The Economy of Permanence: A Quest for a Social Order Based on Non-violence (स्थायी अर्थतन्त्र)

Economy of Permanence
V. VILLAGE INDUSTRIES
The Multi-purpose Co-operative Societies can supply raw materials, stock the
finished goods and help in distributing all village industries products especially
those connected with food- processing, textiles and other primary needs. They
should be ever watchful of the interest of the villagers. In particular the follow-
ing recommendations may be attended to :

1. Rice mills should be disbanded and the engines could be used for irrigation
   purposes as has been already suggested.
2. Hullers used for polishing rice should be banned.
3. People should be informed about the better nutritive value of whole
   unpolished rice and about the method of cooking it, along with practical
   demonstrations. Polishing of rice should be prohibited or its degree of
   polishing should be very strictly controlled, or par-boiling of paddy should be
   encouraged.
4. Where paddy husking is carried on an industrial scale, for business purpose,
   in the case of predominantly paddy growing areas, expensive equipment
   such as paddy separators, winnowers, etc. should be supplied on hire to a
   group of artisans through the Co-operative Society.
5. In view of the fact that the use of unpolished rice is to be advocated and
   popularised, the movement of paddy from one place to another will become
   necessary. In order that the freight on the extra weight of paddy may not
   enhance the cost of rice, the freight charges on paddy should be suitably
   adjusted.
6. In areas where the implements for dehusking paddy and polishing rice are
   the same, and both the processes are combined into one of pounding paddy,
   resulting in polished rice, dehusking implements, i. e., chakkis either of
   wood, stone or mud, should be introduced to restrict polishing. Such
   implements might be supplied, as also the equipments for other industries,
   through the District Demonstration Centres. The polishing of rice might be
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