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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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een effective in revoluti<strong>on</strong>izing the ec<strong>on</strong>omic trans<strong>for</strong>mati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the state. The<br />

recommendati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Famine Commissi<strong>on</strong> (1880) <strong>and</strong> the Indian Irrigati<strong>on</strong><br />

Commissi<strong>on</strong> 6 (1901-03) highlighted the importance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> canal c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> as <strong>on</strong>e<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the important means <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> protecti<strong>on</strong> from frequently occurring famines.<br />

In doing so, the British irrigati<strong>on</strong> schemes were said to be based <strong>on</strong> a<br />

sketchy underst<strong>and</strong>ing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> agricultural systems, with more emphasis <strong>on</strong> ci vi I<br />

engineering, which was alien to the c<strong>on</strong>cept <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong> science <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> India<br />

(Sengupta. 1985).<br />

Notwithst<strong>and</strong>ing the divergent views over time about the col<strong>on</strong>ial interest<br />

in irrigati<strong>on</strong> <strong>development</strong>, it had many dimensi<strong>on</strong>s. " .... <strong>on</strong> a policy level, it was<br />

simultaneously linked with famine preventi<strong>on</strong>, revenue stability, the settling <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

unruly tribes. expansi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> cultivati<strong>on</strong>. extended culti\'ati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> cash crops.<br />

enhanced taxable capacity. improved cultivati<strong>on</strong> practices <strong>and</strong> political stability"<br />

(St<strong>on</strong>e, 1984: 9).<br />

While the military civil eng1l1eers designed, c<strong>on</strong>structed <strong>and</strong> maintained<br />

irrigati<strong>on</strong> works. the bureaucrats involved themselves in planning, generating<br />

funds <strong>and</strong> collecting revenue. This process deprived the local <strong>farm</strong>ers <strong>and</strong><br />

l<strong>and</strong>lords <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>trol over water <strong>and</strong> resulted in an increasing dependence <strong>on</strong> the<br />

col<strong>on</strong>ial state (Singh. 1997: II). Al<strong>on</strong>gside, 'traditi<strong>on</strong>alism' evolved as a critique<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the British irrigati<strong>on</strong> policy <strong>and</strong> propagated the traditi<strong>on</strong>al technologies <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

('With respect to Punjah. the Irri~:ltioll C(lllll1lissioll (olltl'lllkd that "it is here that the<br />

greak,t prllgress h:b hc'c'" III:lde III IITlg:ltiOIl ,,\Orb <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>thi, (perelllli;dl el.,,< :llld III ,pile<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this fact, it is hen: lhat there IS still the greatest field <strong>for</strong> their further e'pall,i()11<br />

(Report <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Indian Irrigatioll COllll11issioll, 1901-03: I).<br />

7

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