Employment Potential for Agricultural and Allied Graduate as Self Employers

Employment Opportunities for Agricultural Graduates

G.M. Wani

Ph.D ; D.V.M (Germany)

FN ISSGAPU, FN DAAD

Director Extension Education / SAMETI

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir

Shalimar, Srinagar, 191121

Introduction

In the past few years the growth of Agricultural Universities have increased from few in 1940 to more than 40 by 2004. The enrolled students number increased from mere half a thousand to nearly 20 thousands between this period. As on today we have 260 colleges in India imparting educational degrees in Agriculture alone. They consist of various disciplines including veterinary, horticulture, sericulture, forestry, floriculture and a number of other sub-disciplines as plantation crops, medicinal herbs, mushroom, seed production, dairy production, agri-management and like. A number of Government department in India employ agricultural and allied graduates. The mode of recruitment is through respective State & Central Govt. public service commissions.

Beside professional employment, the agricultural graduates can compete in the national or State administrative or financial and allied services. Similarly many banks, insurance companies, private industries, private concerns and development companies. The NGO do also employ agricultural and allied graduates. The graduates have to go through employment new and other professional Journals through Radio, TV and both central and State Govts. also give advertisements. A vast number of professional, managerial and industry related advanced courses after agri or allied graduation are also advertised. They include business management, financial management or related disciplines in corporate sector. A diploma in mass media, computers or even commerce shall fetch a graduate additional employment chances in Govt. and private sectors. Opportunities in foreign countries for agri-graduates are also there, however this would need diploma in international agriculture and a driving licence besides a passport.

For graduates a number of courses are available for Masters. Even on date we have 1/3rd positions vacant in SAU and ICAR Institutes, for which annually ARS examination is being held by Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Board. The recruitment to scientists and Assistant professors is open to all M.Sc /M.V.Sc or allied post graduates and Ph.D holders. Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with NABARD and other banks have launched Agri-business Agri clinic courses. They are 3 months courses on the job training to Agri-graduates free of cost. In fact all the expenses are borne by the Agri-business school. A network of such training schools have been established. We have also a dozen in J&K. There is a strong future for agri-graduates in private sector. They can set up crop, fruit nurseries or open seed sale and production centres. We have a number of successful agri-graduates earning more than Rs. 20,000/- a month in various parts of the valley. The whole agricultural and allied sector has a strong employment generation potential. We have identified 15 such agri business ventures, which can be profitable employment ventures. A great potential of employment is hidden in Nursery plants for fruits and vegetables. An investment of Rs. 30,000/- per year may give a net profit of Rs. 2 lakh per annum.

Australia also provides many jobs like in Europe and USA for Indian Agri-graduates. The respective embassies or the internet employment advertise many help Agri graduates. For Australia information can be had on www.dookie. Uniemb.ed.am/. More personal information can be had on phone 0427355721 or email saparker@uniemeb.edu.an. Likewise many websites are available around the globe and in India too. New ventures financed by banks are Agri.biotechnologies and precision farming for organic Agriculture.

Agricultural development over years has been the result of continuous agri skill generation and its popularization. The earliest agriculture was animal domestication. Over thousands of years man domesticated wild fowl, dog, goat and smaller animals, whom he could overpower easily and subjugate to his sub-ordination. Agriculture thus since beginning has been the results of trails, experiments and experiences over years, learned first though behavioral changes, psychic reoccurrences, memories passed through parents to children and later on through doing and learning and now through sharing experiences and writing them or dotting them as an Entrepreneurship concern.

Entrepreneurship concept

The Entrepreneurship adds economic profits and cost-benefit ratios to Agricultural Output. Entrepreneurship is dominated by four factors like:

a. Social changes

b. Support system availability

c. Resource base and its utilization

d. Self confidence, exploration work capacity and intellectual potency.

An entrepreneur has to have a thinking of his own, a capacity building interest in acquiring needed technique. An explorative and analytic faculties to judge the way of procuring cheap raw material. He must be equipped with “knowledge” and mindset to use and benefit out of it.

Farm Business

A potential entrepreneurship must strive from getting maximum output. Decades back agricultural development and industrial setups was a public sponsored and heavily subsidized but over time “knowledge” explosion in Indian Agriculture, have brought us on threshold of a system, where wide distances exist between industry and farm business. Where huge subsidies are benefiting Agro-Industrialists. The Farmers who use fertilizers or agro-chemical are crushed under economic pressures. The gaps between technology generated and technology use at farmers door is increasing day after day. The farm technology adoption rates are not more than 20-30% by any higher prospective.

The use of information and communication technology (I&CT) for reducing the gaps and increasing productivity is the need of the hour (Wani, 2005). The modern technology and knowledge flow is fast expanding and bringing change. It demands more educated and trained farmers. Our education system has produced more literates but not educationally trained youth to earn their own bread. They after attaining graduation in agriculture and allied sectors, beg for job. The system has to be corrected to make these graduates as employers and not employees. I wrote a treatise in 1992, emphasizing a system where our agriculture graduates should be employers not employees. Germans are smart to have Farmers school, Farmer business training institutes, practical agri-farmers training centres and like, where every farmer or animal husbandry man is essentially a trained fellow. The banking system is so organized that they are on the door of convocation hall to sell their agri-business and agri-clinics packages to graduates, without any investments. Banks are so smart, that they have surveyed the villages who need vets or agri-graduates or have attained land and all facilitation, so that agricultural or veterinary or even other medico-biological graduates are used as bank investment. This is what is envisaged in India under agri-clinic, Agribusiness venture. We have trainings not in the hands of banks but with universities. There is practically little interaction between universities or banks or employers.

Success of Agribusiness:

A poor liaison and support system between Govt. banking and University culture has made this otherwise an remunerative and lucerative programmes into a failure inspite of its personal monitoring by PMO. We visited Bandipora district and unregistered Agriclinic graduates were earning a handsome salary, more than the Rahbar-e-zerat or Agriculture Asstt. Agribusiness viz sale of pesticides, cattle feed, poultry feed and agri-extension services were common. At a small village in Papchan, one agri graduate Mr. Iqbal Shah earns Rs. 10,000/- per month by selling the services and input. At a distance of few kms in the same district one Mr. Khyatlani owns a big poultry farm and earns around Rs. 20,000/- per month. Both these entrepreneurs employ 2-3 persons at present. Similarly, the success shown by one Mr. Shah at Malangam in Agri products and pesticide sale and one Mr. Bhat in Dairy production and milk product sale earn a handsome income besides generating employment for poor. All these agricultural graduates have started their own business concerns without any bank or university help.

Farmer as Entrepreneur

Indian Farming and farmer has to change if proper WTO recommendation and GATT agreements are to be followed. The present day poultry scenario is emerging as high profile agri-business in India. The conversion of poultry farmer’s into poultry entrepreneurs shall make the present day 6% contribution of poultry products from India and China to 25% share of Global market. This when translated into action shall increase employment generation by manifolds. The introduction of rural based Vanraja, Gramapriya, Giriraja, Cari Gold and vast other locally grown varieties of poultry have adopted well to our agri-rural base. The market acceptability is higher than exotic poultry concerns. Free-rang-poultry is like BT cotton hybrid spreading through villages of India and assuring high returns and exports (wani, 2007).

