Divided They Stand

Divided They Stand

Indian Holcaust My father`s Life and time- EIGHTY FOUR

Palash Biswas



The country does not permit foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail and Left parties have been opposing the move to liberalise the sector for entry of global players such as Wal-Mart, Tesco and Carrefour. On the other hand, following Buddhadev`s capitalist Marxist line,Centre clears Salim Group's FDI for West Bengal . The Centre today cleared a 500 million dollar (Rs 2,250 crore) worth Foreign Direct Investment proposal from Indonesia-based Salim and Ciputra groups for developing infrastructure projects, including SEZs in West Bengal. Left is in a dilemma. Neither it can sacrifice so called ideology of class struggle in all places where it is out of power. Like the jackal story, it changes its ideology when West Bengal and Kerala are concerned.
Mind you, in West Bengal Left parties are standing divided on indiscriminate land aquisition for urbanisation, industrialisation and specifically SEZ. Violent resistance in Nandigram has put on a cap on SEZ and officially CPIM says that it is on hold.But the project has got the green signal fro the Centre despite assurances of dialogue. After full three decades being in power CPIM is challanged openly by smaller parties and the party itself speaks not in a singular voice. chief minister Buddhadev contradicts himself daily.

Faced with stiff and prolonged resistance, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has decided not to set up his pet Special Economic Zone project at Nandigram and has asked his party and his officials to find an alternative site. The decision was taken after leaders from East Midnapore unit of the party reported that the people of Nandigram would not accept eviction particularly because setting up the SEZ would mean demolition of religious sites of the minorities. The police are yet to enter the troubled area for over a month now as all approach roads to Nandigram still remain cut.
Party insiders said priority was being given to find the alternative site in the East Midnapore district itself or else the entire string of projects including the other SEZ to be set up in Haldia, the Expressway connecting Barasat and Raichak, the bridge connecting Kukrahati and Raichak as well as several townships and a biotech park and health city along the Expressway would become futile. The SEZ and the expressway as well as the townships along it were to be built by the Salim Group of Indonesia.

The CPI, RSP and the Forward Bloc, during separate meetings with the CPI(M), have objected to the proposed SEZ project in Nandigram. They have also opposed the chief minister’s efforts to relax land ceiling in the state to make setting up of new industries such as IT and Biotech easier.
Facing stiff opposition from within the Left Front itself, the chief minister has decided not to place amendments to the Land reforms Act in the coming session of the assembly beginning next month.

“Nandigram was an awesome mistake,” the chief minister told RSP leaders on Thursday during a bipartite meeting attended also by other top CPI(M) leaders. “I will strictly follow the decisions to be taken by our four Left parties on the SEZ,” the chief minister told CPI leaders during a bipartite meeting on Wednesday. He repeated it during the meeting with RSP.

Though upbeat that industrial climate “has been looking up in the state since 2005,” the chief minister, however, said that his party would prepare a comprehensive note on the direction his government wanted to take and would finalise it only after discussing it in the Left Front to avoid controversies in future. The government would also place a land map in the coming session of the assembly to demarcate the plots the government would acquire in future for industries and infrastructure, he said.

The proposal of the Salim and Ciputra groups-promoted New Kolkata International Development Private Limited (NKID) was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). "The CCEA has approved the broad proposal since it involved FDI inflows exceeding Rs 600 crores. The exact nature of investment would depend on the agreement between the investors and the state government," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after the CCEA meeting. The project, approved on the recommendations of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, would have an Indian equity partner as well, Chidambaram said. The Salim group would have 40 per cent stake in the joint venture company. NKID has entered into an agreement with the West Bengal government and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Ltd for developing infrastructure projects comprising townships, housing, special economic zones and industrial parks among others. The approval would be subject to certain guidelines governing FDI, the Finance Minister said.


An all party peace meeting to be held in Nandigram on Thursday did not take place as representatives of the Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee, spearheading protests against the acquisition of land for a SEZ, stayed away and alleged the CPI-M was resorting to violence in the area.Additional District Magistrate Kalipada Dhar said the Committee's members alleged that CPI-M cadres were continuing to use guns and bombs in the Khejuri, Tekhali Bazar and Sonachura areas of Nandigram.The Committee's members claimed it would be meaningless for them to participate in the peace meeting as long as the violence by the CPI-M continued, Dhar said.Representatives of the CPI-M, Trinamool Congress, Congress, RSP and PDS were present at the Nandigram BDO's office where the meeting was to be held.An earlier all-party peace meeting convened on February 19 was also not attended by the Committee on the plea that it had not been invited in writing.Meanwhile, a five-member delegation of the state Women's Commission was held up at Nandigram police station for an hour because of a protest by women members of the Committee.The Women's Commission team arrived here to investigate the recent death of a woman, who the CPI-M's Ganatantrik Mahila Samity alleged was raped and killed by members of the Comittee, Commission Vice-President Roma Das said.

