He was delivering the inaugural address at the 38th Annual Conference of the Gujarat Economic Association being held at the Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research (SPISER).

Haque said that poverty alleviation cannot be meaningful without land reforms, as there are 15 million landless people in the country.

More importantly, he said, 7.5 million people do not even have homestead land.

He went on to say that this was among the reasons as to why West Bengal has fared better than other states.

He added that there is a proposal in the Eleventh Five Year Plan to provide 10 to 15 cents of land to every agricultural family.

Another issue brought forward by Haque was the need to legalise leasing of agricultural lands.

He said that in states like Bihar, informal leasing was prevalent in upto 40 per cent of land holdings and was a cause of distress in rural areas.

Y K Alagh, noted economist and professor emeritus of SPISER, said, “Profitability in agriculture and poverty are two issues that demand discussion. This is also the time to look into the impact of globalisation without preparedness.”

Speaking about the Sardar Sarovar Project, Alagh said that Narmada water has indeed brought prosperity and even a change in agricultural practices.

He said, “In central Gujarat, as you travel you can identify distinct pockets where the Narmada waters have reached. I even saw wheat cultivation at some places which did not take place in the state earlier.”

This year’s conference is focussed on deliberations on the themes of poverty and the Sardar Sarovar Project and its impact in the state.