Poultry as Agri-business

Dr. Gordon Butland, president of Global poultry strategies presents “Backyard poultry production” as a tool of alleviating poverty and malnutrition. We have tried to distribute “birds” under free-range system in all our KVK’s, our results were excellent and income generation was totally in favour of the Agri-business and agri-clinics.

This all will need the involvement of Agri-Veterinary and food processing technocrats to develop rural-based establishments so as to foster export and fast returns.

Holistic Vision for Livestock Enterprise

Improving income, employment and self-reliance among educated graduates and un-employed youth especially women needs fostering community development, women empowerment, environmental protection. Rural-based backyard poultry subscribes to all these norms and could be a rich resource for developing agri-entrepreneurship. Govt. of India is liberally financing such agri-business ventures. Some of the success stories in animal husbandry section can be reproduced as follows:

Backyard poultry and incubation

Though the Vanraja are the most suitable for back yard poultry, they do not have habit of broodiness. There is a problem among the farmer to get a broody hen in all season. KVK solve this problem of hatching by installing small unit of hatchery. Every month 15-20 farmers are benefited by purchasing chicks for backyard poultry. There are 200 back yard poultry units of Vanraja. Each farmer is rearing 10 to 25 in the backyard. There is a good demand and response for the chicks and eggs of Vanraja. KVKs are now planning to expand this entrepreneurship by Agri-graduates .

Semi-stall-fed Goat Rearing

KVK’s made an intervention to improve this enterprise by conducting short duration training programmes for rural youth. Similarly exposure visit were organized on goat feed, breed and health management. More emphasis was given on Osmanabadi goat and up-gradation in selected non-descript goat breed by osmanabadi pure buck and given the knowledge about semi stallfed goat rearing concept. This experience in Andra Pradesh shows a great potential for agri-graduates own business.

Broiler Production

A KVK has conducted training programmes for 165 trainees. Due to training and demonstrations awareness was increased about contract farming in broiler production with private sector which provide chicks, feed and medicine and after 40 days purchases them back. They acquired skills through learning by doing at KVK demonstration unit and earned money. The technology has been adopted by 10 percent of youths now in the radius of 20 km. There are 27 poultry units having capacity of 5000-10000 poultry birds on contract farming basis. These self employed rural youth earning Rs 10000-15000 per lot.

A seminar-cum-farmer’s meet was arranged at SKUAST-K on 26- 27th of Oct.2007. The knowledge –sharing with farmers by agricultural graduates and scientists was emphasized by His Excellency the Chancellor and Governor of J&K. A vision of poverty alleviation through backyard poultry intervention was the theme of the seminar. Many belts in Gurez, Tangdar, Tillail and Zanskar are rearing native livestock species. They are better suited and need improvement and identification. The cooking methods will need more expansion and scientific intervention for export. More emphasis has to be made on:

· Safe feed and food.

· Organic fodder and food.

· Operational excellence and modern mechanization to improve quality of indigenous enterprises.

· Local family management to farm business management and seller-buyer mode adoption.

This will need graduate farmers who are trained. Thus future farmer has to be a farmer graduate as in USA, Germany etc.

High Value Agri-business

Rapid growth rate in high value commodities in Indian agriculture promises 40% total output. The sectors assuming importance for export earnings are Fruits, milk, vegetable and poultry. Thus Agriclinic training centres should focus on these commodity oriented trainings. The sector may need more than 1 lac young agri-graduate entrepreneurs to achieve national goals and not the mere 14000 un-employed agriculture graduates.

Technological Prospective

The technological gaps between research yields and Farmers yields are wide. The technological know how over years is on shelf. Much of it has remained frozen if not dead within the fore walls of institutions. The location specific, crop and soil specific innovations to farmer’s practices are few. Our integrated & mixed farming practiced by our farmer’s, needs packages recommending mixed farming improvements which is not forth coming. Our research institutes mostly aped the experimentations on commercial farming of west with few modifications and even additions at times. Our traditional agriculture existing still in remote areas encompass the use of farm yard manure, vormiculture & use of agricultural waste materials. The present problems of low soil fertility, reduction in yields and soil salinity have arisen due to excessive use of chemical inputs in farming with little care of the soil.

This scenario resulted due to incomplete innovative approaches of research. Our researchers blindly advocated more and more use of fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides, which helped to gain grain revolutions, but left legacy of polluted water, air & environment with degraded soils. These revolutions debarred future sustenance. This was due to poor perception.

Thus immediate need is to make researchers akin with information technology and advanced communication. The rapid evolution of information science demands quick and speedy transfer of technologies, awareness & even subject reviews to farmer’s for speedy application. The productivity would be better if technological advances are adopted and their impact is known. The knowledge of computer hardware, software as well interlinking the information dissemination channels and outlets is essential. This will consume hundreds of Agri-graduates in mass media, information and communication.

Our vision

Mixed Farm University Culture:

Higher productivity gains can be achieved through application of technology and production recommendations at farmer’s fields. We have 65% small and marginal farmers whose awareness potential is low. The production system prevailing with these farmers is a mixed farming or composite farming. In contrast to USA and European agriculture our necessity is to increase “Crop –livestock-fish-plant integrated production system with multiple livelihood opportunities”. Therefore, we need our own innovative educational and training policies. A mixed agriculture University and Education set ups is our necessity. We are at present going astray to our need. Quick and fast measures and needed to unify our educational system, involving all agriculture and allied disciplines, industries, corporate sectors and farmers institution.

Higher productivity Concerns:

Indian Agricultural pride years of green revolution post 1968 saw reduction in food gain imports and subsequently white, blue and other revolutions sustained our population pressures and agriculture growth. Our agricultural growth rate (AGR) need to be equal if not more to population growth rate (PGR). Our AGR target ought to be double the PGR.

This is important as consumption rates, purchasing power and employment prospects increase. An estimated food grain of 210 million tons at present may need to be doubled in next 10 years. We have to achieve high targets of productivity by vertical expansion as horizontal land expansion is just not possible. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan has quoted figures as of 160 million tones of rice from 40m hac of land, thereby setting the productivity target of 4 t/h. Like wise production of 100 million tones of wheat from 25 million tones of wheat from 25 million hectors needs a productivity of 4t/hac. Our aim to double our per hac productivity needs more technical manpower in extension, industry and at gross root level.

The climatic disasters, earthquakes, Titanic tsunami, floods; have effected our agricultural production in the past and additional requirements needs to be kept in mind while planning food security. We need to increase per capita consumption expenditures of Rs.600 per month. We need to bridge the gaps between potential and actual yields at farmers level. The chemical farming hazards of poor soil fertility, low water availability, pollution and environmental concerns impede our agricultural development. Thus refined technology, participatory research and educational modules are needed. The new pressures of Global marketing. World trade and tariff regulations have to be accommodated. This all will need incorporation of new themes like post-harvest management, value addition, packaging, communication, credit and market information services in our course curricula. Thus a new multidimensional change in academic curriculum is envisaged, which may open new opportunities for Agricultural and allied graduates.

