i have tracked in this blog how fake development is treated as mantra for progress by all wings of the government like the finance ministry, environment ministry, prime minister office, etc.

not only the government but devil-may-care upper middle class of urban india also wants more and more 'development', so that they live like 'americans' live forgetting the fact that consumerisitic american life cannot be replicated in a congested and ecosystem crucial country like india.

adding to this development bandwagon are industrialists who push chemical, leather, mining, steel and other red tag industries in rural areas smashing agriculture, fishing and other livelihoods by outdated technology and zero pollution control mechanisms.

one industrialist seem to differ correctly on the paradigm of development. he is swraj paul. he spoke eloquently on the india america nuclear deal and now he is raising valid points on development and i quote from him, "Lord Swaraj Paul on Sunday emphasised that India can become a developed country if the issues of education, health and security are dealt with.

"About 30 per cent children have no access to primary education, over 30 per cent people live below the poverty line surviving on less than USD one a day," Lord Paul said during the launch of a magazine "NRI Achiever - Doing India Proud" here. "

he is right. any country that respects and treats all people as equal, that respects and gives opportunity to all sections of people, that treats rural livelihood like agriculture as very important poverty alleviation mechanism, that treats its rivers, coastal regions, forests, wildlife as crucial parameters, that lifts its children out of poverty by giving quality and subsidized primary education and health needs can truly be considered developed.

to be developed does not mean we have to live a gas guzzling life like in america. to be developed does not mean we have huge buildings amidst urban slums, to be developed does not mean we will have polluting industries that smash agriculture and violently displaces people, to be developed does not mean gdp figures alone.