essay
Masani outlines Employment plan
Economic Times · BOMBAY · 1971
1 pages
Summary
This newspaper interview, credited to M. L. Kamath and featuring M. R. Masani, presents an employment programme centred on public investment, agricultural development, education, and private enterprise. Masani argues that employment should receive priority in the national budget, while agricultural productivity and rural purchasing power should be strengthened to support industrial growth. He also calls for investment in infrastructure, irrigation, power, communications, technical education, and housing.
The interview connects employment policy with constitutional rights, social justice, and the dangers of excessive state control. Masani supports equal opportunity and safeguards for weaker sections, but criticises the expansion and inefficiency of public-sector enterprises, arguing that managerial responsibility and profitability matter. He also discusses political instability, the Congress’s decline, the prospects of a stable government, and the need for private initiative rather than dependence on government. The clipping includes continuations of both the interview and a separate report on a dispute involving the DSP plant; those continuation pages were not rendered.
Key points
- Masani proposes treating employment as a priority in the national budget.
- The interview links employment creation to agricultural productivity, rural purchasing power, and industrial development.
- It recommends investment in irrigation, power, communications, technical education, housing, and other infrastructure.
- Masani argues that public-sector enterprises require accountable management and attention to profitability.
- The discussion presents constitutional rights, equality of opportunity, and protections for weaker sections as foundations of policy.
- Masani warns against excessive dependence on government and advocates greater scope for private initiative.
- The interview also comments on Congress’s political decline, coalition prospects, and the difficulty of forming a stable government.
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