Quality Assurance

We feel pride in calling ourselves as the 2nd largest Agricultural Research system (ARS) in World. When we review our performance we are no where in top ten of most cited agriculture publications countries in the World. USA tops the world list with 3,62,79,842 cited publication/annum, with small country like Switzerland at No.10. The scientific out put in agriculture is highest in USA with 27 lac publication/year followed by Japan, Germany, U.K, France, Canada, Italy, Russia, China and Australia. Our contribution to Agriculture publication is 5.48% only with our share of citation at 2.32%. This demands more focus on Quality Assurance. Our prime agenda should be quality Agriultural Education. Our emphasis has to be on:

Academic quality, Accreditation; Desired knowledge, Assessment, Skill and competence building and academic audit. Quality assurance, means strengthening resources, information and maintenance of educational infrastructure. Thus we need to regulate grants and centre-state relations rationally. This will open golden opportunities to our graduate across the borders.

Employment opportunities

We have 36 state/deemed or central agricultural Universities and 20 general universalities with 48 agricultural faculties. The total disciplines needing grants may be strengthened in 5 yrs by 1 core grants to each discipline for quality assurance. We produce 10,000 under graduate 5500 post graduates and 1600 Ph.D in agriculture every years . They add to our unemployed pool. For making them self employees in new ventures and for increased employment , their competence building in Global economics and trade policies. Biotechnology, Bioinformation, Biofertilizers, pesticides and fungicides etc are to be enhanced. New faculty development in all the Universities and colleges is to be executed in coming 5 years. Such as :

Pest information and survey; Risk Management Analysis; Decision support system; Geographic information system. A new trust is to be given to course curriculum integrating field practices in a partnership mode with farmer. A teacher-student-farmer-industry, interaction and co-operation is to be developed. A new model of mechanics in Agricultural and allied curricula is to be integrated, unified and fine tuned to end results. This will demand inter and intra faculty harmony and synchronized course curricula at UG, PG and Ph.D level. This has to be fine tuned to our field requirements and location orientations and Employment opportunities will be the end result.

Asia Specific Agricultural Education:

Indian Economy is a agri-centre economy which supports 70% of our population, as direct rural employment . Forty five percent of the income generated by industries comes from Agri-based (Agro) Industries. Therefore , a vast potential and resource is hidden in it. If we think of Asia specific Agriculture, we have to play a significant role in the region which has 60% of the world population. The region is rich of energy and oil resources and millennium buzz word is open boarders and common market with first priority on peace, confidence and trust. For up-liftmen of region we need training education and human resource utilization. Therefore Agriculture educational reforms are on our door steps to harvest the gains of common economy in the SARC and total Asian region. These educational reforms should involve schools, colleges and Universities. The re-modeling of curriculum will need incorporation of new emerging era, like competitive global marketing, the climatic, disaster, technology use, restrictions, sustainability, environment, water resource conservation, remediation factors etc.

Agri-educational reforms are needed so that ICAR parallels USDA, in governing grant-in aid to whole agriculture sector. An omnibuss act of agriculture in the shape of USA farm bill of 1996 is envisioned. New educational policies so drafted shall be non-discriminative, comprehensive , transparent and accountable. They will pave a way to total employment in Asia for Agri and allied graduates.

Access to Education and Training:

Access to education and training to people below the poverty line, rural youth and women is to be ensured. This will need a total restructured education infrastructure. A three tyre model is envisioned which consists of:

1. On the job, training opportunities on farm mechanization and agriculture.

2. Training skills, up-gradation and rural orientation at University level, refinement and more innovative participatory mode at farmers field. Roaming teaching taught system on holidays and Sundays.

3. Teacher-student-farmer-industry-interaction-work and planed-self- learning by living with farmers. It will ensure quality training and job improvement of skilled manpower for use in Asian Agri development Market. The utilization of Rehbar-e-Zerat in this paid Agri-services to farmers shall provide them job and money.

Informal-flexible Agriculture Information Services

A flexible curriculum models which should have many options at B.Sc level like:

1. Natural science

2. Agri Science

- Production system

- Agri-business

- Social science

3. International Agriculture

4. Natural Resources

5. Agri-business management

6. Biological engineering

7. Dietetrics

8. Landscape Architecture

These inclusions at B.Sc or Post graduate level shall help in graduate employment.

Export Orientation in Agri-education & employment:

In the present era of bio-safety, phyto and zoo sanitation have assumed tremendous importance. Education and knowledge was safe and secure treasure in the past. It is no more true. The export needs knowledge and new inventions need patenting. Web and web designing have made invisible teachers to unknown students. The students-teacher relationship has raised to spiritual horizons. New targets for future educational planning and policies need to have more information and communication technology. Therefore courses on I&C with computer applications is must. These have been strengthened in the SAU and ICAR institutions in the last few years. However a total connectivity is needed with farmers, farm organizations and utilization departments to harvest the gains of technological reforms to increase our exports. Inspite of ranking I in milk production our exports are meager. This is because of poor –zoo-sanitation and Global lobiest are critical of our disease free status. Therefore, policies and programmes in Agri-export orientation and the training to our agri-vet. And allied graduates is a must. Training of these graduates in management, mass media, export-import ventures, industry and related agrobased ventures like sales of fertilizers, pesticides, seeds etc is needed.

References

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Author: G M Wani

Political Economy of India’s Special Economic Zones: a Conceptual Frame Work

Every country stands for its own development. For this purpose the state introduces and implements new policies and programmes such as Special Economic Zones Act. After 60 years of its independence India with its 110 core population has evolved a new paradigm of its political economy which is confusing. The policies and programmes initiated by Indian government to create a ‘global village’ based on free market economy and free trade among nations cutting across all barriers, abolition of national boundaries and dismantling the nation –state system giving priority to ‘market’ over the ‘state’ . After the enactment of Special Economic Zone Act 2005, it created tremendous effects on political economy of the country.

The term ‘political economy’ came from the two Greek words ‘Politiko’ and ‘Oikonomia, where ‘Politiko’ stands for the state and society and ‘Oikonomia’means managing the house hold economy. Political economy thus means a study of the state, society and house hold economy. The concept of political economy arose historically as the economic doctrine of a new class – the capitalist class. It has been evolved since the days of Aristotle who gave a model of public good through guaranteeing each person private possession of what he was rationally and morally entitled. Private property was elaborated later by Locke, Adam Smith, Ricardo and the physiocrates, who came to be known as the Laissez Fairists in Economics, or, the liberal democrats in politics. Adam Smith referred to political economy as a branch of the system of civil government. It was concerned with public policy.

In Marxian view, political economy can be regarded as a subject which studies the social relations evolves between different classes of people in course of production, distribution, exchange and consumption. Political economy belongs to the broad land of economics, which opens on to political science. After a prolonged period of hibernation, the subject has again been resurrected.

Marxist political economy makes a study of how the productive forces are used under the given relations of production taking account of the lines and trends in technical progress; political economy studies the influence of production relations on such progress and its socio economic consequences. Marxist political economy starts from the assumption that human vital activity is objectively based on social material production which includes man’s interactions with the nature and whole range of relations which arise in the process. It has been realized that every political action has its obvious economic repercussion, and every economic action has had its political implications.

