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UNION BUDGET 2024: In anticipation of the Union General Budget's presentation on July 23, preparations have started. For the first time, the public agenda will not revolve on public economist Ramesh Sharan to dictate what Jharkhand wants out of this budget.
UNION BUDGET 2024: What does Jharkhand want? If the question is related to the dreams of employment, development and prosperity, or is related to the economic share of the state in the country, the answer was only with public economist Ramesh Sharan. Every government of the state had to take the help of Ramesh Sharan to draft the demands from the Center. Leaders of both the ruling party and the opposition used to wait for Ramesh Sharan to give a sharp edge of intellectual seriousness to their statements on the issue of economy.
Since Ramesh Sharan passed away six days ago, this will be the first time that the public will not be asking him about what Jharkhand wants in the Union Budget. If journalists also had to weave a pro-people economic story out of the politics, policies, and ground realities, then he had the one-stop shop of expertise for that too. Ramesh Sharan was an expert in telling the striking angle of the economic story with well-timed data and precise phrases. His grounded explanation of Jharkhand's demand from the Centre, tax share, and entitlement from the Center in the state's resources would surprise anyone.
The story of Ramesh Sharan becoming the economic spokesperson of Jharkhandism and Adivasiism did not happen overnight, according to senior journalist Faisal Anurag. In the 1990s, Sharan was an economic theorist in the movement for the creation of a separate Jharkhand state, and he persuasively presented the economics of Jharkhandi identity in front of major think tanks in the nation and on intellectual platforms at the national level.
What does Jharkhand want in UNION BUDGET 2024? For the first time, public economist Ramesh Sharan would not be able to say https://t.co/VAzzPZzLdN pic.twitter.com/GqswmH8H6J
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Numerous research papers he wrote on this topic were printed in publications like Social Change and Economic and Political Weekly (EPW). The listeners would be shocked when he explained the tribal people's problems in light of the economic developments occurring on a global scale at the time, such as the Dunkel proposal, GATT, TRIPS, etc., and he would make arguments for the need for a separate state of Jharkhand.
What he saw with his own eyes, not just what was put on paper, earned him the position.
According to prominent economist Jean Dreze, Ramesh Sharan's knowledge has transcended beyond the realm of academia. He would have preferred to get down on his hands and knees and confront the realities of the economy. For this, he used to actively participate in people's movements. Ramesh ji documented data at the ground level for campaigns like MNREGA, Right to Food. He would come face to face with the difficulties of the tribal society, document them and then take initiatives towards finding solutions.
Prepared an alternative economic policy for Jharkhand Dr. Sanjay Basumallick, head of the Jungle Bachao Andolan, says that after Jharkhand became a separate state, questions were being raised about its development process. The general belief was that Jharkhand could develop only on the basis of mines and minerals. Ramesh Sharan clearly said that this would lead to the displacement of lakhs of people. The distance of development covered by sacrificing human lives would be of no use. He was against turning the entire Jharkhand into a mine. Therefore, he had also presented a draft of an alternative economic policy to the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Babulal Marandi.
Wanted to compensate for the economic in
justice done to Jharkhand
Ramesh Sharan's son-in-law, management expert and author of the best-selling book 'Bihar: The Broken Promises', Mrityunjay Sharma says that the Freight Equalization Policy pushed Bihar into the blind alley of backwardness. Due to this, other states moved far ahead and United Bihar (including Jharkhand) had no other option but to lag behind in the race of development. Ramesh Sharan ji wanted to compensate for the loss caused to Jharkhand due to this historical injustice.
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