Hunger in India: the Human Factor
| Author | A. Ramsay Tainsh |
| Published date | 01 April 1981 |
| Date | 01 April 1981 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/004711788100700106 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
1053
HUNGER
IN
INDIA:
THE
HUMAN
FACTOR
A.
RAMSAY
TAINSH
THERE
have been
numerous
severe
regional
famines
in
India,
but
no
All
India
Famine.
The
East
India
Company,
and
later
the
British
Raj,
realized
that
the
variations
in
the
monsoon
could
cause
crop
failures,
famines
and
unrest.
They
took
steps
to
alleviate
the
problems
caused
by
the
monsoon
but
were
ultimately
beaten
by
the human
factor
in
East
Bengal
in
1943
when
a
very
large
number
of
people
died
of
mycotoxicosis.
After
India
gained
independence
in
1947,
the
responsibility
for
feeding
the
country
passed
to
the
Indian
Government.
Foreign
money
was
made
available
but
despite
all
the
technical
advances
since
1640
a
larger
percentage
of
people
than
ever
before
suffer
from
hunger
today.
The
human
factor
is
still
the
cause
of
the
failure
and
general
frustration.
Fear,
greed
and
the
desire
by
merchants
to
exploit
all
shortages
to
make
a
quick
profit
puts
the
prices
of
available
food
beyond
the
reach
of
the
poor.
The
European
merchants
who
settled
in
Madras
in
1640
were
quick
to
learn
from
the
Indians
and
encouraged
their
officials
to
plant
large
fruit
and
vegetable
gardens
round
their
houses.
The
Company
itself
established
Company
Gardens,
Grass
Farms
and
Animal
Breeding
Farms.
Many
of
these
have
now
become
re-
search
stations.
In
1786
after
several
severe
famines
in
Bihar,
the
East
India
Company
built
a
silo
at
Patna
with
a
capacity
of
126,000
tons.
In 1805
it
was
decided
to
repair
the
ancient
dams
and
irriga-
tion
system
of
South
India
which
included
33,000
tanks.
When
this
work
was
completed,
a
Civil
Engineering
College
was
opened
at
Rookee
in
North
India
to
train
Civil
Engineers
needed
to
build
and
operate
the
Northern
Canal
system.
By
1939,
8,000
miles
of
main
canal
had been
dug
with
a
flow
of
400,000
cusecs,
enough
water
to
irrigate
70
million
acres.
The
British
Raj
also
established
the
Reserve
Forests
and
in
1913
built
the
Forest
Research
Institute
at
Dehra
Dun
to
train
Indian
foresters.
Today
the
only
remaining
forests
in
India
are
these
Reserve
Forests.
All
privately
owned
forests
have
been
felled
without
replanting.
The
British
Raj
developed
the
river,
road
and
railway
systems
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