The liberal school of political economy offers economic implications of political facts and factors. The liberal school has economized politics. The liberal system focuses on the atomistic individual as the relevant unit, on the description of economic behavior in terms of subject choices among alternatives, on the notion of social welfare as the maximizations of individual utility sums. The socialist system views the entire economic system as the basic unit, views economic progress in terms of the growth of the forces of production and focuses on ‘relations of production’ ‘surplus value’ and the rapid increase of social product.

By contrast the Gandhian system eschews both the notions of the atomistic autonomous individual maximizing his utility in a self regulating economy and the notion of processes of production autonomously effecting changes in the organization of production ,class relationship and the magnitude and distribution of social product instead of the Gandhian model suggest that the fundamental attribute of human economic behaviour lies in the relationship of individual to socioeconomic micro groups and the relationship of micro groups to society .The basic economic act is neither the choice between economic alternatives nor the social division of natural products, but the adjustment between individual and the micro groups to which they belong, and of those micro groups to society .It is this collaboration which is the basic theme of the Gandhian system of political economy.

The Gandhian system is viewed in micro groups that are fundamental constituents of the economic system and given full scope to develop their potential in the context of no coercive forms of political control. Social welfare is defined in terms of the functioning of the collaborative micro groups vis –a-vis its members. Gandhi believed that the introduction of technology and patterns of development must be consistent with the full employment objective.

Today economist speaks of sustainable development and ecological values. Gandhi was not against industry but as he predicted it could not give people more employment. His constructive programmes were to give employment to all people whether it be kadhi, gobar gas or tree plantations, where all can be engaged in constructive work. Gandhian economics is an alternative to overcome the exploitation of both capitalism and communism for the exponents of human social order.He was against the large scale use of machinery which kept millions without work. Swadeshi is one of the core elements in the socio-economic organisation of Gandhian system.

Gandhi observes

“Life here will not be a pyramid with the apex sustained by the bottom, but it will be an oceanic circle whose centre will be the individual, always ready to perish for the village, the latter ready to perish for the circle of the villages, till at last the whole becomes one life composed of individual, never aggressive in their arrogance, but ever humble sharing the majesty of the oceanic circle of which they are integral units’. The idea of the circle stands for integrating, fullness and self-sufficiency. He wrote that independence must begin at the bottom. Thus every village will be a republic or Panchayat having full powers. It follows therefore, that every village has to be self sustained and capable of managing its affairs even to the extent of defending itself against the whole world.”

Politics and economy are considered as two basic factors in determining the nature of the state and society. They are interrelated to such an extent that the changes in one affect the other, and hence both are ‘dynamic’ and ‘flexible’ ingredients of the national and the international systems. Politics and economy taken together as political economy refers to ‘managing the economy of the state’. Conceptually political economy connotes the relationship between the state, society and the economy, the cause–effect relationship between technological change and the process of development, the economic relations among the different nations of the world.

DEFINITION OF SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE

A special economic zones is a geographical region that has economic; laws more liberal than a countries typical economic laws. According to the SEZ Act 2005, A SEZ is a ‘specially delineated duty free enclave and shall be deemed to be foreign territory for the purpose of trade operations and duties and tariffs. A SEZ also been viewed as “a geographical region with different economic laws than a countries typical economic laws with the main goal of attracting foreign investment’. “A SEZ or a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) is typically an enclave of units operating in a well –defined area within the geographical boundary of a country where certain economic activities are promoted by a set of policy measures that are generally not applicable to the rest of the country”.

The concept of special economic zones is not new. In an International Labour Organization (ILO) report traces the roots of the concept to 13th centaury Spain and in more recent times to Ireland and Puerto Rico, which established Export Processing Zones (EPZ). Export Processing Zones is the former name of the Special Economic Zones. The countries like China, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, India, Jordan, Philippines and Russia have utilized the concept of SEZ. In 1986, there were 176 zones across 47 countries. Now the number has increased to over 5000 across 147 countries.

The zones are known by different names in different parts of the world. Most often these are Free Trade Zones (FTZ),Industrial Free Zones (IFS) Export Processing Zones (EPZ) Bonded Free Zones and Special Economic Zones (SEZ).

Export Processing Zone is the ancestor of SEZ. An Export Processing Zone is relatively small geographically spread area within a country. The purpose of which is to attract export oriented industries, by offering them especially favorable investment and trade conditions as compared with the reminder of the host country. The EPZ is just an industrial enclave but SEZ is an integrated township with fully developed infrastructure. The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNID) identifies five basic attributes of EPZ s are:

? EPZs are dominated by market mechanisms.

? EPZ are restricted to a limited region.

? EPZs specialize in the production of exports goods and offer special incentives for such production.

? Their major aims are to attract foreign investments, earn foreign exchange and to generate employment

? Secondary aims are technology transfer, development linkages and regional development .

Policies taken by the governments for the development of the nation obviously affect the people. SEZ policies are for the development of the country. These Developmental projects have economic, political and social impact. In Gandhian political economy, village level development is needed. Land needed for the establishment of the SEZs projects also affected the political economy of the country. Tax incentives, Foreign Direct Investment, New type of employment generation also affect the political economy of the country. The macro economic changes driven by SEZs will push the countries down the path of increasing socio-political crisis.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF INDIA’S SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES

India became independent in 1947 and chose self- sufficiency along with economic autonomy. The Industrial Policy Resolution of 1948 marked the beginning of the evolution of the Indian Industrial policy. The Resolution not only defined the broad contours of the policy. But it delineated the role authority of the state in industrial development both as an entrepreneur and as an authority

The industrial policy Resolution of 1956 gave the public sector a strategic role in the economy. It categorized industries, which would be the exclusive responsibility of the state or would progressively come under state control and others. Earmarking the pre-eminent position of the public sector, it envisaged private sector coexisting with the state and thus attempted to give the policy framework flexibility. India opted for a planned economy with emphasis on state sponsored industrialization. The argument was that capital being scare in India, it was essential to regulate the flow of the available capital in to socially desirable channels. This was achieved by an elaborate system of industrial licensing and state monopoly and control over key industries.

More than 80% of the Indian population is still living in agricultural field. Agri-centered model of development was prevalent during the 1950sand the 60s. Agriculture contributes approximately one-fifth of total gross domestic product (GDP). It provides the means of livelihood to about two-thirds of the country’s population. The Sector provides employment to 59 percent of the countries workforce and is the single largest private sector occupation. Agriculture accounts for about 10 percent of the total export earnings and provides raw material to a large number of industries.

During the Jawaharlal Nehru’s period, foreign collaborations were promoted in certain sectors and foreign investment was encouraged. First Export Processing Zone (EPZ) was set up in 1965 at Kandla, in Gujarat. This was a predecessor of the Special Economic Zone in India. The Santa Cruz EPZ in Mumbai became operational in 1973.

After the death of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi became the prime Minister of India in 1966. She also did a lot for the economic development of the country. The Foreign Investment Board was set up in 1968. In 1973, Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) was enacted.. India set up the Santa Cruz Electronics Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) between1973-74. It was the first EPZ which was dedicated to the electronic industry.

