INDUSTRIALIZATION AND THE LEFT MOVEMENT 75 9 S Lall and S Bibilc, "Political Economy of Controlling Transnationals: Pharmaceutical Industry in Sri Lanka, 1972-76", Economic and Political Weekly, Special Number, August 1977. 10 I am indebted to Mr Hitcsh Sanyal for this information. n The data are taken from the Report of the Expert Committee on Performance Approach to Cost Reduction in Building Construction, Government of Kerala, 1974. 12 All the data on textiles in this paragraph are taken from (a) various issues of the Economic Survey, (b) Draft Fifth Five Year Plan 1974-79, Vol II, p 163, (c) M Eapcn, "Emerging Trends in Cotton Textile Consumption", Social Scientist, January-February, 1977, and (d) Draft Five Year Plan 1978-83, p 183. From the last source we may also note that in 1977-78 the mill sector produced 4200 million meters, while the handlooms and powerlooms contributed 5200 million meters. Ibid., p 197. However, on p 183 it is stated that 4100 million meters came from the decentralized sector in 1977-78. n Letter by the General Secretary, AgraShoc Manufacturers' Association, ^Footwear Prices", Economic Times, 27 March 1976; and "Footwear Workers of Agra Lead a Miserable Life", Economic Times, 13 January 1976. 14 M Cartillicr, ^Rolc of Small Industries in Economic Development: Irrigation Pumpsct Industry in Coimbatore", Economic and Political Weekly, 1 November 1975. 15 See the Statement on Industrial Policy before the Lok Sabha on 23 December 1977 by the Minister for Industries. 16 "800 Items May be Reserved for Small Sector", Economic Times, 5 November 1977. 17 P Bairoch, Le Tiers-Monde dans Vimpasst: Le demarrage economique de XVllIe au XXe siecle, Paris, 1971, p 53. 18 R Bhatia, "Economic Appraisal of Bio-Gas Units in India: Framework for Social Benefit Cost Analysis'", Economic and Political Weekly, Special Number, August 1977. 19 Even in landlord-dominated areas with no immediate prospects of land struggle, political activists from outside can make an entry by trying to organize a cooperative of poor peasants and craftsmen to supply their mutual needs or external markets. The very success of such a venture may generate the hostility of landlords and may lead to its collapse. Yet the failure itself should raise the consciousness of the oppressed majority and prepare the ground for a more determined struggle later. 20 The data on annual cloth requirements arc based on NSS estimates and taken from M Eapen, op. cit. The costs of carding machines, charkhas and looms have been obtained through personal enquiries. For ginned raw cotton we have allowed for a high price of Rs 1000 per quintal, while the actual November 1977 price for unginncd cotton stood at Rs 350. One may note that the Agricultural Prices Commission recommended a minimum support price of Rs 256 and the actual in 1976-77 was claimed to be Rs 450. "Higher Support Price for Cotton Urged," Statesman, 4 November 1977. 21 "Financing of Gobar Gas Plants", Reserve Bank of India Bulletin, August 1976. 18 Bhatia, op. cit. 33 A Makhanji, "Energy Policy for Rural India," Economic and Political Weekly, Special Number, August 1977. The author is indeed aware that not all cowdung is burnt as fuel. Hence it may not be possible to collect 50 percent 'of the total available for the compost pits, after deducting whatever is currently used as manure. 24 This is not a dogmatic assertion. In every country where power was seized by a Communist Party through armed struggle, the problems of unemployment and malnutrition vanished into thin air almost in no time. The longest interval was in the USSR running into more than a decade, but then the USSR was the pioneer and had no previous experience to fall back upon.