Another example of gross negligence of public opinion:
Overlooking People`s resistance, DLF, W Bengal sign pact to develop township. Real estate major DLF and West Bengal government have entered into an agreement to build a township and an industrial hub at Dankuni in the Hooghly district, reports Business Standard. The project, to be named Dankuni World Township, would be built on 4,840 acres of land. The public-private partnership (PPP) project would entail an investment of Rs 330 billion. Around 400,000 people would be employed in the project, which would be completed in the next 15 to 20 years, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said.Of the total project area, 771 acres has been earmarked for industry, Bhattacharjee said. Textile, food processing and engineering industries would be set up in the earmaked industrial area. Around 1,872 acres has been kept for housing, with 35% reserved for high income groups, 40% for middle income groups and 25% has been earmarked for low income groups. The process for acquiring land at the project site near Durgapur Expressway, NH2 and NH6 would start shortly. The state government would provide water supply and electricity during the construction period. The projects to be taken up there will be finished in five years.

The CPI (M), the dominant, meanwhile, began a series of bipartite parleys with allies during the day on amending the land ceiling for setting up multi-product SEZs, another prickly issue.

"The chief minister has assured us that the state government will pursue the guidelines set by the four left parties in Delhi on the creation of SEZs," Forward Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh said.


And with an exposure of double speak, the spokespersons for Salim and buddhadev and company lead the farmers in Rajsthan. Farmers are on the warpath in Jaipur.A confrontation is building up between farmers from Ganganagar and the Rajasthan government over the lack of water in the Indira Gandhi canal.The farmers, who are being backed by the CPI(M), are scheduled to hold a demonstration in front of the state assembly in Jaipur on Thursday.Senior CPM leaders led by General Secretary Prakash Karat will join the protests.According to reports, police reinforcements have been called in and security has been tightened at all entry points to the city.Over the past three years, farmers in Ganganagar have repeatedly clashed with the police, leaving eight people dead and over 200 injured.The farmers' protest is set to be a serious headache for the Raje government as Rajasthan's next Assembly session begins from March 1.

In New Delhi, CPI(M) activists protest against Wal-Mart officials' visit .CPM activists today protested against the visit of top Wal-Mart officials who arrived in India this morning to discuss their retail venture with Bharti Group. Activists of the Left party, a key ally of the UPA coalition, were seen carrying placards with slogans "Wal-Mart go back" and "No FDI in retail". Wal-Mart's Vice-chairman and head of international operations Michael Duke is in the country to discuss business plans with Bharti and is likely to meet government officials. Bharti had recently announced its plans to invest up to 2.5 billion dollars till 2015 in the retail venture. While the Indian company would manage the front-end retail stores, the US giant would take care of the back-end operations such as logistics and supply chain.

In Kolkata, There were differences among ruling Left front partners in West Bengal over acquisition of farmland for industries, veteran CPI (M) leader Jyoti Basu admitted Monday. "There are differences among the partners and confusion and misunderstanding among the people which need to be removed," the 93-year-old Basu told reporters after a meeting of the state committee of the CPI(M).Basu's comments came as the Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee government was facing flak from both front partners and opposition parties over its land acquisition policy.Smaller parties in the front like CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc have been speaking against the land-acquisition policy alleging that the matter has not been discussed thoroughly with them before the administration went ahead.

Meanwhile,Patkar launches platform in New delhi to oppose UPA's economic policies Seeking a cut in the defence budget, noted social activist Medha Patkar today announced a new platform that will launch an indefinite agitation against the UPA Government's economic policies.
"There is no point in increasing defence expenditure every year while hundreds of people die without health care and lakhs of children are being deprived of basic education," she told reporters here. Spending money on procuring new weapons every year indicates that India is acquiring a new image of a "war-loving nation" globally, she said while launching, Action-2007, a new platform "to take on government's economic policies".

