made on Baba Amte at this march.
It is perhaps not surprising that the underdeveloped regions of Saurashtra and Kutch, which have provided labour to the diamond-cutting units of south Gujarat, as well as labour to the sugar-cane growers at times of drought should seize any opportunity presented to join the mainstream of the 'development' process. It is perhaps also not surprising that those who come from these regions and who have made good outside (such as the Kutchi banyas) should be in the forefront of the demand for the 'development' of these areas. What is disquieting is that the heavy price which is necessarily exacted through this process of development remains an issue which is not addressed. There are very real problems to be addressed in the regions which are prone to drought. The position of the pastoralists is one to which very little thought has been given. The building of the dam will do little to improve their position. Capitalist agriculture does not only flex its muscle against poor peasants and agriculture labourer, it is inimical to the pastoralists too. The farmers who own irrigated land are hostile to the pastoralists, as was starkly brought out during the years of the last drought when large numbers of the latter walked down THE first conference of the co-operative sugar factories in Maharashtra was held at Shri Datta Co-operative Sugar Factory at Shirol in Kolhapur district on September 24 and 25. The conference was attended by over 2,500 participants
