the departure of the Tatas from Singur did not have much impact on the people of the state.
A huge number of factories in Bengal suffered closure because of Left-backed unions' movements. The people of the state were seething with discontent. They refused to risk their present for an uncertain future.
"The Left failed to understand what the people wanted. In their mad and illogical rush for industrialisation, they could not come up with an effective measure to strike a balance between agriculture and industry," Sarkar said.
Like a head that is growing at a much faster pace while the body falls far behind, there is a large portion of India which is being left out of the process of 'growth'.
This body comprises millions of hungry, dispossessed, displaced people, the new outcasts, on whose life no light shines.
Statistics tell us that a large chunk of these people resides in West Bengal.
What's actually wrong with West Bengal's economy? Which factors led to the dismal state of the state's financial structure?
Let us delve into the issue a bit deeper. Read on. . .
What Amartya Sen has to say
In an Indian Express report published early this year, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen felt it would be interesting to find out why in spite of a stable government for three decades, West Bengal remains a 'mid-level' performing state in terms of public programmes -- health, education and other sectors.
"We have to investigate and find out. If someone had predicted the history of 21st century, he would have said the state would have been leading in IT services in the country. But it is not so," said Sen, while releasing a report on Integrated Child Development Services in the state.
Sen, however, said it is not only the governance that could be at the core of it, but other issues like nature of society and its dynamism also determine the success of public initiatives.
In a column published in The Telegraph a couple of years ago, Sen wrote: 'My support for the general economic strategy of industrialisation of the government of West Bengal cannot but be combined with questions about the importance of democratic values.
'I believe I am right in claiming that more practice of government by discussion would have not only enriched and improved the process of economic decision-making, it would have actually led to better economic plans and better translation of the general strategy of industrialising -- or re-industrialising -- West Bengal.'
Tatas' exit from Singur a non-issue?
In an interview to rediff.com, economist Abhirup Sarkar said that the departure of the Tatas from Singur did not have much impact on the people of the state.
A huge number of factories in Bengal suffered closure because of Left-backed unions' movements. The people of the state were seething with discontent. They refused to risk their present for an uncertain future.
"The Left failed to understand what the people wanted. In their mad and illogical rush for industrialisation, they could not come up with an effective measure to strike a balance between agriculture and industry," Sarkar said.