Doors of the Indian economy were opened during the 1980s, by Indira Gandhi and later by Rajiv Gandhi. From 1984 to 1989, the policy was to enable the middle class to consume more so as to raise the internal demand. This resulted in the raise of imports and the growth of Foreign Direct Investment. The government tried to raise the level of exports in order to balance this phenomenon. In 1984, the Free Zone policy received a fresh start. By 1991, the Indian economy was opened up for linking up the Indian market with the world leading to free flow of trade and commerce .The multilateral Financial Institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund while assisting the developing countries like India also insisted upon restructuring the polity and the administrative machinery. Following a change in the policy regime in this period and the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with India becoming its founder member, it opted for a liberalized capitalist strategy. There had been introducing policies since July 1991 particularly in the industrial sector.

De-reservation of industries for the public sector was one of the major step taken by the government as part of the policy changes in the industrial sector. It was against the earlier 17 industries were reserved, there are now industries like defense production, atomic energy, coal and lignite, railways and mineral oils reserved for the public sector. Core industries like iron and steel, electricity, air transport, shipbuilding, and heavy machinery industries such as heavy electrical plants telecommunication cables and instruments are now open to private sector participation. Besides, equities held by the government in selected public sector enterprises like ONGC etc are now available to mutual funds, financial institutions, the general public and workers through a policy of divestment

In1998, the first private SEZ started its operations in Surat .This was under the jurisdiction of the Mumbai (SEEPZ)Development Commissioner, who was a nominee of the central Government.

From the beginning of the 21st century, most of the developing countries in the world have recognized the importance of facilitating international trade for the sustained growth of the economy and increased contribution to the GDP of the nation. As part of its continuing commitment to liberalisation, the Government of India has also adopted a multi-pronged approach to promote foreign investment in India. The Government of India has pushed ahead with second-generation reforms and has made several policy changes to achieve this objective. The annual growth rate ranged between six and nine percent.

Bharathiya Janatha Party (BJP) government decided to re-launch the Free Trade Zone Policy in 2000. It changed the name of Export Processing Zone (EPZ) to Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The policy intended to make SEZs an engine for economic growth supported by quality infrastructure complemented by an attractive fiscal package both at the Centre and the State level with the minimum possible regulations.

The salient features of the SEZ scheme are:

v No licenses required for import

v Manufacturing or service activities allowed.

v SEZ units to be positive net foreign exchange earner within three years.

v Domestic sales subject to full customs duty and import policy in force.

v Full freedom for sub contracting.

v No routine examination by customs authorities of export/import cargo.

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government Currently in power enacted Special Economic Zone Act, 2005 which was passed in June 2005 and came into force on 10th February 2006 with the notification of the SEZ Rule in 2006. The Act provides for drastic simplification of rules and single window clearance on matters relating to the union and state governments .The state governments have also been enacted their own SEZ laws to cover State subjects.

The Act provides for single window clearance mechanisms for developers and operators for ensuring orderly development of SEZs, the responsibility is assigned to the Board of Approval, constituted by the union Government. The Union Government may set up a SEZ on its own or on the basis of proposals of the state government or private developers after the Board of Approval has duly screened them .At the regional level, the Development Commissioner and his /her office will exercise administrative control of SEZs. The Labor Commissioner’s power is also delegated to the Development Commissioner. There is an approval committee to approve /reject /modify proposals for setting up units in SEZs. All suits of civil nature and notified offences in SEZs will be tried and settled by specially notified courts and affected parties may appeal to high courts against the orders of the designated courts. The corporate units operating under SEZs will enjoy special privileges and protection granted by law.

The Act offers a special fiscal package to the units set up in the SEZs. This package includes, exemption from customs duties, central excise duties, service tax, central sales taxes, and securities transaction tax to both the developer and the units set-up, tax holiday for 15 years like 100 percent tax exemption for five years ,50 percent for next five years, and 50 percent for the ploughed back export profits for the next five years.100percent income tax exemption for 10 years in a block of 15 years for SEZ developers.

There is a three-tier administrative structure. On the top, a Board of Approval at the level of the Union Government has been set up for the functioning of the SEZs. Next an authority has been created by the state governments for creation and promotion of the infrastructure within each state. Finally, in SEZ mechanism /authority is provided for single window approval. According to the 2005 Act, these zones can be set up by the developers, who could be private real persons, companies, both Indian and foreign, as also the State governments or the central government by themselves or jointly with private parties. It is also being envisaged that some of the existing Export Processing Zones would be converted into Special Economic Zones. The SEZ Act, 2005 supported by SEZ Rules, has come in to effect on 10th February 2006.

THREE CATEGORIES OF SEZ

In India SEZs are divided in to three categories, Multi-product SEZs Sector specific SEZs, Free Trade and Ware housing Zone (FTWZ). The first category signifies a SEZ where units may be set up for manufacture/rendering of services of two or more goods in a sector or good/services falling in two or more sectors. For multi-product service SEZ, a contiguous area of 100 hectares or more is required.

The second category defined as a zone meant exclusively for one or more product/services. The minimum area requirement is 100 hectors of contiguous and vacant land. Within sector specific SEZs, Bio-technology, Gems and Jewellery, Non conventional energy, electronics, hardware and software SEZ-including IT can be set up with minimum area has been relaxed to 50 hectares for Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and, Arunachalpradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, J&K, Goa and the Union Territories.

Free trade and warehousing zone (FTWZ) is the third category which minimum area requirement is 40 hectares of contiguous and vacant land. Built up area should not be less than 10 hectares.

There are 19 functional SEZs in the country which were set up prior to SEZ Act, and 154 SEZs that were notified under SEZ Act 2005. The maximum numbers of SEZs are coming up in the IT sectorThe total land requirement for the formal approvals granted till date is approximately 44,268 hectares. Out of this, about 87 approvals are for State Industrial Development Corporations (SIDCs) State Government ventures which account for over 21,169hectares

ISSUES RELATING SEZs IN INDIA

One of the main issue is related with SEZ is locating land for SEZs. Many state governments are in the process of establishing SEZs. The issue of displacement, that of compensation or land price, rehabilitation, residential property development and land speculation, the threat of possible relocation of units from other parts of the state to SEZs and the consequent loss of revenue have been flagged . Farmers are protesting against the forced acquisition of their lands. The development of SEZs would lead to the destruction of employment of peasants whose land will be acquired and will create very little employment for high tech or high skilled persons and total net employment generated may well be negative. Handing over thousands of hectares of land cheaply to promoters of industry and relaxing the laws of the land, including those that relate to the welfare of the industrial workers, protection of the environment, taxation, etc, would automatically promote industrialization and solve the nagging unemployment problem of the country overnight. The farmers/peasants in various states such as West Bengal, Orissa, Maharastra, and Punjab have opposed acquisition of their land for SEZs. The highest level of opposition has been observed in West Bengal when land was acquired by the state government for the Tata group at Singur and Salim group of Indonesia at Nandigram. Besides the loss of agriculture land, concerns have also been raised about the project affected People.

Using water for SEZs is one of the major problems rising from different parts of the country. Mundra SEZ as per official website of the SEZ, it expects to get at least 6 million liters per day from the Sardar sarovar project, as promised by Gujarat water infrastructure Ltd.

The another main issue is rising from different parts of the country, the labour laws applicable to the rest of the country have been relaxed for the SEZs. The existing laws are well intentioned and they promote worker welfare. Relaxing such laws exclusively for the SEZs shows the government’s lack of conviction in its own commitment to social justice.

