Intro: This is not the first time when Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) inculcated its interference in Indian Economy and Genetically Modified (GM) crops.
Field trials of GM crops of certain varieties of rice, brinjal and cotton among others have been put on hold.
This has been done on the behest of Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) and Bhartiya Kissan Sangh (BKS). One knows that this is the first RSS interference in economic policy of India.
All of the above are as per Indian media.
I am writing this to just refute the misconception that it is RSS first interference in the economic policy of India. RSS has always intervened in the economic policy of India since its inception.
RSS intervened through Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), intervened through Ekal Vidyalaya (I hope I don’t have to explain the economic benefit to the nation because of education), intervened through lakhs of Sewa Projects and not to forget intervention through SJM.
But in today’s age and day nothing is acceptable without case study, so let me sight a case study.
RSS has always been against of cow slaughter. Now, slowly researches after years of research are proving RSS to be correct as far as cow slaughter is concerned. Latest finding have come a week back stating the following:
If the average American switched from eating beef to pork, there would be a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 544 Kg a year, which is approximately nine days worth of the nation’s (USA) per capita greenhouse gas emissions.
This will be equal to the emissions from burning 61 gallons of gas or 263 Kg of coal. Pork, poultry, dairy and eggs also damage environment but the impact left by beef is significantly higher.
Study published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) says: Raising cattle to produce beef produces 5 times more heat-trapping gases per calorie and puts out 6 times as much water-polluting nitrogen, takes 11 times more water for irrigation and uses 28 times more land than is required for producing other animal proteins.
Cows aren’t efficient at converting feed to protein for human consumption. They burp large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas much more potent than carbon dioxide. And manure used to grow feed for cows also releases methane, as does the animals’ own bodily waste.
I have written in my book, Indian Ocean Strategy: “The Americans produce corn, feed it to the cows, then butcher them and feed beef to human beings. The people of Bharat, on the other hand, produce rice and wheat with the help of cattle; feed the grains directly to human beings and the chaff to cows. Then they also feed milk to human beings. The Bharatiya economy can sustain 3 times the number of human beings on the same patch of land as Americans without entailing a reduction in consumption of proteins etc.
Animal energy helps plough two thirds of the cultivated area. Of the 80 Cr tons of dung produced annually, 50 Cr tons is used as organic manure, the rest as cooking fuel by the poor. Contribution of draught animal power to agriculture production is about Rs 10,000 Cr annually. Besides, animal energy saves about six million tons of petroleum. Marginal farmers and landless farm labourers own the bulk of livestock. In 2003-04, livestock sector contributed 27 percent of Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP).”
RSS all along knew the economic benefit of cow and has kept urging people to refrain from killing cow. But all along, to so called Indian – Media and Intellectuals it was a communal issue. In fact, all the issues raised by RSS in national interest are named communal because it is fashionable to do so.
In this case media and intellectual have not been able to give a communal colour to GM Crops; hence calling it as interference in economics. In reality they just needed to use their imagination, GM crops is linked to crops and most crops are green and hence, this should also be dubbed as RSS’s Communal Agenda or else people will think media and intellectual in this country are changing their stance because Narendra Modi is Prime Minister?
-Sandeep Singh (The writer is a weekly column writer of ‘Narendra Modi and CXO Leadership