Two Decades of Globalization in Uttar Pradesh and Increasing Problems and Challenges before Agricultural Workers

Abstract

To overcome the financial crisis, occurred in 1980s, India had undertaken economic reform measures for economic growth towards reducing unemployment and poverty. In this period, decline of economic growth, Uttar Pradesh, had also experienced. Towards tackling the decline in agrarian economic growth, the state government, by trapping the opportunity of undertaken economic reform measures by the central government, had undertaken economic reform measures through formulating Industrial Policies 1998 and 2004. On the adopted pattern of the central government for achieving economic growth and development through designing pro-service sector (urban centric) economic reform measures (treating service sector as engine of economic growth and development), the state government had also made almost the same efforts. The economic growth was planned to be achieved through industrial and agricultural growth. Resultantly, state economy grew but with imbalanced growth in economic sectors. Now service sector is dominant over the economies of India and Uttar Pradesh. In the globalization period, economic reform has adversely affected growth and development of agriculture sector, which provides foods to State’s 72 percent populations. Todate, agriculture sector is being characterized by low growth, low employment, low crop, low income and high inputs. The largest population of agricultural workers (landless families and small land holder families) has also got adversely affected. The policy discrimination with agriculture sector has widened the rural-urban and rich-poor divide. In result, agricultural workers are shifting from agricultural works to non-agricultural works. Today, they are facing problems and challenges, likes, inadequate and irregular employment days, inadequate wages, inadequate income, low bargaining power, poor access to social security scheme, etc. The post economic reform effects are also raising the questions on the achievement of objectives (reducing unemployment and poverty) of Industrial policies and advertisement of good governance and inclusive growth for all.

Keywords: Globalization, Shrinking Agricultural Growth, Indian Economy, Economic Growth, Imbalanced Growth, Agricultural Workers, Uttar Pradesh