In some SEZs, the state governments are joint venture partners. In the case of some, special incentives by way of concessional electricity and water tariffs have been offered .In almost all the cases, valuable lands have been given away at concessional prices.

Considering the SEZ Act, it violates the letter and spirit of the Indian Constitution; it infringes the Fundamental Rights of the citizen guaranteed in part 3rd of the Constitution. Relaxation /inapplicability of many labour Laws (including under the Industrial Dispute Act, Contract Labour Act, Factories Act, Minimum wages Act, Trade Union Act), Environment (Protection) Act is inapplicable to SEZs ,No environmental clearance needed. Violates Panchayat Raj Act (1996) for local self government, violating laws granting rights and control to adivasi communities over their land, violating many international conventions on human rights.

To sum up, SEZs and other emerging developmental issues can be seen in a broad perspective and theoretical underpinnings of neo-liberalism. As far as Indian polity is considered the implications emerging from SEZs may cause increasing socio-political crisis because the society is far more complex than we assumed and that will result in organized or unorganized resistance and that may even cause anti-neo liberal political forces. So, in order to avoid the polarization of the society, civil society should engage to create a consensus on developmental issues. More over, in order to understand the continuities and changes that are taking place in the developmental scenario it needs further study.

Endnotes

Bijoiny Mohanthy and S.C Hazary(Ed), Political Economy of India Retrospect and Prospects (New Delhi: APH Publ).

S.C Hazary, Political Economy of India Retrospect and Prospects, ( New Delhi: APH Publi,1997.)

Sukhendu Mazumder, Politico-Economic Ideas of Mahatma Gandhi (New Delhi: Concept Publishing House, 2004.).

B.Mohanan,(Ed), Gandhis Legacy and New Human Civilisation, Gyam publishing house, New Delhi,1999.

Vineetha Sharma, ‘Implications Of A Special Economic Zone on Project Affected People a case study of Reliance Haryana SEZ”, Man & Development, Vol.39,Dec,2007.

Jermy Grasset and Frederic Landy, ‘Special Economic Zones in India Between International integration and Real Estate Speculation’, Man &Development, Vol. 39,No.4, Dec, 2007.

India 2008, A Reference Annual, Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting , Govt:of India, New Delhi,2008.

Partha Mukhopadhyay, “The promised land of SEZs” Seminar, Jan, 2008

.

Sheetal Sharma and Kishan Pratap, “ The Prosperous Few and the Pauperized Many: A Perspective on Special Economic Zones”, Mainstream, February,23-March,1,2007.

About the Author:

Jipson V. Paul

MA. Politics and International Relations from M G.University Kerala

MPhil. Politics and Intrrnational Relations from M G University Kerala

Doing PhD in Pondichery Cental University Puducherry.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/political-economy-of-indias-special-economic-zones-a-conceptual-frame-work-762527.html

Author: jipson v.paul

Tea Taster: How to Become a Tea Taster?

TEA TASTER: How to Become a Tea Taster?

Who is a tea taster?

Tea taster is a specialized professional in the tea industry. The job of a tea taster is one among the most gifted careers in the world today. Tea tasting is totally an art, but needs the support of science to upgrade it to a career in the modern tea industry.

Keep taste buds alive.

The tea taster needs to have his or her taste buds alive to understand and differentiate the contents of taste giving alkaloids in the tea samples. His olfactory nerves should active to identify the kind of fragrances that are released by the tea samples in question.

Tea plantation knowledge is essential.

In order to become a tea taster, one should primarily know about the cultivation and manufacturing processes in a tea plantation. He should know all about tea kinds, varieties, and grades and again the characters of the resulting liquors. He should sacrifice certain habits and abstain from smoking, alcohol, tasting strong spicy foods.

Be a lover of Mother Nature.

To learn about all these things, the youth should preferably be a graduate in agriculture, horticulture, biology, home science or interested in food technology. A good tea taster can earn remuneration equal to that of a software engineer, besides a great chance to live in the ambiance of Mother Nature.

Tea is a permanent beverage.

You know among all the beverages, tea is an everlasting one as it has a history of its own for a very many years. This should tell about the permanence of the industry and the tea taster’s job and career too. Tea tasting is a brilliant and fascinating career in the plantation and as well as in the tea trade at an international panorama.

Learn from the tea book: TEA TASTER.

Besides the knowledge of tea cultivation and processing, to gain a perfect knowledge on this tea tasting one should go for a tea book that gives ‘scientific tea testing, tasting and blending techniques”. One should read and enjoy the tea manual with full of illustrations, so that he can apply the techniques when taking up the job of a tea taster.

Traditional tea taster is based by experience.

The tea taster is said to gain knowledge by sipping and tasting a number of cups of raw tea made out of tea samples. "Tea Taster," using a special and exact spoon, sucks the tea with a sound. This slurping sound is caused by the tea being taken into the mouth at the exact speed of 125 miles per hour. At this speed, the tea explodes at the back of the palate, forming minute mist particles. These particles help the tea taster to tell a story about the tea in volumes. The tea is then expectorated into a pan and the tea taster turns to begin with another cup of tea.

This kind of tasting by the tongue, teeth, gum and inner parts of his buccal cavity without reference to a standard about taste can not construe to a good analysis. This is out of date secret and an art with errors. Errors in art are viewed as spill over of skills. But the truth is that that will end in a tasteless tea.

Modern tea taster is based on scientific methodology.

He has a sound fool proof methodology to identify good teas rich in color, taste and flavor. He has standard reference to compare and fix the color and taste categories and say some thing concrete about the fragrances also. Science will give constant results when the experiments are repeated. This assures a flawless performance at the end.

He combines the goodness of traditional tea tasting with the modern truthful scientific methods. He is capable of confirming the degree of qualitative and functional characters of select teas. This enables him to find their percentage or proportional utility in making desired blending combinations. This is to satisfy the need of every section of the society to enhance the harmony of mankind.

Be calm and active!

Now the tea can bring the briskness to the body and mind on demand. Another tea will make you calm and peaceful and bring solace to the wandering mind. It can create an inner calmness and outer activity which is usually brought about by meditation. Thus the tea taster has a duty to fulfill the expectations by innovations.

The author, Pnk Guru is a Tea Scientist and a Business Strategist requests the pleasure of tea industry to acquire a newer scientific knowledge on tea.

Buy TEA TASTER: the first book on scientific tea testing tasting and blending:

http://www.lulu.com/content/3615134

About the Author:

The author, Pnk Guru is a Tea Scientist and a Business Strategist requests the pleasure of tea industry to acquire a newer scientific knowledge on tea.

Buy TEA TASTER: The first book on scientific tea testing tasting and blending

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/tea-articles/tea-taster-how-to-become-a-tea-taster-544058.html

Author: pnkguru

Available Forms of Wildlife Photography

Ever thought of taking up wildlife photography? You don’t have to travel to Africa, Asia or South America to get beautiful wildlife pictures. You will find that even your current surroundings already have some form of wildlife and by the way am not talking about your cat or dog. There are Zoo’s in your surrounding area where you get to view all varieties of animals that you can see and take photos off. But I am sure the fact that they are locked up and just sitting there is really getting you down and probably you now want to take a trip to some exotic country that offers chances for to be able to get wildlife photographs.