The platform would soon start an indefinite agitation in the national capital during the budget session to press its demands. "The government should feel that children, women and dalits are suffering due to lack of rights to life," Patekar said. Patkar asked the UPA Government not to engage in "pro- corporate" and "anti-people" budget making. "We demand that both the central and state governments desist from corporate centred development like SEZ, STZ and other projects like Singur Tata Car Factory in West Bengal, Kalinga Nagar land acquisition in Orissa and proposed green field mining projects in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh," she said.


Four days after he dubbed her “a trouble-maker”, Jyoti Basu sent a bouquet of pink roses to Mamata Banerjee. Not to be left behind, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee sent a yellow bunch a few hours later.The flowers were a way of saying “get well soon” to the Trinamul Congress chief, who underwent a gallstone operation yesterday. But they could be meant as much to make her change her heart. Whether Mamata, who has not minced words in her opposition to the government’s industrialisation drive, will step out of the south Calcutta nursing home singing a different tune is difficult to tell.The red roses that the chief minister had earlier sent, after she ended her fast over the Tata Motors project, didn’t have any such impact. But the change of colour — of the chief minister’s roses — and Basu’s gesture? Well.

On a small piece of white paper tied to the roses, Bhattacharjee wrote: “Aapni taratari bhalo hoye uthun (get well soon)”.There were more roses for Mamata from the CPM today — state secretary Biman Bose, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Assembly Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim being the others wishing her a speedy recovery. Trinamul functionaries at the nursing home said they were “overwhelmed”.

Farmers unhappy

GangaNagar, Rajsthan,The farmers are planning to hold an indefinite protest to demand the 58 per cent share of water from the canal promised by the state government."As we did not get water, we could not sow any mustard while the cotton crops got ruined. All of us are forced to sit idle. We will not return to our homes till we get water," said a farmer from Ganganagar.

Farmers also say the government is flouting the agreement signed after their agitation three years ago and water shortage is now ruining them."It's a fight against hunger for us. If the government does not give us as much water as it promised in the Ajmer Agreement signed after our last agitation, we will not lift our siege in Jaipur," added a farmer from Ghadsana.

Water woes

But the government says it cannot give more water to Ganganagar farmers, as this will imply a cut in water for farmers of Bikaner and Jaisalmer.It further claims that farmers are being misled by political forces especially the CPI(M), which has a strong base in the area.

"The government never agreed to give them 58 per cent water from the canal and we feel we have implemented the agreement with the farmers.

"We hope that those forces who are misleading farmers in the name of irrigation water do not succeed," said Rajendra Singh Rathore, PWD Minister, Rajasthan.


CPI-M's allies oppose SEZ in West Bengal
Kolkata, Feb. 22 (PTI): Even as the Centre today cleared proposals for several infrastructure projects, including a SEZ to be set up in West Bengal by Indonesia's Salim and Ciputra Groups, three major partners in the state's Left Front government opposed the move. The RSP, Forward Bloc and CPI said they were against the setting up of the SEZ as well as the move to relax the land ceiling act to enable the acquisition of larger land holdings for industries. "We are opposed to the very concept of SEZ as a development vehicle," RSP leader Manoj Bhattacharjee said.

He was confident the development of SEZs will not be possible in the state as "people do not want it". Demanding guidelines for establishing SEZs, he said the people should be taken into confidence in such matters.

The CPI, another major Left Front partner, said the Salim Group's proposed multi-product SEZ and chemical hub should not be allowed to be set up at Nandigram in East Midnapur district, the scene of violent protests against the acquisition of land for industries.

The Forward Bloc said that during its meeting with CPI(M) leaders on the issue, it was given to understand that the Salim Group's proposed SEZ had been put on hold.

"It is our understanding following talks with the CPI(M) leadership, including Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee, that the proposal for setting up a SEZ by Salim Group would remain on hold and the land would instead be acquired for its projects on information technology, knowledge city and health city," Forward Bloc leader Ashoke Ghosh said.

State CPI Secretary Manju Mazumdar said his party has submitted a memorandum to the state government saying that the SEZ should not be set up at Nandigram and only industries demanded by the locals should be allowed to come up.

