Propeller Anchor Commentary

Alexia: In the above video I make mention of a government plan to use land currently owned by farmers for an industrial initiative. That initiative is the building of a factory that will make a revolutionary, affordable small car to be marketed at the Indian Middle Class.

Although the factory has been meeting violent opposition for several months, it has been approved and is, indeed, going forward. The 1,000 acres in the township of Singur has already been turned over to Tata Motors, the small car's manufacturer. Additionally, plans to provide skilled labor for the factory are also being laid.

For more information, please check out Wikipedia's wonderful Kolkata entry which includes a detailed history of the Bengal famine of 1943.

For more information on Dr. Mahalaya Chatterjee's work, please visit the website for the Center for Urban and Economic Studies of Calcutta University.

For more information on the Shadhika Foundation, please visit their website.

Some currency conversion information: the price for the Tata Motors' small car, "Rs 1 lakh," referred to in several of the articles above is equivalent to $2,325.00 (given the current exchange rate of 43 Indian Rupees, or "Rs.," to 1 U.S. Dollar).

2007-02-12 16:32:56