This is not the only option you have; there are several forms of wildlife that you see all the time. Such as birds and insects which can be of great interest to you if you are into wildlife photography. You can also travel to other states where you can find bears and moose which are Americas number one tourist attractions.

However if you are still insistent on traveling to another country then you should try Africa where you will get to see a lot more wildlife than you could in your zoo and this animals will be more exciting because they are in their natural habitat. If After all this you are not still satisfied, you can move on to taking photographs of urban and metro buildings, not before you have also tried taking photos of flowers and local plantation.

About the Author:

Peter Gitundu Researches And Reports On Photography. For More Information On Wildlife Photography, Visit His Site At WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/digital-photography-articles/available-forms-of-wildlife-photography-601544.html

Author: Peter Gitundu

Best It Company In Kolkata

Innovation system is the best IT Company in Kolkata. Innovation system is a leading solution provider for Hardware, Software and Networking services. Established in the year 2003, the company has been promoted by some very highly skilled, experiences and professional peoples dedicated to provide total IT solutions under one roof. Innovation system provides high quality software services for global customers with a focus on customer software development, maintenance and testing. There is little doubt in declaring Innovation system as the best Software Development Company in Kolkata. The company is recognized for high effectiveness of production process, excellence of customer relationship and communication as well as high flexibility in resource allocation.

Innovation system’s IT service has been carefully crafted with the end customer satisfaction in mind. Innovation System works out to be the best IT Company in Kolkata.

Innovation system has no competition in kolkata when it comes to providing ‘A Total Turnkey Solution’ in the field of Website Development. Its package of service includes Web development, Web Designing, E-commerce Solutions, Search Engine Optimization, Content Management System, Graphic Design and Animation. If any company is looking for a solution provider in Website development & launching, they can approach the best Web Development Company of Kolkata. When it comes to web development they specialize in doing the analysis of your requirement, specification building, web designing, content writing, coding, testing, promotion and maintenance.

Location of Innovation System Company is very good. It is located at centre of the city. It is accessible to any part of Kolkata as it is located at perfect place. Lots of plantations are there which enrich the environment.
Innovation System believes in teamwork. With every new day the quest for acquiring new competencies continues. Forever searching, experimenting, innovating, learning, moving ahead with sincere efforts and dedication, and challenging our competencies to create new opportunities, is a never ending process is the company.

Innovation System will emerge as the leading software solution provider in the field of Software Development & Web Development services by pursuing latest trends in technology and through quality drives approaches.

About the Author:

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/information-technology-articles/best-it-company-in-kolkata-807521.html

Author: Ritu

Scarlet O'Hara - One of Madame Alexander's First Collectible Dolls

Madame Alexander was an American entrepreneur. She created the first “collectible” dolls based on a licensed character, Scarlett O’Hara, from the book and movie “Gone with the Wind.”

Scarlett O’Hara grew up on a Georgia plantation of Tara in the years before the American Civil War. She was 16 years old at the outbreak of the Civil War.

Scarlett’s character was one of a selfish, shrewd, vain and strong willed young woman. However, Scarlett desired to please her well-bred, gentle French American mother, Ellen Robillard, who was from a good Savannah, Georgia family.

Scarlett had two younger sisters, lazy and whiny Suellen and the gentle and kind Carreen. Scarlett falls madly in love with Ashley Wilkes, who is her aristocratic neighbor. Ashley announced his engagement to a meek and mild-mannered Melanie Hamilton. Scarlett is furious and marries Melanie’s brother, Charles out of spite. Scarlett’s new husband, Charles dies early in the war, and Tara falls into the hands of the Yankees.

Scarlett is faced with many hardships. Even though she was spoiled, selfish and shrewd, she shouldered the troubles of her family and friends. She did not grieve the loss of her first husband, Charles. She married her sister’s beau, Frank Kennedy just to get funds to pay the taxes on and save her family’s beloved home during the war.

Scarlett’s character evolved into a woman who is capable of incredible, unforeseen fortitude when she is cornered and in times of crises that is shown in her resourceful nature and her devotion to her family during the most violent time in American history.

She was willing to step on anyone who did not have her family’s best interests at heart, which also included her own sister. Regardless of how despicable Scarlett’s actions were, they were also very refreshing, and in the end turned out to be the right thing to do to save the family. Scarlett had very good reason to feel that her sister, who was every bit as selfish as she was, but without the complete devotion to the family home, would marry for money and turn her back on the only thing that really mattered, at least in the heart of Scarlett. Scarlett just had no other choice but to steal her sister’s beau, Frank Kennedy, and use the money for what was the best interest for the entire family, which was to keep Tara. She knew her sister would not do the same, because she lacked the family devotion Scarlett had.

Scarlett O’Hara was one of the most richly developed female characters of the time on film and in literature. She challenged the prescribed “women’s roles” of her time over and over again, which made her a modern woman long before feminism was ever born. As a result, she was very much disliked by the people of Atlanta, Georgia.

Scarlett had an ongoing internal conflict about her feelings for her beloved Ashley, Ashley, darling, and her attraction to the sardonic, opportunistic Rhett Butler, who seemed to know her better than anyone actually, and who eventually became her third husband.

Searching for the Right Scarlett O’Hara

The search for an actress to play Scarlett in the film version of the novel drew some of the biggest names in the history of cinema. Bette Davis was eliminated from possible prospects because of her casting as a Southern belle in Jezebel in 1937. Katharine Hepburn wanted the part and demanded an appointment with producer David O. Selznick, and is quoted as saying: “I am Scarlett O’Hara! The role is practically written for me.” Jean Arthur and Lucille Ball were also considered. I personally think Katharine Hepburn was probably runner up, but Lucille Ball, I could never imagine playing the part of Scarlett O’Hara. Lucy was just not the type in my opinion to ever be convincingly selfish or as intelligent as the character role demanded the actress to be. Lucy always had that big-eyed dumb and naive kind of look in my opinion.

Other big stars of the time that were considered for the part included:

• Susan Hayward

• Lana Turner

• Joan Bennett

• Paulette Goddard

Scarlett O’Hara is Chosen

The young English actress, Vivien Leigh, was virtually unknown in America. Her agent happened to be the London representative of the Myron Selznick talent agency, headed by David Selznick’s brother, a co-owner of Selznick International Pictures.

Vivien Leigh asked her agent to put her name into consideration. David Selznick watched both the movies Vivien Leigh was in at the time, which was “Fire Over England,” and “A Yank at Oxford.” Apparently David Selznick liked Vivien Leigh because she had the inside track for the role of Scarlett from that time on. Selznick started confidential negotiations with Leigh’s agent to contract for her services later that year. Leigh was told she did not need to screen test for the role because Selznick was interested and had viewed her most recent movies.

In a letter to Selznick’s wife two days later, he admitted Leigh was “the Scarlett dark horse,” then after a series of screen tests, her casting was announced on January 13, 1939. The public protested that the role was too “American” for an English actress. In spite of the public protest, Leigh was cast, and she won an Academy Award for her performance. I just love that kind of outcome!