Chemical hub must in West Bengal: CM

Posted at Thursday, 22 February 2007 19:02 IST
Kolkata, Feb 22: Buoyed by the Centre giving clearance to Indonesia-based Salim Group's infrastructure projects in West Bengal, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said that a chemical hub would have be set up in the state."We will have to set up a chemical hub in the state on the instruction of the Centre. We will decide later where it will be located," Bhattacharjee told reporters at the state secretariat here.Bhattacharjee said the Centre had given clearance to the Salim Group's investments in West Bengal.Haldia and Nandigram in East Midnapore district, where the Salim Group's SEZ and chemical hub were proposed to be located, has witnessed violent protests against the acquisition of land for the projects.

Following violence at Nandigram in early January and sporadic incidents since then, Bhattacharjee had said the chemical hub and the SEZ would not be set up at Nandigram if the people there were opposed to the projects.

The Centre, during the day, cleared a Rs 2,250-crore FDI investment proposal of the Salim and Ciputra Groups for infrastructure projects in the state.The proposal of the New Kolkata International Development Private Limited (NKID), which is promoted by the Salim and Ciputra Groups, was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

The state government signed an agreement with a consortium led by the Salim Group on July 31 last year for the state's largest infrastructure projects. This included a chemical industrial estate, a multi-product SEZ, a small and medium enterprises industrial estate, an expressway and a bridge.

Now, industrial forum warns against SEZs

Express News Service

Vadodara, February 20 It is now the turn of an industrial forum, the Central Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CGCCI) to sound a cautionary not about SEZ implementation.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the chamber president said in case of Gujarat, only the unproductive coastal land and not agricultural land should be acquired for establishing SEZ. Also, the chamber expressed apprehensions going by experience of various industrial estates and the threat SEZs could prove to small industries, leading to monopolistic tendencies.

CGCCI president Chetan Patel said that while the chamber was in favour of SEZs, it was wary about the manner in which they were being implemented.

Also, he warned that the SEZ policy should be tailormade to suit Indian realities and not copied in toto as in other foreign countries. He cited instances of various Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) estates where agricultural land was procured to establish industries, but units were lying empty and land had been rendered unfit for agricultural use too.

“Also, there are issues of fall in revenue income, land scam, adverse impact on small industries as well as impact on local markets'' said Patel.

In the context of Gujarat, he said that the land along its 1,600 km coastal line, which is largely unfertile, should be considered for SEZs, but only too after assessing the environmental impact. The industrial association also surprisingly comes in favour of small farmers, arguing against acquisition of farmlands for SEZs.


Tamil Nadu - Chennai

IT SEZ mooted in Chennai

T. Ramakrishnan

It will be set up on 25 acres in front of TIDEL Park May come up where Film City was located
25 acres in front of TIDEL Park
Convention centre, hotel proposed

CHENNAI: A special economic zone for the information technology sector, comprising a convention centre of international standards and a five-star hotel, may come up at Taramani if the State Government approves the idea.

The proposal, mooted by the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), envisages establishment of a SEZ for the IT and IT-Enabled Services on 25 acres in front of TIDEL Park. It will come up where the Film City was located earlier.

Once the Government clears the idea, TIDCO will invite tenders, says an official spokesperson.

The convention centre and a five-star hotel have been proposed, as the SEZ norms for the IT sector provide for earmarking 50 per cent of the land for non-processing purposes.

A couple of factors have weighed with the authorities while choosing the site. Other than the Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam (near here), there is no convention centre in the city.

The site will prove convenient to those in the city as well as those who have to come from the southern end of the Old Mamallapuram Road, known as the IT corridor.

TIDCO has also proposed another SEZ for the IT and ITES behind the TICEL (the TIDCO Centre for Life Sciences) Bio Park. This will have an area of 2.5 million square feet, double the size of the TIDEL Park. The TIDCO will shortly float bids to identify a partner, says the spokesperson.

For these two projects, the nod of the Board of Approval for SEZ is required. The authorities do not foresee any problem, as land is readily available.

In addition, TIDCO is promoting some more SEZ projects, including those in Ennore, Nanguneri, Hosur and Perambalur.

As for the Ennore project, land transfer is yet to take place. Three thousand acres identified there belong to the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries. In the past, saltpans occupied the area. The Centre's formal orders on land transfer are expected shortly, the spokesperson says. The authorities have initiated steps to provide road and rail access to the SEZ site. A sum of Rs. 26 crore will be spent. Work on the preparation of a master plan is nearing completion.

In the case of Nanguneri, a master plan is getting ready. Four hundred more acres have been acquired by the project promoters besides 2,100 acres made available by the TIDCO six years ago.

