Agricultural Breakthrough-Problems and Prospects

December 21, 1968 A proper weightage should have been assigned to the units of observation. Secondly, the present numerical scale is time-bound and is, perhaps, applicable to the 1967 elections only. The reason for saying so is that the scale fails to take note of demographic shifts in population between one election and the next. For, such a margin of 25,000 votes in the 1972 elections will mean DIFFERENT views have been expressed on the question whether India is currently experiencing an agricultural breakthrough. At one extreme, it has been stated that the breakthrough is complete and we are almost in the midst of an agricultural revolution. On the other hand, quite a few, specially the academicians, are categorical that the breakthrough has yet to start its course. The truth lies somewhere between these two extreme points of view. The fact that a breakthrough is taking place in a number of regions of the country is perhaps undisputed. The substantial impact that the breakthrough has made in a few agriculturally important regions of the country is also perhaps not debatable. However, both the extreme schools may not be giving sufficient weightage to the fact that, after all, agriculture everywhere