Although Scarlett’s most enduring charm for women was her proto-feminism and strength, she apparently did have need of a man to be happy. She was married three times! No matter what she went through, she seemed to still be sad about the loss of her dear, sweet, Ashley, Ashley. On the other hand, however, all of her marriages had some kind of ulterior motive that may have not been an actual “need for a man,” but rather what the man could do for her at the moment, which was her innate selfish character to begin with. The Hamilton marriage was to upset and startle those around her. The marriages to Kennedy and Butler were for financial security and betterment in the times of her life when she could not fend for herself. Scarlett is by far the most developed character in “Gone with the Wind,” and stands out because she is strong and saves her family, but at the same time, is also incredibly selfish and petty. Scarlett O’Hara was also an incredibly beautiful woman who had the heads of every man turning in her direction the moment she entered the room.

She did not portray a typical female during the civil war. She ran a store, and two lumber mills. She survived the war, several marriages, the birth of children and a miscarriage. It is no wonder Scarlett described Melanie as being measly and who would have poor little children just like her when she married her beloved Ashley. Melanie had fragile health and a shy nature. Scarlett certainly demonstrated a female with much deeper characteristics. She also lived a very complicated life during a difficult period of history. You would think Ashley would have chosen Scarlett over Melanie. In the end, I believe it was much more Melanie’s character that portrayed the actual “need for a man,” which is probably why Ashley did choose her. Scarlett did not need Ashley, but Melanie did.

I love Scarlett’s lines from “Gone with the Wind,” like “Fiddle-dee-dee!” and “Tomorrow is another day,” “Great balls of fire!” and “I’ll never be hungry again!” Those lines tell me Scarlett was very optimistic and full of spunk, which I personally think Katherine Hepburn could have done just as well, but not as “fabulous” as Miss Leigh!

Now whenever you think of Madame Alexander, you can remember that she was also an incredible artist as was Vivien Leigh, who left some extraordinary beautiful works of doll art to entertain us. Madame Alexander created the first “collectible” dolls based on a licensed character, Scarlett O’Hara, from the book and movie “Gone with the Wind.”

And For everyone who loved Scarlett O”Hara and “Gone with the Wind,” we all must now have a Scarlett O’Hara Madame Alexander doll in mint condition in the box!

Disclaimer: Vintage Doll Collecting is not associated with the Madame Alexander Company. This article is for educational purposes only. We do not promote or sell the Madame Alexander Dolls or any other collector doll on our web site. Our website and this article is designed to help the collector learn more about Vintage Dolls and how to start collecting and maintaining Vintage Doll collections of all kinds.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.

© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved

Written by: Connie Limon. For more information about starting and maintaining a Vintage Doll Collection visit http://smalldogs2.com/VintageDollCollecting For a variety of FREE reprint articles as well as special sections in U.S. History and the Kennedy Administration visit http://www.camelotarticles.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Limon

By Connie Limon

Basic Pattern Making In The Hobby Foundry

Success or otherwise in your hobby foundry will depend to a large degree on your skills & ability to create simple patterns, i.e.
Patterns that are easy to mould, lift or separate from the sand
mould after a gentle rap.

A pattern that has incorrect draft on vertical surfaces, badly finished corner fillets, or a pattern that has not been finished to an ultra smooth finish will be difficult to work with.

Pattern making is an art in itself, pattern making
apprenticeships take around three or four years to complete, before you are given your "Trade Ticket".

The average hobby foundry worker most likely won't have the time, or the patience to get involved with the art of pattern making to that extent.

But the basic skills are worth the effort to learn, because
without them you wont get far with your hobby foundrywork, unless you PAY to have all of your patterns made for you, but that would take all of the fun out of it, and also cost you a sizeable amount of money.

Construction costs of professional pattern making can vary from a few hundred dollars for simple patterns, up to several thousand dollars for complicated pattern designs.

I happen to a know a pattern maker who designs and builds patterns & core boxes to make alloy & cast iron cylinder heads, it is not unusual for pattern & core costs to be around $20,000.00 AU before you even think about melting & pouring any metal.

If you are a legacy of the old tech school system of the sixties
& seventies, there is a good chance that you still remember how to skilfully use woodwork hand tools.

Some of the finest foundry patterns were made using basic hand tools. More than likely you still have a chisel set tucked away in a drawer, or a spoke shave, wood plane & handsaw, plus
a host of other tools that could be used to make excellent patterns in the home hobby shop.

And if they happen to be a bit rusty, then get them out again and bring them back to life, re-grind the cutting edges and hone
them with an oil stone.

Remember what your trade teacher always told you; "sharp tools
give the best results."

Do the same with the wood plane and any other tools, such as a small set of carving chisels you could use to carve intricate shapes in wood.

You'll need some good pattern timber or lumber as it's called in the states... doesn't matter, it's all wood isn't it. There are many types of timber suitable for pattern making, but, you'll probably be limited to what's available in your area or region.
Quality pattern timber is expensive to buy, so ask for off cuts at the local timber merchant, which you may get for a considerable discount

You'll be looking for a soft timber that doesn't splinter, has a straight grain, is easy to work or carve, and finishes to an ultra smooth finish.

One of the easiest timbers to use is jelutong, this timber comes from the Philippines, I don't know whether it is from plantation timber, or old growth forests, but it is great to turn on a lathe, or shape and carve with sharp hand tools.

Some of the other pattern timbers in use are cherry wood, mahogany, maple, white pine, and many others.

Quite often a master pattern can be made from timber, and then a replica mould is made using RTV 585 silicone, this is a quick method to remake replica production patterns.The replica patterns can then be mounted onto a match plate along with the runners & gates, this method will enable you to mould & cast multiple parts at the same time.

With a little practise you will soon know enough to make reasonable quality patterns that create good sand moulds.

There is one important pattern making tool that will make you wince when you purchase, but it is an important tool to have if you want to make accurate patterns where shrinkage rates are concerned.

The tool is the "Pattern Makers Rule", this is a ruler about 500mm (20")long. Made by Rabone Of England. No B5. And the graduations are marked as: 1/30-1/40-1/60-1/80,

The graduations represent the amount of shrinkage allowance for different types of metals. The pattern makers ruler provides a built in shrinkage percentage, which means you don't have to calculate the final measurement or size of your pattern, you simply take your measurement from your shrink rule, and transfer the measurement to the pattern being made.

The system is quite clever in the way it's all been calculated.

For a quick example, the 1/30 scale measurement seems to give
the correct result with patterns used for cast aluminium items.

Machining allowance on specific parts of a given pattern may also need to be considered, generally your own judgement can be used to judge that.

Pattern making can be quite a challenge for the hobby foundry worker, but once you learn the basics and develop your skills, with a little practice your patterns will get better and so will the overall casting quality.

If you intend on making lots of patterns, the investment in a shrink rule is well worth the money.

And while you're at it buy a good book on pattern making, it deserves a study all on it's own, but it forms an integral part of foundry work, and because you're the boss of your own workshop, you have to learn to wear the hat of the pattern maker & that of the sand moulder & founder.

Sounds like a whole lot of work doesn't it, but you'll soon learn what will work best for you. Spend the time to learn all you can, and you'll be rewarded with encouraging results.

Col Croucher.

To find out more about hobby metal crafts and how you can employ the methods & techniques to build & create your own unique projects, visit our web site http://www.myhomefoundry.com to download a free ebook to begin your understanding of foundry metal craft. This article is available for ezine publishing as long as reference is given to the source

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By Colin Croucher