The final clearance of the Board of Approval is needed for the Ennore and Nanguneri projects, both of which may cover sectors such as auto ancillary, textiles, finished leather, light engineering and pharmaceuticals.

As for Hosur and Perambalur, TIDCO is identifying partners — a process that is likely to be completed in a couple of months.

In Perambalur, the district administration has started land acquisition.

TIDCO hastransferred Rs. 3 crore to the Collector as the first instalment. For Hosur, the State Government's order is expected soon for initiating the process. No agricultural lands or those comprising habitation will be touched. Only dry lands, that too lying shallow, will be acquired, the spokesperson adds.


Popular mood in West Bengal is pro-industry: CPM

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2007 03:14:59 AM]

Our Bureau
KOLKATA: The CPM on Tuesday claimed the party was receiving positive response from the people of West Bengal with regard to the government’s drive to industrialise the state.

At the same time, the party has also decided to launch a state-wide campaign in favour of the government’s industrialisation drive. It has also urged its rank and file to highlight development activities being carried out by the state government.

The two-day state committee meeting of the party which concluded on Tuesday, asked all civic bodies and panchayats run by it to complete pending civic work on time and carry out such jobs more effectively.

CPM state secretary Biman Bose has submitted a report on the progress of the party’s campaign in support of the state government’s industrialisation drive. The CPM state leadership has also asked party organisations not to disturb lakhs of Madhyamik examines while running the pro-industry campaign.

The two-day meeting of the party has also criticised the Congress-led UPA government over its failure to check price hike of essential commodities. The CPM will hold a nationwide protest day on February 27 to highlight the Centre’s failure to check such price rise.

Meanwhile, Citu’s all-India general secretary and CPM MP Chittabrata Majumdar has passed away at a Kolkata nursing home on Tuesday. He was 71 and is survived by his wife and daughter. He had also served as West Bengal cottage and small scale industry minister during the first Left Front government in 1977.

Mr Majumdar became the state committee member of the party in 1982, state secretariat member in 1986, central committee member in 1995 and got a berth in the CPM politburo in 2005.

According to agency reports, violence continued to rage at Nandigram as CPM and Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee clashed with each other early in the day. Bombs were hurled and gun shots fired at around 2 am, CPI MLA Ilias Mohammad said. However, there was no report of any casualty or injury.

The police, which have kept away from the troubled block of East Midnapore district since early January when six persons were killed in violence, made no attempt to enter the area, Ilias said. The police initially sought to set up camps

Repair of roads dug up to prevent the entry of outsiders and the police to villages, which was to have begun on Tuesday also did not take off, he said. The Monday all-party peace meeting had resolved that the police would enter Nandigram and set up camps where necessary, and roads would be repaired.


'Rivalry between business houses has blown up the SEZ issue'

Commerce Secretary G K Pillai, who also heads the Board of Approval of Special Economic Zones in India.

February 21, 2007

In the rarified world of Central Delhi's super-bureaucrats, Gopal Krishna Pillai, a 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, holds a key position. He not only the chairman of the explosive panel known as the Board of Approval for Special Economic Zones, but being the Commerce Secretary, he also has a crucial role in choreographing the United Progressive Alliance government's ideology, tactics and strategy on the subject.

He is chairman of the Grievances Redressal Committee on matters relating to foreign trade and regional trade arrangements (RTAs)/free trade agreements (FTAs)/preferential trade arrangements (PTAs).

More importantly, he is also India's chief negotiator at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), too.

By any yardstick, his is an unenviable task. The job requirement involves taking up cudgels with his peer group in the sister ministries of the government, especially the finance and agriculture departments.

The ruling party is having nightmares as farmers have begun to lash out at the government plans to create SEZs. For the farming communities, who form the 650 million-strong majority of rural India, SEZs have become a symbol of tyranny.

However, Pillai is undeterred. He strongly insists that the government's vision on SEZs has tremendous potential to succeed. Suave and articulate, Pillai has the persuasive power to convince his interlocutors that the government policy is sound and sustainable. And he has facts and figures on his fingertips to substantiate his points.

The million-dollar question, however, is whether the hundreds of millions of rural poor would be convinced. More importantly, how will the politician assess the balance sheet in the saga of SEZs that is being played out, especially with the country lurching toward elections?

In an exclusive interview with Managing Editor Sheela Bhatt, Pillai demystifies SEZs.

What are your arguments in favour of Special Economic Zones?

The SEZ Act has brought in foreign direct investment. Nokia, Flextronics, Ascendas, Foxconn Tech, Apache Software and Brandix (a Sri Lankan textile company) have already invested in India because of SEZs. In the first year of SEZs, investment to the tune of $3-5 billion has been committed.

That is almost 60-70 per cent of the total FDI coming into India. I am quite sure that we will be able to bring in about $20-25 billion in next 3 years from the companies that have shown interest.

Second, SEZs are going to create jobs. Private investment in SEZs, before the enactment of Act, was merely Rs 3,600 crore (Rs 36 billion) and 1 lakh (100,000) jobs were created in the last 15 years. In the last 11 months alone, I have already got Rs 11,600 crore (Rs 116 billion) in investment in SEZs, creating 15,000 jobs. This will create 8.9 lakh (890,000) jobs in the next three years.

It also simplifies many procedures. For the first time, all the State governments are enthusiastic about getting SEZs. It is an opportunity to get more business. That's why I have 17 States and two Union Territories having SEZs.

As you know, concept of SEZ is being seriously contested. The finance ministry has said that there will be an actual loss of more than Rs 1 lakh crore (Rs 1 trillion). Businessmen are not coming here for free. . . you are giving them a lot of concessions. Are you not worried that regular tax structure will be hit hard if you give so many tax concessions to a select few?

Let me put it this way. A lot of loss of revenue that is estimated due to SEZs is reimbursable for exports. In terms of export income, we will continue earning.

Even for 100 per cent export-oriented units (EOUs) and software technology parks, you already have a tax holiday up to 2009-10.

What is offered in SEZs is not much different than what is already available outside SEZ.

Forget even that, consider a simple calculation. You think that Rs 100,000 crore (Rs 1 trillion) will be the revenue loss. . . that's what the finance ministry says. Tax is free only on your exports.

Businessmen in SEZs will have to pay tax if they sell it in the domestic market. Loss of tax is on the profit. So assume what would be the profit if Rs 100,000 crore is loss on profit? Unless the profit is Rs 300,000 crore (Rs 3 trillion) you can't get the Rs 100,000 crore of tax loss. And, if your profit could be Rs 300,000 crore, what would be your turnover?

Assuming that you make 20 per cent profit on your actual turnover. . . nobody makes 20 per cent profit on exports, but even if we take that estimate it means that Rs 15,00,000 crore (Rs 15 trillion) should be the turnover inside the SEZ.

Do you know the turnover of current SEZs which is giving jobs to 1 lakh people? Total turnover is Rs 23,000 crore (Rs 230 billion). If I can increase the economic activity from Rs 23,000 crore to Rs 15,00,000 crore in India, it will generate Rs 150,000 crore (Rs 1.5 trillion) of indirect taxes.

Critics are wary of your statistics. Your concept and the thrust behind SEZ have divided India. You are killing one type of livelihood for another type of livelihood. You are turning owners of farmland into labourers in an SEZ factory. Why?

I think it's a misnomer. What you are not seeing is the overall effect. Let me give you a simple example of Sriperumbudur near Chennai. 700 hectares were acquired in 2002, much before SEZs came. Farmers who were displaced were paid Rs 5 lakh (Rs 500,000) per acre of land as per the market price at that time.

Now, Motorola, Flextronics, Foxconn, Samsung and Dell have come. All of them are saying that they have come because of SEZs. Don't go by my viewpoint, you may ask them. These companies will provide 1 lakh jobs in about three to four years. These 700 hectares of land had about 1,500 farmers.

Second, look at those 15,000 farmers who are living outside and around the SEZ.

Their land which was Rs 5 lakh an acre is now fetching them Rs 80 lakh (Rs 8 million) per acre. I have generated wealth for 15,000 farmers by doing nothing. By bringing an SEZ, overall growth of area is evident.

I met a farmer who had two-and-a-half acres of land some 3 km away from SEZ. I asked him what does he think of the SEZ? He said it is the best thing to have happened to him. He said he is going to sell one acre, get Rs 80 lakh and put it in the bank. He says his own pension, his daughter's marriage and son's education will be taken care of.

He said that in remaining land he will do cultivation because he doesn't know anything else. I asked him what was his earning from the land? His land is in rain-fed area. They don't have irrigation. He said he earns around Rs 6,000-7,000 per year per acre.

Tell me, when is he going to get Rs 80 lakh? This benefit that has gone outside the SEZ is not noted by anybody. I have created wealth apart from the investment of $3 billion.